How to send large files via email.

A man sitting at a desk sends a large file via email over his laptop.

Don’t let file size limits stop you from getting work done. Learn how to send large files via email without breaking them apart.

Productivity doesn’t need to stop with a large file. You can still share your larger files through your email platforms using a few different methods.

Tips for sending large files through email.

Most email platforms have upper limits on how large a file can be to send. For Gmail and Ymail users, up to 25MB of attachments can be shared. Outlook limits files to no larger than 20MB.

Luckily, that doesn’t have to stop you from sending your attachments — or force you to send multiple emails. It is possible for your important documents to be sent in one message. There are a few different ways to get around email file size limits.

Upload to the Drive.

One of the most common ways to send large files via email is to upload them to a cloud-based sharing service, many of which are easily found online. These platforms make it easy to send large files. They typically don’t have file size limits, and you can make the entire folder or specific pieces sharable.

Use the following instructions to share your files through a link:

  1. Upload your attachment.
  2. Copy the sharable link.
  3. Send the link in an email.

The only downside to using a file-sharing platform is that you need to use a third-party service. And in some cases, it might also mean that your intended email recipient needs to sign up for that platform as well.

Compress to send large files online.

If you don’t want to use a third-party service to send large files via email, compressing your files is a quick and easy alternative. You can even compress files online with a PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat online services without needing to download any additional software. Just follow these steps:

  1. Visit Acrobat online services.
  2. Upload the large file you want to make smaller and select a level of compression.
  3. Let the software do its magic.
  4. Download your compressed PDF file.

This will reduce the size of the file without greatly affecting the quality. Now, you can easily email your files without worrying about reaching the file size limit.

Zip the file.

Zipping a file may be necessary in order to share a large file. Zipping a file can save space while sending the same document, only with the data compressed, in a smaller file size.

Follow these instructions to compress a file on your Mac or PC:

  1. Right-click (Ctrl-click) the file and choose Compress. A new file will be created on your desktop with a .zip of the same name.
  2. If you have several files you need to compress, make a folder with the files you want to compress, and then right-click (Ctrl-click) and Compress.
  3. Click the paper-clip icon and search for your zip file to attach to the email in the Search Files box that will pop up. Click the file to highlight it, and click Open to attach the file to your email. You can also double-click the file to attach it. Send and you’re done.

Your work is now easily shareable for all who need to view it.

In addition to file compression, you can find everything you need to make your files shareable and presentable through Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat online services. Your needs are constantly changing and the way you work changes with them. That’s why Acrobat continues to add new features to meet all your document needs.

Discover what more you can do with Acrobat online services to make it easy to edit and share PDFs right from your device’s web browser.