The 9 Best Ways to Send Large Files

We all know the frustrating feeling – maybe you’ve finally finished the script for your next marketing video, or you’ve gathered all the images you need for your next campaign. But when you hit “Submit” you will be told, “Sorry. File too big.”

Unfortunately, our email accounts can’t have as much storage space as you might think. For example, Gmail can only store files up to 25MB.

In addition, large files can take up your storage space even if they are only in your Sent folder.

If you have a file that you can’t send the traditional way, don’t worry – we have nine simple and affordable alternatives to ensure the largest files can be sent to whoever in minutes.

1. Upload and share your files to cloud storage or email them to others.

Using a cloud storage space like Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive is one of the easiest and most popular methods for sending large files. Depending on your email provider, you can likely use appropriate cloud storage – like Google Drive for Gmail or OneDrive for Outlook.com.

If you’re sending an attachment from within a provider like Gmail, you’ll see the Google Drive button built-in. Just press it, select your file, then send it like a regular attachment.

Alternatively, you can use Dropbox to upload large files and then send a web link to your recipient via email or SMS. With Dropbox’s free tier, you get 2 GB of storage. For $ 9.99 per month, you can upgrade your storage to 1TB.

Specific use case: Ease of use when sending attachments through your email provider. Most often used when sharing files with colleagues internally.

2. Use file compression software such as 7-Zip.

If you have multiple files, you can use free compression software like 7-Zip which can compress an entire folder of files at once. Zip files generally support lossless data compression and are good for saving time and space while ensuring that your files are kept intact. Most operating systems can easily extract zip files without any additional software.

7-Zip is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. You can also set a password for your files with 7-Zip to ensure that they can be sent securely online.

Specific use case: Send a folder full of files to one recipient at a time.

3. Purchase a USB flash drive.

If you want to collaborate on a project or video with large storage space, you can upload it to a USB flash drive, which can be 2GB to 1TB in size. This may make it easier for you to share your files between coworkers or to back up your files for added protection.

The best part is that you can take the load off your computer and expand its data storage by using a USB.

Specific use case: If you are interacting with your team in person, a USB flash drive is a good option for physically giving files to team members and taking some of the memory load off your devices. Alternatively, a USB flash drive can be used safely as a backup so that if your computer crashes, you will not lose access to your files or folders.

4. Use Jumpshare, a free online service.

There are many free online services that make uploading and sending large files both easy and incredibly fast. For example, Jumpshare lets you send files up to 250MB worth of files with a free account – just upload a file or folder and Jumpshare will give you a link to share the files.

You can also download the jumpshare icon to your desktop. Dragging and dropping files onto it will copy a link to your clipboard that you can send to anyone, even if they don’t have their own Jumpshare account.

Specific use case: Send files to colleagues easily and quickly via links. Best used for a file or folder that doesn’t have too many privacy concerns as the link can be shared with anyone.

5. Try Sendy PRO.

Sendy PRO, the paid version of Send Anywhere, offers 1TB of cloud storage and unlimited cloud storage for transferring large files. What sets this tool apart from the rest is the ability to send your files to recipients using a 6-digit key so you can share files without having to access everyone’s email addresses.

Alternatively, you can send a link via email or a corporate messenger like Slack if you don’t need to transfer the files in real time.

Sendy PRO allows you to attach large files using the Chrome extension, Outlook add-ins and the Send Anywhere website. The PRO version is $ 7.99 / month – or you can try the free version if you don’t need the PRO features.

Specific use case: The 6-digit key allows you to quickly send messages or files to anyone without the need for an email address. This can be good for quickly sending files to coworkers or texting a file to a friend.

6. Use a VPN.

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a service that protects your data and gives you more privacy when you are online by routing your Internet connection through a server. A VPN can protect you from hackers or even online advertisements and is a safe option, especially if you use public WiFi frequently.

Some Internet Service Providers (ISP) use broadband traffic management to moderate the upload bandwidth. If your ISP does, you can use a VPN that will prevent your ISP from knowing how big your files are so you can send them.

However, this isn’t the best option on our list for two reasons: first, the large file can slow down your VPN connection, and second, your files are not guaranteed to be intact upon delivery. To ensure a high quality delivery, you should try an alternative option such as zip compression.

Specific use case: If you are using public WiFi and sending private documents, this is a good option to increase security. However, this may not be the best option if you need to ensure quality delivery.

7. Transfer files using SFTP.

FTP or File Transfer Protocol is an is Option to transfer files online by uploading a file to your hosting server. The downside to FTP, however, is that it’s not that secure – and that’s where SFTP comes in.

SFTP – or Secure File Transfer Protocol – is a protocol that works similarly to FTP, except that it uses a secure shell for encryption. This is a good option for restricting access to people outside of your recipient list. Some of the other options on this list, including file transfer options based on email, are likely to be less secure than SFTP.

Specific use case: A more secure option than traditional online file sharing used when sending highly classified files to colleagues or clients.

8. Upload the file and generate a link to share via MyAirBridge.

MyAirBridge is a free tool that allows you to upload and share up to 20GB via email, shared link, or download to your own space. You can use your own mobile device to upload files. Larger files will take a while to upload for larger files, and it might not be the cleanest interface on the recipient side (the link your recipient will get leads them to the direct download), but it does the job for personal or small team use.

MyAirBridge also offers plans from Basic ($ 2.99 / month) to Enterprise ($ 65.99 / month). The Enterprise option gives users access to 15 TB of storage, unlimited uploads of up to 100 GB, and the option to password-protect files for added security.

MyAirBridge is a good option when you want to download various files (including music or video files, game applications, or documents) to your own storage space. For example, you can use the tool to download music from your mobile device to your computer.

Specific use case: Download files to your own storage device or use them when downloading music, games, or video files.

9. Share a collection of assets with your team through Brandfolder.

Consider sharing branded assets or a collection of assets with your team, partners, or customers using Brandfolder. With Brandfolder, you can use tiered access to share files with specific people and even measure the performance of each asset using Brandfolder’s brand intelligence feature.

Brandfolder is used by major brands like Slack, Bumble, and Hotels.com and allows you to keep all of your branded assets in one place. Brandfolder is cloud-based and uses user-level permissions to ensure that employees and customers only have access to the appropriate files and folders.

Brandfolder offers premium and enterprise options. Get a quote to see how much it would cost your team to implement.

Specific use case: A more professional looking option if you’re sharing branded assets with clients or agencies, and a good long-term solution to keep all important files in one place that your team can easily access.