# How to Send Large Files Through Gmail Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB per email. Here is what happens when your file is bigger, the two ways around it, and how to send files of up to 20 GB from any Gmail account without filling your storage. _Source: https://sharelargefilesfree.com/send-large-files-gmail ยท Updated 2026-09-29_ **Quick answer:** Gmail allows 25 MB of attachments per email; larger files are turned into a Google Drive link that uses your storage. To send up to 20 GB from Gmail without filling your Drive, upload the file here and paste the download link into your email. ## Gmail's attachment limit, explained Gmail lets you attach up to **25 MB** in total to a single email. That is the combined size of every attachment, not the size of each file. Attachments are also encoded before sending, which adds roughly a third to their size, so a file of 20 MB or so can already push a message over the limit. Receiving is a little more generous (Google's help pages mention up to 50 MB for incoming mail), but that does not help when you are the sender, and the recipient's own provider may accept less. Gmail also blocks some file types outright, such as executable programs, even inside a ZIP. | What you are sending | What Gmail does | | --- | --- | | Attachments totalling 25 MB or less | Sends them as normal attachments | | Attachments over 25 MB | Offers to upload them to Google Drive and insert a Drive link | | A file larger than your free Drive space | Cannot be sent until you free up storage or upgrade | Limits can change, so Google's own help pages are the final word on current figures. ## Option 1: Let Gmail send it as a Google Drive link When you attach something too large, Gmail switches to a Drive link automatically. You can also do it on purpose: 1. **Compose a new email** in Gmail on the web. 2. Click the **Google Drive** icon at the bottom of the compose window, or simply attach the large file and let Gmail offer the Drive upload. 3. Choose the file and insert it as a **Drive link**. 4. When you press Send, Gmail checks whether the recipients can open the file. If they cannot, it asks you to change the sharing settings, for example to _anyone with the link_. This works well if you already use Drive, but keep three things in mind. The file counts against the storage you share across Gmail, Drive and Google Photos (15 GB on a free Google account at the time of writing). The link stays live until you delete the file or change its sharing. And recipients outside Google sometimes get stuck on a _request access_ page if the sharing setting was not changed. ## Option 2: Send a download link instead (no storage used) If you do not want the file sitting in your Drive, upload it to [Share Large Video Files](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/) and put the link in your Gmail message. It takes a minute: 1. **Open the [homepage](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/)** in a new tab. No account is needed. 2. **Add your files.** Drag them in or click to choose, up to 1000 files or a folder, as long as the total stays within 20 GB. 3. **Choose _Link_**. Optionally add a password, or tick delete after first download if only one person needs it. 4. **Keep the tab open** until the upload finishes, then copy the link. 5. **Paste the link into your Gmail message** and send it. The email itself stays tiny, so it can never bounce for being too large. Prefer not to open Gmail at all? Choose _Email_ instead of _Link_, enter your recipients and a message, and we send the download link for you. You confirm your own address with a 6-digit code first, which helps keep the service free of spam. The recipient clicks the link and downloads the original file, in original quality, without an account. The link expires after 1 day and the files are then deleted, and you can extend or delete the transfer early from the **Transfers** page. ## Sending from the Gmail app on iPhone or Android - **Android:** in the Gmail app, tap the paperclip and attach the file. If it is over the limit, Gmail offers to send it as a Drive link. To use a transfer link instead, upload the file in Chrome first, copy the link, and paste it into your email. - **iPhone and iPad:** the Gmail app works the same way. If you use Apple's Mail app with your Gmail address, Mail may offer _Mail Drop_, which sends large attachments through iCloud as a temporary link; this needs iCloud to be turned on. - **Videos from the camera roll:** save the video to the Files app first (iPhone) or pick it from your file manager (Android) so the browser uploads the original file. Our [iPhone](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/send-video-from-iphone) and [Android](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/send-video-from-android) guides go through it step by step. ## Tips before you hit send - **Zipping rarely helps with media.** A ZIP can shrink documents and spreadsheets, but videos, photos and music are already compressed, so they barely get smaller. - **A smaller copy is sometimes fine.** If the recipient only needs to watch a clip, exporting a lower-resolution version can bring it under 25 MB. We are working on a free video compressor for this site for exactly that case; until it is ready, your phone's or computer's built-in video editor can export a smaller copy. - **Send private files with a password,** and share the password by phone or a different app rather than in the same email. - **Sending to many people?** One link can go to everyone on the thread, and the Transfers page shows how many times the files were downloaded. Using Outlook as well? See [how to send large files in Outlook](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/send-large-files-outlook), or the general guide to fixing an [email attachment that is too large](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/email-attachment-too-large). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the maximum attachment size in Gmail? Gmail allows up to 25 MB of attachments per email in total. Larger files are sent as a Google Drive link instead. ### How do I send a file larger than 25 MB in Gmail? Either insert it as a Google Drive link, or upload it here (up to 20 GB) and paste the download link into your email. ### Why does Gmail say my file is too large when it is under 25 MB? Attachments are encoded when sent, which makes them about a third larger, and all attachments in the email count together. ### Do Drive links in Gmail use my Google storage? Yes. Files uploaded to Drive count against the storage shared by Gmail, Drive and Google Photos. A transfer link from this site does not use your Google storage. ### Does the recipient need a Google account? Not for a transfer link from this site: they open it in any browser and download the file. For a Drive link, it depends on the sharing setting you choose. ### How long does the download link work? Transfer links expire after 1 day, after which the files are deleted. You can extend or delete a transfer early from the Transfers page.