Email was not designed for sending large files, and most mail servers only allow attachments no larger than 10MB. Yahoo and Gmail go up to 20 MB, but if you have to send a fairly "heavy" email, for example with a bunch of photos, video files or other large attachments, you won't be able to. There are various methods for sending large files.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Compress Your Files
Step 1. Search for the various zip programs that are available
Most modern operating systems have an archiving utility built into them. There are also many other applications that can be downloaded for free or at a relatively low cost. Check out PentaZip, PicoZip, PKZip, PowerArchiver, StuffIt and WinZip.
Step 2. Install the selected utility on your computer
Step 3. Create a zip file by right clicking on the file and click 'Add to Zip file' or 'Add to archive'
Step 4. Open an email, click "Insert" or "Attach", depending on your software, browse for the *.zip file and double click to attach it to the message
Step 5. Be aware that the recipient must also have a utility on their computer to "unpack" the file
This feature is built into recent versions of Windows.
Method 2 of 5: Divide Files into Manageable Formats
Step 1. Break the file into smaller parts using WinRar, a utility that the recipient also has on his computer to rejoin the files
This program can also compress files like a zip program.
Step 2. Install WinRar software on your computer
Step 3. Open the program
Step 4. Select the file you want to compress or split and click 'Add to archive'
Step 5. Select the size of each "Rar" file you want to get
A drop-down menu will offer you several choices.
Step 6. Click "OK" and wait for the process to complete
WinRar will put the new files in the same folder as the original file.
Step 7. Open your email software and insert or attach separate Rar files, taking care to keep the total in each email under the size allowed by your email provider (usually 10MB)
Method 3 of 5: Sharing Files Using Dropbox
Step 1. Sign up for Dropbox.com
You can use 2 GB of free space.
Step 2. Go through the Dropbox installation process
Click "Yes" to accept the settings and follow the instructions to set up Dropbox.
Step 3. Upload Dropbox files using Dropbox.com or the Dropbox folder on your computer
Step 4. Use the Dropbox sharing feature to share files with anyone you want
You can share directly from the Dropbox folder on your computer or from Dropbox.com.
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From the Dropbox folder on your computer, right-click on the file or folder you want to share, then select 'Share Dropbox Link'. This will copy and link the file to the clipboard. Paste it in your email to share.
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From your Dropbox online account, right-click on the file or folder you want to share. Select "Share link". Add the recipient's email address and a message in the search box on the next screen. Click "Submit".
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Method 4 of 5: Use Google Drive
Step 1. Sign up for Google Drive if it's not already on your computer
Step 2. Open Google Drive
Step 3. Click the up arrow next to "Create" in the window
Step 4. Search for the file you want to share
Double-click on the file and wait for Google Drive to finish uploading it to the shared drive.
Step 5. Click the "Share" icon
Add the recipient's email address to the list of people the document is shared with (this is the "Invite People" field). Select sharing preferences to allow the recipient to simply be able to view the file or edit it in Google Drive.
Step 6. Decide how to share the article
You can have a notification email sent directly from Google Drive or you can just copy the URL which is at the top of the sharing settings.
Step 7. Click Done to share the article
Method 5 of 5: Use Other Online "Cloud" Services to Transfer Files
Step 1. Research the many services available
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YouSendIt.com allows you to send files up to 100MB for free.
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SugarSync offers up to 5GB of online storage.
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WeTransfer allows files up to 2GB. It is not necessary to register. You can also specify a password to access the files.
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SkyDrive is from Microsoft. Hotmail or Outlook automatically warns you to use your SkyDrive account if you try to send an email that is too large.
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Warnings
- Be aware that with "cloud" online services, you will have a link that can be opened by anyone, unless you use a service that requires a password.
- Some services will only keep files for a couple of days, so if you use this type of service, it is good practice to notify the recipient of the arrival of the link from which they can access your files.
