How to Send Large Files by Email

How to Send Large Files by Email

Sending small files is simple: you add them as email attachments and move forward. Sometimes, however, you may want to send a larger file, or multiple files at once. Suddenly, your email is flashing an error message and telling you that the file is too large to send.

Now what?

If you need to share large files with someone else, there are several options you can use.

1. Compress the file.

If you need to send a large file via email, especially if email is the only option for sending those files, you may want to compress, or “zip,” the file. If you’re using Microsoft tools, start by locating the file or folder that you want to compress. Right click on the file or folder, select the “Send to” option, then select “Compressed folder.” The platform will then create a new, zipped folder with the same name in the same location. When your recipient gets the file, they can unzip the file to open it, giving them the contents of that file.

2. Use Google Drive.

If you have a Google account, Google Drive is one of the best workarounds for sending large files with ease. Simply create a file or folder in Google Docs that contains the necessary information, then share it with your recipient. You can send them the link through any format that works for you, including a direct email, an internal messaging app, or an external messenger.

Note: in order to share a file in Google Drive, you will need to allow access. You can control who has access to those files in one of two ways. First, you can open the file to anyone who has the link. This strategy is easiest and most effective if you need multiple people to be able to see the file or if you want to allow your recipient to easily share the file with other people on his list. On the other hand, if the file contains confidential information that you want to protect, you may want to provide access to the file via email addresses. This simple strategy can help keep uninvited users from accessing the content.

3. Use a file sharing or cloud storage service.

Many file sharing or storage services make it easy to share files with others who use the same service. Check out Dropbox, for example. You can simply store the file on your Dropbox account, then provide the email address of account holders who are allowed to access that data. Users can then easily go into Dropbox and access those files.

Microsoft OneDrive is also a highly useful cloud storage and file sharing option. Many businesses are already using OneDrive as part of their suite of Microsoft programs and solutions. It offers up to 15GB of free file storage to go along with your other storage solutions. If you want to increase the size of your plan, you may find yourself paying as little as $1.99 a month for a standalone plan that allows you to store up to 100GB of files. Microsoft OneDrive makes sharing incredibly simple: you can share access with anyone just by pressing the “share” button for the document.

4. Use a free file transfer app.

As file sizes have grown increasingly larger, most companies are aware that sharing files by email is no longer as practical as it once was. Thankfully, many of them have come up with great file sharing solutions that make sharing files a snap.

WeTransfer

On WeTransfer, you can easily upload files up to 2GB and send them to as many as 20 users at a time. These files are uploaded to their site–for which you do not have to register. You can then send the download link via email to your intended recipients, who can use that information to access the data provided in your download. The link remains available to those users for seven days.

SendAnywhere

SendAnywhere is designed to make transferring even very large files as simple as possible. SendAnywhere is compatible with iOS and Android as well as WordPress and most popular desktop operating systems. It makes sending files up to 4GB as simple as possible from any platform by simply entering the recipients email address and, if needed, a message. Once the file is ready, the recipient just needs the six-digit key to access the file, making it easy to transfer files to anyone, anywhere.

HighTail

While HighTail does offer easy file transfer options, it’s not as convenient as many of the others on this list. It requires users to sign up for a free account, so it will take a longer time to download, and it only allows file transfers of up to 250MB, which means that it will not handle files as large as those you may send through other platforms. However, the platform does provide up to 2GB of free storage and an email signature option that will allow you to add up to five signatures, which can make it more convenient if you want to send several file transfers over time.

MailBigFile

MailBigFile [insecure link] makes it easy to send files up to 2GB. It has a slightly clunkier user interface, but it does make it simple for you to upload and send files. You can also upload up to five files at a time, which means that you can let those large files upload in the background while you take care of other tasks or go on with your day.

With file sizes steadily increasing as you have more data and information to store, you need an easy, secure solution that will make it simple to send files that your email just cannot handle. Fortunately, there are plenty of options available. Do you need more help choosing a file sharing or cloud storage solution that will enhance your business’s ability to share those vital large files with your users? Contact us today to learn more about how we can manage many of your business’s vital solutions, including file sharing.