How to Send Files That Are Too Big for Email

“The file you're trying to attach is too large.” If you've seen that message, your file has hit your email provider's attachment limit. Here's why it happens and how to send files that are too big for email in seconds.

Email attachment limits, explained

Every email service caps attachment size to keep inboxes manageable. The common limits are:

• Gmail: 25 MB per email (larger files are pushed to Google Drive automatically).
• Outlook / Microsoft 365: around 20–25 MB.
• Yahoo Mail: 25 MB.
• Apple Mail (iCloud): ~20 MB before Mail Drop kicks in.

Even when the sender's limit is 25 MB, the recipient's server may reject anything over its own threshold — so attachments are unreliable for anything but small files.

The fix: share a link instead of an attachment

Rather than attaching the file, upload it once and share a download link. This bypasses attachment limits entirely and works with any email provider. With FilesTransfer:

1. Add your file (up to 3 GB per transfer, free).
2. Verify your email to generate a secure link.
3. Paste the link into your email, message or document — the recipient clicks and downloads.

The link is small, so your email always sends, and your recipient never hits a size limit on their end.

What about Gmail's “send via Drive”?

Gmail can attach large files from Google Drive, but the recipient may need the right sharing permissions, and the file stays in your Drive indefinitely. A dedicated transfer link is simpler for one-off sends and can be set to expire automatically after 1–30 days, so nothing lingers.

Send your first large file now

Stop fighting attachment limits. Learn how to send large files for free or head to FilesTransfer and share a link in under a minute — no account required.