How to send large files without relying on email

Almost everyone has seen the attachment too large message. The problem is rarely the file: it is the channel chosen to send it. This guide explains the most common limits and the simplest way to deliver the original file.

Why email rejects large attachments

Major email providers cap each message at somewhere between 20 and 25 MB. The cap applies to the whole message, not to each attachment, and the recipient's server may enforce a lower limit than yours.

One detail catches many people: attachments are Base64 encoded before sending, which increases their size by about one third. A 19 MB video takes roughly 25 MB inside the message and can be rejected even though it looks like it fits.

Why messaging apps are not always the answer

Messaging apps accept bigger files, but photos and videos sent as media are recompressed to save data. Resolution drops, small text becomes unreadable and metadata may be stripped.

Sending as a document keeps the original, but the file then takes up storage on the device of everyone in the conversation and only reaches people who use the same app.

Sending by link

A sharing link separates the file from the message. You upload the file once to a server and distribute only its address, which fits in any email, chat or document.

On fstmp the process takes three steps: choose a file of up to 100 MB, wait for the progress bar and copy the generated link. The recipient opens the address in a browser, without creating an account, and the file is delivered in its original format, with no conversion. The link works for 30 days.

When the file is over 100 MB

Videos are usually the reason. Lowering the resolution or bitrate almost always brings the file under the limit with no visible loss; the guide on reducing file size shows how to calculate it.

For files that cannot be recompressed, tools such as 7-Zip split the content into fixed-size parts. Upload each part and tell the recipient that all of them must be downloaded before extracting.

If the file is several gigabytes or must stay available for months, a cloud storage service with an account is the better tool.

Before you send

Check that the file name describes the content, because that is what the recipient sees when opening the link. Open the link in a private window to confirm everything works, and remember that anyone with the address can access the file.