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Common fix · Files

File too large to send

By Updated How we write these

2 min read

What you’ll end up with

The file under the size limit of wherever it’s going, at the best quality that fits.

“File too large” means the place you’re sending it has a cap: 25 MB for Gmail, 20 MB for Outlook, 16 MB for a WhatsApp video, 20 MB on Discord’s free plan, and far less on many upload forms. The numbers change, so the current ones — with where they come from — are on the upload limits page.

Photos, videos and recordings can nearly always be brought under a limit without a visible difference, because phones save them with far more detail than a screen needs. Documents and ZIP files usually can’t, and the answer there is a link instead.

What to do

  1. Bring the file under the limit

    Drop the file into Reduce File Size and pick the limit — Gmail, Discord, WhatsApp, or any size you type. Photos, videos and audio are each compressed the right way and come back under it, at the highest quality that fits.

    Reduce the file size

  2. Cut it down, if it’s a long video

    Squeezing an hour of video into 25 MB makes it blurry. Trimming to the part that matters, or splitting it into parts, keeps it sharp.

    Trim the video

  3. Check the size a form expects

    Upload forms often want exact pixels as well as a size in KB. Check the photo against the form’s rules before you try again.

    Check a photo

Worth knowing

  • PDFs are compressed on our sister site: Compress PDF.
  • If a file truly can’t get small enough — a long 4K video, a big project folder — send a link instead: Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive and Dropbox all let you share a file of any size.

Questions

What is the maximum file size I can email?

Usually 20–25 MB for all attachments together: 25 MB in Gmail and Yahoo, 20 MB in Outlook. Over that, Gmail swaps the attachment for a Google Drive link. The Gmail walkthrough covers both routes.

Does zipping a file make it small enough to send?

Rarely. Photos, videos, PDFs and most documents are already compressed, so a ZIP saves only a few percent. Re-encoding the media is what makes the real difference.

How do I send a large video on WhatsApp?

Compress it under 16 MB to send it as a video, or send it as a document, which allows up to 2 GB but arrives as a file rather than playing in the chat. See video too big for WhatsApp.

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