Email Attachment Too Large? Five Ways to Send the File Anyway
Most email services stop you at around 20 to 25 MB. Here is why, what the common workarounds cost you, and the quickest way to deliver a big file.
You attach the file, press send, and your email program answers with a polite refusal: the attachment is too large. It always happens at the worst moment, when a client is waiting or a deadline is near. The good news is that there are several ways round it, and the best one takes less than a minute.
Why email has a size limit at all
Email is older than almost everything else you use online, and it was built for text. Each message is stored on your provider's servers, copied to the recipient's provider, and kept in both mailboxes. Attachments are also encoded for transport, which makes them about a third larger than the file you picked. Providers therefore stop attachments at around 20 to 25 MB, and some business systems stop them far sooner. Even when your side accepts a big attachment, the recipient's side may refuse it.
Five ways to send the file anyway
1. Compress it
A zip archive helps with documents, spreadsheets and plain text. It does very little for photos, videos and music, which are already compressed. If the file is only slightly over the limit, zipping may be enough. Otherwise, move on.
2. Upload to a cloud drive and send a link
This is the most common workaround. It works, but you wait for the upload, the receiver waits for the download, the file sits on someone else's server, and you may have to manage who can open the link and when it expires. Free storage is limited and it usually requires an account.
3. Split the file
Archive tools can cut a big file into smaller parts, and you send each part in a separate email. It is clumsy, the receiver has to put the parts back together, and it is easy to lose one.
4. Use a file-transfer website
Several services let you upload a file and email a download link. They are convenient, but many cap free transfers and delete files after a few days, and your file still passes through their servers.
5. Send it directly
A direct transfer connects the two devices and moves the file across, with no upload step and no storage in the middle. With PeerFlow's P2P file sharing you choose the file, share a short code, and the other person receives it straight from your device. There is no size limit set by PeerFlow and no account to create.
How to do the direct transfer
- Open PeerFlow in your browser or the app and choose Choose files.
- Select the file. A short code and a QR code appear.
- Send the code to the recipient by message, chat or a phone call.
- They open PeerFlow, enter the code, and the file begins to arrive.
Keep your window open until it finishes, because the file comes from your device.
Which method for which situation
| Situation | Best choice |
|---|---|
| A few MB over the limit, mostly text | Zip it |
| Needs to be kept online for a long time | Cloud drive with a link |
| Large media file, recipient waiting | Direct transfer |
| Confidential file | Direct transfer, nothing stored |
| Recipient has a very strict company mailbox | Direct transfer |
Professional tips
State what you are sending in the email itself, for example "I am sending the 2 GB file through PeerFlow, the code is below", and give a time when you will be online. That way a recipient does not wonder why no attachment arrived. The guide to sharing files with clients without cloud links has wording you can copy.
Do not forget security
Email attachments are copied to several servers and often stay forever. A direct transfer avoids that, and the code works only for one session. Read the page about security for the details of how the connection is protected.
If you send big files regularly, the Windows and Android apps keep PeerFlow one tap away.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there a limit on email attachments?
Email was designed for short messages. Servers store every copy of every message, and attachments are made roughly a third bigger when encoded, so providers set limits to protect their systems and the receiving mailbox.
What is the fastest way to send a file that is too big for email?
A direct device-to-device transfer. With PeerFlow you pick the file, share a short code, and the other person receives it straight from your device without waiting for an upload.
Will compressing the file help?
Only a little for photos, videos and files that are already compressed. A zip archive saves space for documents and text, but rarely turns a big media file into a small one.
Is it safe to send private files this way?
Yes. The connection between the two devices is encrypted and no copy is kept on a PeerFlow server.