How to Send Large Files via Email (Limits and 4 Ways Around Them)

You cannot attach a large file to an email once it passes your provider's limit, which is about 20 MB to 25 MB for most common accounts. To send a bigger file by email, upload it somewhere and put a download link in the message. The recipient gets the email as usual and clicks the link to download the file. If your file is under the limit, just attach it and skip the rest of this guide.

What the limit actually is

Every email service sets its own cap on the total size of a message, and the cap counts more than the file you picked. Microsoft says its limit includes both the size of the attachment and the size of the email. For Exchange Online, Microsoft also notes that messages routed outside its own datacenters get an additional 33% encoding increase. In practice, a file a little under the number can still bounce.

The recipient's side matters too. Apple warns that the recipient's email app might have a smaller message size limit that stops an attachment from being delivered.

Limits below come from each vendor's own help page and were last checked on October 16, 2026. Vendors change them, so open the linked page if the exact number matters.

Four ways to send a large file by email

Compressing a file into a zip can bring it under the limit. Microsoft lists compressing the file as one workaround, but it only helps when the contents compress well. Photos and video are usually already compressed, so zipping them saves little.

How to send a large file by email

These steps work whichever link method you choose.

1. Check the file size. Look it up in your file manager.
2. Check the limit. Compare the size with your provider's limit in the table, and keep some headroom for the message itself.
3. Pick a method. Under the limit, attach the file. Over the limit, use a cloud link, Mail Drop or a transfer service.
4. Upload the file and copy the link. Keep the browser tab open until the upload finishes. How long it takes depends on your upload speed.
5. Paste the link into your email. Say what the file is, and if the link lasts a limited time, say so.
6. Make sure the recipient can open it. For cloud links, check the sharing setting. If you add a password to the link, send the password in a separate message.

If you use Gmail or Outlook, the client-specific steps are in how to send large files through Gmail and how to send large files in Outlook. For video, see how to send large video files via email.

Send a large file with Roceet

Roceet sends large files by link. Drop your file below, add an optional title and message, enter your email, and confirm the 8-digit code we send you. You get a share link to paste into any email. The person you send it to opens the link and downloads the file. They do not need an account.

What you should know before you send:

• Free: up to 2 GB per transfer. You choose when your link expires, up to 2 days. Free has no monthly cap on how many transfers you send, but it does have a 2 GB storage balance, and space is returned when the files are deleted.
• Ultimate: $16.99 per user per month, up to 200 GB per transfer, with links that last up to 30 days. Choose this if your file is larger than 2 GB.
• Controls: you can protect a transfer with a password and limit how many times it can be downloaded. You choose when the link expires, up to your plan's lifetime, and can extend it any time. Expired links can be restored for 2 days on Free and 7 days on Ultimate.

Roceet is one option among several. If the file fits under your email limit, attach it. If you already use Google Drive or OneDrive and the recipient can open your link, that works too. A transfer link is useful when the file is bigger than your free cloud space, or when you want the link to stop working on its own.