Date First Published: 10th March 2023
Topic: Computer Networking
Topic: Network Services
Article Type: Computer Questions & Answers
Difficulty: EasyDifficulty Level: 3/10
Learn about how to send a large file by email in this article.
Sending a large file by an email attachment is difficult. This is because all email providers have a maximum attachment size limit and exceeding this limit will usually cause your message to bounce back with an error like 'message size exceeds maximum permitted'. In addition, storing large attachments in your sent folder can use up a lot of your storage space.
Luckily, this does not mean that you won't be able to send the recipient your attachment or have to send multiple emails. If you want to send a large file by email, you will have to find another way of sharing it, like uploading it to a file storage service and adding the link in your email for the recipient to see the files. Below are the attachment size limits of different email providers and the three alternative methods of sharing the attachment that we recommend.
Below are the attachment size limits of some major email providers.
| Email Account Provider | Attachment Size |
|---|---|
| Mail.com | 25 MB |
| Gmail | 25 MB |
| AOL | 25 MB |
| iCloud Mail | 20 MB |
| Outlook Mail | 34 MB |
| Yahoo Mail | 25 MB |
| Zoho Mail | 20 MB |
| Hotmail | 10 MB |
Below are 4 services that you can use for sending large files by email. Using a file storage service is the most common method for sending large files by email. When the recipient receives your email, they can open it online using the file storage service you used to send it or download it to their computer. There is no file size limit for these services, but you cannot go over your storage limit.
Google Drive is a file storage service provided by Google that provides 15 GB of free storage per account. This storage space is also shared across Gmail and Google Photos. It is common for someone to have a Google account for at least one of their popular services, like YouTube, so it is likely that Google Drive will be available for you to use without you having to create any additional accounts or sign up for any extra services.
Google Drive is integrated with Gmail. If you send an attachment in Gmail, you will see the Google Drive button. All you need to do is click on it and then select your file to insert into the email. If you try to attach a file using the paperclip icon that is over 25 MB, it will upload it to your Google Drive and Gmail will add a download link.
OneDrive is a file storage service provided by Microsoft that offers 5 GB of free storage per account. Paid users get 1 TB of storage. Trying to attach a file that is larger than 34 MB will result in Outlook asking you to upload the files to your OneDrive account. OneDrive and Outlook are both owned by Microsoft.
Once you have uploaded your attachment to OneDrive, you will need to set permissions, such as whether people can edit the file or only view it. After you have set all your link settings and permissions, copy and paste the link into your email and the recipient will be able to view and download the large file.
YouTube is a video-sharing site owned by Google. If you want to share a video, YouTube is the recommended service. All you need to do is upload your video to YouTube and then copy and paste the link into your email for recipients to view. YouTube videos can be made private, which means that it can only be viewed by you and the recipient. Another advantage of using YouTube to share videos is that most people already have a Google account from using other services, so you won't need to sign up for any other accounts.
There is no maximum number of videos that you can upload or storage limit per account. However, the maximum file size you can upload is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. By default, you cannot upload videos longer than 15 minutes and you have to verify your YouTube account to upload longer videos.
Dropbox is a file hosting service that offers 2 GB of free storage per account. They offer users with paid plans 2 TB of storage. There is a Dropbox for Gmail add-on that allows you to send and preview files and links without leaving Gmail. The add-on adds a Dropbox icon to the compose window. All you have to do is click the Dropbox icon and then choose the file from your Dropbox account. The recipient will then get a preview of your Dropbox link that you shared in the email. The recipient can directly download it from Gmail or add it to their Dropbox storage.
Mega is a cloud storage and file hosting service offered by Mega Limited. It offers users secure and encrypted access to their files from any device with an internet connection. Mega offers 20 GB of storage per free account and is one of the most generous file storage services, but to keep a free Mega account, it has to stay active. Accounts that have not been used in the last 3 months are considered inactive and they can delete your account after 3 months of inactivity.
You can share files on Mega with anyone. All you need to do is click the 'Get link' in the context menu and then copy and paste the link into your email message. The recipient can then view and download the files and they do not need a Mega account to do this.
Another way of sending large files over email is by compressing the file size. Compressed files become a fraction of the original file size and can be sent through email as long as they do not exceed the attachment size limit. You are still sending the same file, but you're compressing it so that the file size is smaller. The only disadvantage of this method is that when a file is compressed, the file might lose its quality, especially with images and videos.
A file-transfer tool is suitable for sending large files to a recipient. They are easy to use and suitable for both personal and business use. Below are two examples of file-transfer tools that we recommend.
WeTransfer is a popular file transfer service. You have to upload your files, type in the recipient's email address, and enter your message. You don't need an account to share a file and the recipient does not need an account to download your file, but you do have to verify ownership of your email address if you want to send an email transfer without an account. The file size limit for WeTransfer is 2 GB without an account, the download link expires after 7 days, and anyone with the download link can view the file.
SendAnywhere is a secure file transfer service. You have to create an account and generate a 6-digit key that is used to access the file. You can send the link to the recipient, but they cannot access the file without the key. Files shared through links are kept on the server for 48 hours and are automatically deleted after that time expires.
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