How to Send Files Over 25MB in Gmail (5 Easy Ways)

Gmail lets you attach up to 25MB per email, and that total includes every file in the message. When you go over, Gmail either turns your file into a Google Drive link or refuses the message with an error like "Your message could not be saved because it exceeds the maximum size of 25MB."

This guide is about getting the file to its recipient anyway. If you want the details of the limit itself (what counts toward it, Workspace differences, and the 50MB receiving cap), read our guide to the Gmail attachment size limit.

The short answer#

Method 1: Send it as a Google Drive link#

This is Google's own answer, and on personal Gmail it often happens automatically. If the attachments add up to more than 25MB, Gmail removes them and inserts a Drive link instead. That's what the notice "Your file is larger than 25MB. It will be sent as a Google Drive link" means. Nothing is broken; your file is uploading to your Drive.

To do it on purpose (on a computer):

1. Click Compose in Gmail.
2. Click the Google Drive icon at the bottom of the compose window.
3. Choose a file already in Drive, or open the Upload tab to add one from your computer.
4. Select Drive link and click Insert.
5. Click Send. If the recipient doesn't have access yet, Gmail asks how to share the file. Choose to share with the recipients rather than "anyone with the link" for anything sensitive.

On the Gmail app (Android or iPhone), tap the paperclip, choose Insert from Drive, and pick the file.

Things to know:

• The file counts toward your 15GB of Google storage, which is shared with Gmail and Photos. If storage is full, the upload fails with "Couldn't send message". Clear space first. Our guide to freeing up Gmail space shows how.
• The recipient gets a link, not a copy. If you delete the file or change sharing later, the link stops working.
• Drive handles very large files. Individual files can be far bigger than any email allows.

Method 2: Zip it#

If you're only slightly over, a zip archive may be enough, especially for documents, spreadsheets, or a folder of many small files.

• Windows: right-click the file or folder, then choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder (on Windows 11: Compress to > ZIP file).
• Mac: right-click, then choose Compress.

Check the size of the .zip. If it's comfortably under 25MB, attach it normally. Already compressed formats such as MP4, JPG, and most PDFs barely shrink, so zip won't rescue a large video.

Heads-up: Gmail blocks archives that contain executable files (like .exe) for security reasons. If your zip is rejected, see why Gmail blocks or removes attachments.

Method 3: Compress videos and photos#

Video is the most common reason people hit the 25MB wall. A minute of phone video can be well over the limit.

1. Install a free converter such as HandBrake (Windows, Mac, Linux).
2. Open the video and pick a preset like Fast 720p30.
3. Export and check the new file size. Dropping from 4K to 720p often cuts size dramatically.

For photos, export at a lower resolution or as JPEG instead of PNG or HEIC. On iPhone, the Mail and Photos share options can send smaller versions. For PDFs, use your PDF editor's "reduce file size" or "optimize" option, which mainly re-compresses embedded images.

If quality matters more than size (a final cut for a client, say), skip compression and send a Drive link instead.

Method 4: Split it into several emails#

When the recipient truly needs attachments, for example because their company blocks file-sharing links, you can split one big file into numbered parts.

1. Install 7-Zip (Windows) or a similar archiver (Keka on Mac).
2. Right-click the file, choose 7-Zip > Add to archive, and set Split to volumes to around 18M.
3. Send each part in its own email.
4. The recipient saves every part in one folder and opens the first one (.001) with 7-Zip to rebuild the file.

Why 18MB and not 25MB? Email encodes attachments in a way that makes them roughly a third bigger in transit, so a file that's 20MB on disk can count as more than 25MB in Gmail. Keeping parts near 18MB avoids that surprise.

This is clunky for both sides, so treat it as a last resort.

Method 5: Share a OneDrive or Dropbox link#

If the file already lives in OneDrive or Dropbox, or your recipient works in Microsoft 365, share it from there:

• OneDrive: right-click the file, choose Share, set who can open it, then Copy link and paste it into your Gmail message.
• Dropbox: hover over the file, click Share, then Copy link.

Dedicated transfer services such as WeTransfer work the same way: upload, then send a download link. Check the current free-tier limits and how long links stay live before you rely on one.

Fixing the error "Your message could not be saved because it exceeds the maximum size of 25MB"#

This message usually appears while you're editing a draft, not when you attach a normal file. Gmail can turn files you add with the paperclip into Drive links, but it can't do that with content that's already part of the message itself. The most common causes:

• Forwarding an email that has its own large attachments. The originals come along with the forward.
• Pasted or inline images dragged into the body of the email.
• Several files that each fit but together go over the 25MB total.

How to fix it:

1. Remove the inline images or the forwarded attachments from the draft.
2. Save the large files somewhere you can link to: download them, then upload to Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
3. Paste the link into a fresh message, or insert it with Method 1.

The related message "message too large" is the same limit applied by the sending server. The fixes are identical.

When the big file is one you received#

Often the oversized file isn't yours. It's a contract, a scan batch, or a video someone emailed you, and now you need to pass it on. Forwarding it can trigger the error above.

Instead of downloading and re-uploading each file, Dioveo can copy Gmail attachments straight to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, so you can share a link from there. You can select attachments across many emails at once. To keep a local copy, bulk-download them as a single zip organized by sender and year.

The Free plan covers 50 files a month across downloads and manual cloud saves. Pro removes that cap. The details are on the pricing page. Dioveo doesn't send email or raise Gmail's 25MB cap; it only gets your received attachments to a place where sharing large files is easy.

Try it on the Free plan. Start free with Dioveo (no credit card), connect Google Drive, and copy the attachment you need to share. Or see how Gmail to Google Drive saving works.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Can I send more than 25MB in an email?

Not as regular attachments on personal Gmail; 25MB is the total for each email. You can still send the content by inserting a Google Drive link, which Gmail does automatically when you go over, or by sharing a OneDrive or Dropbox link. Workspace accounts follow their administrator's settings, explained in our Gmail attachment size limit guide.

Why does Gmail say my file is larger than 25MB when it isn't?

Two reasons. The limit covers all attachments in the email combined, not each file. And attachments are encoded for sending, which adds roughly a third to their size, so a 20MB file can count as more than 25MB. Remove other attachments or compress the file, or send a Drive link.

What does "Your file is larger than 25MB. It will be sent as a Google Drive link" mean?

Gmail is uploading your attachment to your Google Drive and putting a link in the email instead of the file. The recipient opens or downloads it from Drive. Make sure they have access when Gmail asks how to share it, and keep the file in your Drive so the link keeps working.

How do I fix "Your message could not be saved because it exceeds the maximum size of 25MB"?

The draft itself is too big, usually because of forwarded attachments or pasted images. Remove them, upload the large files to Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, and send a link in a new message.

How do I send a video larger than 25MB on Gmail?

Insert it as a Google Drive link (paperclip, then Insert from Drive in the app, or the Drive icon on desktop). Or shrink it with a converter like HandBrake to 720p and attach the smaller file.

How do I send a PDF larger than 25MB in Gmail?

Try your PDF tool's "reduce file size" option first. Scanned PDFs often shrink a lot. If it's still too big, send it as a Google Drive link, or split it into smaller PDFs by chapter or section.

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