How to Send a Video to a Client, in Full Quality

A client should be able to open one message, click one link and get exactly the files you exported. They should not have to create an account, install an app, or wonder which of five attachments is the final version. And the files should arrive untouched, not re-compressed by a platform on the way.

Share Large Video Files is built for that kind of one-off delivery: up to 20 GB and 1000 files per transfer, sent by link or by email, with no sign-up on either side and no change to your files.

1. Export and name your files clearly, for example ClientName_Promo_v3_1080p_H264.mp4 and ClientName_Promo_v3_UHD_ProRes422HQ.mov. Clear names prevent most follow-up questions.
2. Open the homepage and drag in the files, or a whole delivery folder (for example with captions, stills and a music licence).
3. Choose Email and enter your client's address with a short note saying which file is which. You confirm your own address once with a 6-digit code, which helps stop anyone sending in your name. Or choose Link and paste it into your own email, Slack or project tool.
4. Add a password for unreleased work and send it through a different channel, such as a text message.
5. Keep the tab open until the upload finishes. Your client then gets the download link.

Most projects go through one or more review rounds before the final delivery. It helps to send different files at each stage:

Review copies are often exported with a timecode burn-in or a watermark, while masters follow the format in the client's delivery spec. Small review copies download quickly on any connection and play on a laptop or phone. Save the heavy master for the final transfer. Our guide to sending ProRes files lists ProRes bitrates and sizes in more detail.

Please note that we do not offer an online player or frame-accurate comments. Clients download the file and watch it locally, so ask them to reply with timecodes for any changes.

• Check the download count on the Transfers page to see whether the client has downloaded the files, without having to ask.
• Resend the email from the Transfers page if the client says it never arrived, or copy the link and send it yourself.
• Extend the expiry if the client needs more than 1 day, instead of uploading everything again.
• Delete the transfer once the job is signed off, or let it expire. Files are deleted from our servers when a transfer expires.

For one-to-one deliveries you can also turn on delete after first download. Bear in mind that this also stops the client downloading a second time, so it suits confidential files better than everyday deliveries.

Gmail typically limits attachments to about 25 MB and Outlook.com to about 20 MB, which is less than a minute of most review copies. Many messaging apps compress video to save data, so the client sees a softer, lower-bitrate version than the one you exported. Uploading privately to a video platform re-encodes the file too, and the client may need an account to see it.

A download link avoids all of this: the file your client receives is byte for byte the file you uploaded. See what to do when an email attachment is too large and the file size limits of popular apps for more detail.