How to send large files without email size limits

Why large attachments so often fail

Most email providers limit the size of a message to about 20 to 25 MB. That sounds like a lot, but it often does not even cover a few photos in full resolution or a longer presentation with videos. On top of that, attachments are re-encoded for sending and grow by about a third in the process. A file of 18 MB can already be over the limit.

Even if your own provider allows large messages, the recipient's mailbox has the final say. Many companies set their own, often lower limits. The email then comes back as an error message, sometimes only hours later, or it silently disappears into a filter.

Large attachments also burden both mailboxes permanently. They stay in the Sent folder, in the inbox and in every backup, even when nobody needs them any more.

The usual workarounds and their drawbacks

Anyone who hits the limit usually turns to one of these options:

• Splitting the file into several parts and spreading them over multiple emails: tedious, error-prone, and the recipient has to put everything back together.
• Compressing heavily or lowering the resolution: the file gets smaller, but quality is lost. For print data, plans or raw data this is not an option.
• Sharing a folder in cloud storage: it works, but the share often stays open longer than necessary, and you have to clean up yourself later.
• A USB stick or hard drive by post: safe from size limits, but slow and with no proof of who received what and when.

What all of these have in common: they cost time and leave open whether the file arrived.

The simpler way: a link instead of an attachment

With a file transfer service you upload the file once and send the recipient only a link. The email stays small and arrives reliably, and the recipient downloads the file when they need it. The size of the file no longer matters for the email.

What happens to the file after the upload is important. Make sure it is stored encrypted, that it is deleted automatically after a fixed period and that you can see whether it was downloaded. With Fairsend this is set up this way from the start.

Step by step with Fairsend

This is how you send a large file, even without an account:

• Open fairsend.de and drag the files or a whole folder into the upload field.
• Enter the recipient's email address, or choose “Create link” if you want to pass on the link yourself.
• When sending by email, you confirm your sender address once with a code.
• Your browser encrypts the files and uploads them. The recipient receives an email with the download link.
• As soon as the files have been downloaded, you see it in the transfer overview and receive a notification.

On the free plan, files up to 5 GB are possible, and the transfer stays available for 7 days. The paid plans allow files up to 100 GB, longer periods and multiple recipients. For a single large transfer there is a day pass for €4.90, valid for 24 hours.

If the connection drops

With several gigabytes, uploading takes a while, from a few minutes to an hour or more depending on your line. That is why Fairsend splits files into small chunks and transfers them over several parallel connections. If the connection drops or the laptop goes to sleep, the upload continues where it stopped. You do not have to start over.

A few tips for very large transfers: if possible, use a cable or a stable Wi-Fi connection, keep the browser window open and turn off power saving mode for the duration of the upload. You do not need to pack many small files into a ZIP archive beforehand, you can drag in whole folders.

What to look out for with confidential content

Large files are often important files too: contracts with attachments, HR documents, plans or patient data. Additional protection is worthwhile for such content. You can add a password to a transfer and give it to the recipient by another route, for example by phone. You can limit the number of downloads and have the transfer deleted after the first download.

With Fairsend, files are encrypted with AES-256 in your browser before they are uploaded. On the servers in Germany they are stored only in encrypted form, and the key is stored separately from them, also encrypted. When the period ends, everything is deleted automatically and irrevocably.

Multiple recipients, teams and recurring transfers

Often a large file goes to more than one person. On the paid plans you enter several recipients in one transfer. Each receives their own link, and you see for each one individually whether and when they downloaded. This is useful when you send documents to a whole project team or to several parties involved in a case.

If you regularly send to the same contacts, add them to the address book and start the transfer directly from there. In a team account, all members see the shared transfers, and roles define who may do what. Reminders point recipients to a transfer they have not yet collected before the period expires.

How to recognize a trustworthy service

When you send large files, you hand over your data. So check beforehand where the provider is based and where the servers are located, whether files are stored encrypted and deleted after a set period, and whether the service uses advertising or tracking. A clear legal notice and an understandable privacy policy are good signs. For companies there is the additional question of whether the service offers team features, such as shared accounts, roles and a log of transfers.

Fairsend is a service from Germany. The servers are located in Germany, data is processed in accordance with the GDPR, and the pages work without tracking cookies, analytics or advertising scripts.

In short

• Email attachments are limited to about 20 to 25 MB, and often less at the recipient.
• A download link gets around the limit without making the file smaller.
• Look for encryption, automatic deletion and proof of download.
• For very large files, an upload that resumes after interruptions helps.