How to Send Large Attachments Via Email

by Francesca Ayala

Overview

Have you ever tried to share your files with someone via e-mail, only to discover that the attachment was too large? Instead of going through the hassle of sending several attachments in multiple e-mails, you could easily compress your files and share them in a single e-mail. This not only saves you time when it comes to attaching and e-mailing, it also saves you space on your hard drive. There's no need to download and install anything to compress a file, most modern computers have operating systems that automatically come with file compression programs. All you need to do is click your mouse to get the job done.

Step 1

Open Explorer (for PC users) or Finder (for Mac users) and locate the files you want to compress.
Step 2

Select all the files by holding down the Shift key while you click on them.
Step 3

Right click your mouse (for Windows users) or hold down the Control key and click (for Mac users). A menu of options will pop up. For Windows users, select "Add to zip file" or "Add to archive." For Mac users, select "Create archive" or "Compress files." This will automatically compress all your different files into a single file that is much faster to attach and e-mail to your contacts.
Step 4

Locate the compressed file. Its file extension should end in ".zip," an example of a compressed file name is "FinalPresentation.zip." This is the file you must attach to your e-mail.
Step 5

Attach the file to your e-mail and send it.

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If, for some reason, you cannot seem to compress your files into a single .zip file, you also have the alternative of using Web-based programs to send your files for you. An example of such a program is www.YouSendIt.com. This website allows you to e-mail large attachments for free. All you need to do is sign up for an account.
If, for some reason, you cannot seem to compress your files into a single .zip file, you also have the alternative of using Web-based programs to send your files for you. An example of such a program is www.YouSendIt.com. This website allows you to e-mail large attachments for free. All you need to do is sign up for an account.