Tech how-to 5 ways to share files too big to email

Our cameras take great pictures and videos. Our computers deal with data-packed spreadsheets. We can create detailed graphics that look incredible when blown up. But all this comes with one drawback: large files.

First, you need to make sure that your computer, tablet or smartphone has enough storage to handle those files. Tap or click here for a quick trick to free up more space.

It’s worth cleaning out all the junk that clogs up your system from time to time. Tap or click here for Best Cleaner Applications for Mac and PC.

So what do you do when you want to send a file that’s too large to attach to an email? Here are five ways to handle it.

1. Google Drive
Gmail users have it easy when it comes to sending files that exceed the limit. When you try to attach a file that exceeds the 25MB size limit, Google uploads it to Google Drive and sends a download link to your recipient.

It’s an easy way to send those big files. You get a workaround for the attachment limit and the recipient can download the file in their spare time.

You can also upload files directly to Google Drive and share them from there. Keep in mind that these files may be counted in your disk storage space. The disk can hold files up to 5 terabytes in size, but you’ll need a paid storage plan to accommodate that much data.

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2. Sign Up for a Free Dropbox Account
Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud backup options. It also makes it easy to share those files with other people via sharing links or by adding files to your own Dropbox accounts.

Dropbox offers free 2GB of space to anyone. If your cloud storage needs are more demanding than those of the free account, the paid tiers offer more space. For $9.99 per month, you can get 2 TB of space. $16.58 per month Professional plan includes 3 TB.

Pro tip: You can always sign up for more than one free storage service if you’re running out of space. Services like Box.com and Microsoft’s OneDrive offer similar features.

3. Send via WeTransfer
The basic free service of WeTransfer lets you share files up to 2GB in size. WeTransfer isn’t for online storage – it’s only for sending files.

It is easy to use. Simply visit the site, choose the free option and add your file(s) from your computer. Then enter your email address, your recipient’s email, and a message. Press the “Transfer” button and wait until WeTransfer uploads the file and sends a notice to the receiver. The files will be available to download for seven days.

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4. Amazon Drive
If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can probably take advantage of free shipping, streaming movies and shows, and maybe a few other benefits. But have you tried Amazon’s storage and file sharing?

Amazon users get 5GB of space for free, but Prime members get the added benefit of unlimited photo storage, which is a tempting carrot for shutterbugs. Like Dropbox, you can share photos and other files by creating a link and emailing it to your recipient.

Tap or click here for 9 more Amazon Prime benefits you didn’t know about.

5. Compress the file
You can compress a large file into a zipped folder to make it smaller. In Windows, right-click a file or folder, go to “Send” and select “Compressed (zipped) folder.” This will create a new folder that is smaller than the original.

On a Mac, Control-click a file (or tap it with two fingers) to bring up the shortcut menu. Select “Compress” to create a dentier zipped version.

Compressing is not a magic bullet. For example, compressing a 90MB image file in Windows may result in only a 60MB zipped file, but it can be useful if you need to shrink the file slightly under your email sending limit.