Send files over 25 MB
Every inbox has a limit. Links don't.
Launching soon
Free when it launches: 5 GB per transfer, 10 transfers or 20 GB a month, and links that last 14 days.
To send a file bigger than 25 MB by email, send a link to it instead of attaching it. Put the file in cloud storage such as Google Drive or OneDrive, then paste its share link into any email. The email stays tiny, and the person you send it to downloads the full file.
The limit in every major inbox
| Email service | Largest attachment | What it applies to | More detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail, personal account | 25 MB | Attachments you send in one email | Below |
| Yahoo Mail | 25 MB | All attachments in one message, sent or received | Yahoo Mail |
| Outlook.com | 25 MB | The whole email, text included | Outlook |
| Classic Outlook for Windows, POP or IMAP account | 20 MB | Outlook's own default, before the server's | Outlook |
| Apple Mail with Mail Drop | 5 GB | Big attachments sent through iCloud | From an iPhone |
Work and school accounts are different: in Google Workspace and on company mail servers, an administrator sets the limit. Microsoft 365 work mailboxes default to 35 MB for sending.
Why a file under the limit can still bounce
Two things catch people out.
Encoding makes attachments bigger. Email can only carry text, so attachments are converted to a text format called base64 before they're sent. The standard that defines it (RFC 2045) says the result is about 33 percent larger than the original file. A file that's just under the limit on your computer can be over it by the time it's in the email.
Both ends have a limit. Your provider checks the message when you send it, and the recipient's provider checks it when it arrives. Yahoo, for one, applies its limit to incoming mail too. The smallest limit on the way decides whether the email gets through.
What "file too large" looks like in each app
- Gmail doesn't show an error. It quietly removes the attachment and puts in a Google Drive link instead, which uses your Google storage.
- Classic Outlook for Windows stops you with: "The file you're attaching is bigger than the server allows. Try putting the file in a shared location and sending a link instead."
- Mail on an iPhone, when the file is over your account's limit, asks you to follow the onscreen instructions to send it using Mail Drop.
- Yahoo Mail won't send a message whose attachments total more than 25 MB.
Send it as a link, step by step
- Pick the storage that goes with your inbox: Google Drive for Gmail, OneDrive for Outlook.com, or any service you already use.
- Upload the file. For a batch of files, make a folder and upload that, so one link covers everything.
- Set its sharing to "anyone with the link", then copy the link.
- Paste the link into your email, in any app. It's one line of text, so it fits under every limit above.
In Gmail you can skip the first three steps: attach the file anyway, and Gmail swaps in a Google Drive link by itself. SendTheStuff's own upload tool is launching soon, for when you'd rather the file didn't live in your storage afterwards.
The other ways around the limit, compared
| Way around it | Largest file | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Zip the file first | Whatever the zip shrinks to | Documents shrink a little; photos and videos, which are already compressed, barely shrink at all |
| Gmail's Google Drive link | Whatever fits in your Google storage | It stays in your storage, shared across Drive, Photos, and Gmail, until you delete it |
| OneDrive link in Outlook.com | 2 GB per file | You need OneDrive, and the file stays in it |
| Mail Drop | 5 GB | It works from Apple's Mail app, and it expires after 30 days |
| Several smaller emails | The inbox limit, in each email | Fine for a batch of photos, useless for one big video |
When it doesn't work
- The email sent but bounced back later. The recipient's provider has its own limit. Send a link instead of the file.
- You need to send dozens of files. Put them in one shared folder and send the folder's link, so the recipient gets one link rather than a stack of emails.
- The recipient lands on an access request. The file is shared only with named people. Switch it to "anyone with the link" and send the link again.
- Your storage is full. Google's storage is shared across Drive, Photos, and Gmail, so a full Photos library can stop a Drive upload. Free up space, or use a different service for this one file.
Frequently asked questions
How can I send a file bigger than 25 MB?
Email a link instead of the file. Put the file in cloud storage, share it so anyone with the link can open it, and paste the link into your email. The recipient downloads the whole file from it.
What do I do when a file is too large to email?
Don't try to squeeze it under the limit. Send a link from Google Drive, OneDrive or any cloud storage instead. In Apple's Mail app, Mail Drop also works for files under 5 GB.
How do I email a video that is too big?
The same way as any other file: share the video as a link from cloud storage. The recipient gets the original video, not a compressed copy. From an iPhone, see emailing large videos from your iPhone for Mail Drop and the Gmail app.
Why do emails have a size limit at all?
Every provider sets one, and encoding makes attachments about 33 percent bigger in transit. Microsoft says classic Outlook's own default exists to stop your computer from endlessly trying to upload attachments bigger than most providers accept.
How big a file can you send by email?
25 MB with Gmail, 25 MB with Yahoo Mail and 25 MB with Outlook.com. Classic Outlook stops at 20 MB by default with a POP or IMAP account. Microsoft 365 work mailboxes default to 35 MB for sending, which the administrator can change.
How do I send a file over 25 MB in Gmail?
Gmail turns anything over 25 MB into a Google Drive link automatically. The file then counts against your Google storage, so delete it from Drive once the recipient has it.