How to send large files by email
The short answer: you cannot, not as an attachment. Personal email services stop at 20 to 25 MB per message, and Microsoft 365 business mailboxes start at 35 MB. Anything bigger has to travel outside the message itself, and you send the email with a link in it instead. There are three real ways to do that, and the right one depends on who the recipient is and how long the file needs to stay available.
The three methods compared
| Method | Works best when | The real cost |
|---|---|---|
| Compress and attach | The file is just over the limit and compresses well | Does nothing for photos, video or image-heavy PDFs |
| Shared cloud folder | You already use Google Drive or OneDrive and have space | Takes up your storage for as long as the file stays there |
| Transfer link | The recipient is outside your organisation | The link ends on the date you chose, so the recipient has to download in time |
When compressing actually helps
It is worth trying first, because it is free and instant. It works on documents, spreadsheets, CAD files and code, where a ZIP archive can halve the size. It does not work on JPEG, MP4, MP3 or scanned PDFs: those formats are already compressed, and zipping them saves a few percent.
Remember too that the limit applies to the whole message, not to each file, and that attachments grow when they are encoded for sending. If the published limit is 25 MB, aim for about 18 MB. The exact figures, each with the provider's official source and checked on 29 September 2026, are in the guide to email attachment size limits.
When a shared folder is the right choice
If you and the recipient work in the same organisation, on the same Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, a Google Drive link or a OneDrive link is the best option and there is no reason to look further. Permissions are already managed, the file stays there for as long as you both need it, and Gmail even switches to a Drive link on its own when you go over the limit.
It stops being the right choice in three situations: the recipient is outside the organisation and has to sign in to download; your free 15 GB of Google storage, which Gmail, Drive and Photos share according to Google's storage page (checked on 29 September 2026), is nearly full and the file would stay in it for good; or you are sending a one-off delivery you do not want to manage in six months' time.
When a transfer link is the right choice
For everything else. A transfer service is built for one job, getting the file from you to the recipient and then letting it go, which is exactly what you want when you send outside your organisation, when the file should not occupy your storage permanently, or when the recipient should not have to create an account for a single file.
The method stays the same for much bigger files, only the arithmetic changes. What a transfer of tens of gigabytes costs is covered in the guide on sending files of 20 GB and more.
How to send it, in four steps
- Open Transferify and add your files. There is nothing to install, it all runs in the browser.
- Choose how to send: Direct for an instant transfer, or Hosted for a link that stays online, as explained in the next section.
- If you are not signed in yet, confirm your email address with a one-time code. You do not choose a password.
- Paste the link into your email, with a line of context about what it contains.
Instant or hosted
Instant transfer runs straight between the two browsers, peer-to-peer, with end-to-end encryption. Instant is free up to 5 GB on the free plan; above that, any paid plan unlocks any size. It does need your tab to stay open until the recipient has finished downloading, so it suits the moments when you are both online.
A hosted link is encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM before it is uploaded, and it stays encrypted in storage. The free plan includes 50 downloads a month and a link that lasts 1–3 days; the sizes and expiry windows of every plan are on the pricing page. If even we should not be able to read the file, turn on Zero-Knowledge mode, available on the Premium plan.
Keep the tab open until the upload has finished. If it closes before then, the upload pauses, and you can continue it in the same browser.
For a contract with attachments or a folder of scans, see the guide on sending documents: how to prepare the files, when to add a password, how long to keep the link open, and how to confirm the recipient can open them.
One last point about delivery: say in the email what you are sending and why. A short message that contains nothing but a link, from a sender the recipient does not recognise, looks exactly like phishing, and gets treated like it. The overview of how to send large files covers the other ways to send when email is not the channel at all.
Send your large file with a link and paste that link into your email.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to email a 500 MB file?
Send a transfer link in the email. The recipient needs no account, the file does not sit in your permanent storage, and the link opens in any browser. A shared cloud folder works just as well if you already use that service and have room left in it.
Will zipping the file make it small enough?
It depends on what you zip. Documents, spreadsheets, CAD files and text compress well, sometimes to half their size. JPEG photos, MP4 video and PDFs full of images are already compressed, so a ZIP saves a few percent at most. Do not count on getting a 200 MB archive down to 25 MB.
Can I split the file across several emails?
Technically yes, with a multi-part archive, but it is the most fragile option in practice. The recipient needs every part, in the right order, and a program to join them, and one message caught by a spam filter ruins the whole set. A link is simpler for both of you.
Why do emails with large attachments end up in spam?
Spam filters treat large messages with attachments as riskier, especially when the sender is unknown to the recipient. A short message with a link does better, as long as the text says what the link is and who it comes from.
Does the recipient need an account to download from a transfer link?
No. They open the link in a browser and download. With Transferify only the sender has an account, confirmed with a one-time code sent by email, with no password to choose and nothing to install.