3 Ways to Send Large Files with Outlook

Outlook Mail Error
Jun 16, 2023|WAMS, Inc.|

You’ll receive an error message if you attempt to attach files larger than the maximum size limit. There are a few ways to work around this size limit, including using a file sharing service or compressing the file.

Outlook limits the size of files you can send. This limit prevents your computer from continually trying to upload very large attachments that exceed the limits of most Internet service providers. For Internet email account. such as Outlook.com or Gmail, the combined file size limit is 20 megabytes (MB) and for Exchange accounts (business email), the default combined file size limit is 10 MB.

Save your file to a cloud service and share a link

There are many cloud storage services to which you can upload and then share large files. Some popular cloud storage services include OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud, and Google Drive. Once your file is stored in the cloud, you can include a link to the document in your email message.

  1. Upload your file to a cloud service, such as OneDrive or Dropbox.
  2. After you upload the file, copy the link, and paste it into your email message.

Compress the file

When you compress, or zip, your file, it decreases its size, and it might decrease it enough to fit within the Outlook size limits for attachments. The following articles describe how to compress and extract files for different Windows operating systems.

Windows 10 & 8.1: Zip and unzip files

  • To zip files
    1. In the search box on the taskbar, type file explorer, and then select it from the list of results. Right-click the file you want to zip, and then select Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder.  
  • To unzip files
    1. Open File Explorer and find the zipped folder.
    2. To unzip the entire folder, right-click to select Extract All, and then follow the instructions.
    3. To unzip a single file or folder, double-click the zipped folder to open it. Then, drag or copy the item from the zipped folder to a new location.

Reduce the size of an image

If you’re sending large image files you can automatically resize them to reduce their file size.

  1. Attach the images to your email message.
  2. Click File > Info.
  3. Under the Image Attachments section, select Resize large images when I send this message.By clicking this option, you can have Outlook resize images when they're sent.
  4. Return to your message, and click Send.
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