How to Send Large File Attachments in Microsoft Outlook

Do you often send files or folders through Outlook?

Most people have experienced – at least once or twice – the frustration of having attachments that exceeded Outlook's attachments size limit when they send files or folders through Outlook.

Microsoft limits internet email accounts such as Outlook and Gmail attachments file size to a maximum of 20MB and limits business emails such as Exchange to a maximum of 10 MB." (source: Microsoft Website)

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With the current digital age and high-speed internet access, some might think that file size limits are unnecessary and such a hassle. But for those in business, there are considerable reasons for file size limits.

1. Reducing security risk

-. Enhancing company data security

• You have limited ability to control who can access, view, share, and download the attachments when you send them via email. This could risk your company's security when you send important documents or folders, especially to external email domains.

-. Reducing the possibility of malware attachments and infections

• There are cases where attachments are used as a cover to circulate malware via email, especially from unknown sources or spam emails. This could jeopardize your email account, personal data, and computer security.
  

2. Large file attachments can slow down network and email servers.

• If you send large attachments to multiple recipients, you will be sending the "n" amount of file attachments copy which could cause your company network and email server to slow down.
  

3. Preventing mailboxes from exceeding the storage quota.

• Most of email data including file attachments are stored on a server which could be either local or cloud server. And the size quota of the storage (including email) is relatively small and limited. If you send large file attachments, it will take up a lot of the storage space and eventually exceeds the quota limit.
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How to solve large attachments file size limit on Outlook?

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Now that you know some of the reasons for attachment size limitations, let’s talk about how you could solve this problem. There are a few ways to solve this issue; (source: Microsoft Support)‍

1. Using OneDrive or SharePoint

• OneDrive and SharePoint - both are Microsoft features that allow you to upload and store large files or folders to the cloud and share the link with others. You can easily access the files and work simultaneously with your team or colleague without sending attachments back and forth after every update. (source: Microsoft Support)
  

2. Shared Network Locations or Other Cloud Storage Service

• Another solution that Microsoft suggested is that you could save the files you wanted to share in a folder and share the hyperlink access to the folder with the recipients via email. You could also use other cloud storage devices, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Cloud, etc., and share the link to the recipients.
  

3. Photo and Video Sharing Sites

• When sending photo attachments via email, you might want to consider resizing the size of the image before you send them. If you do not want to resize them you might want to consider using external photo-sharing sites and share the link to the pictures in the message. As we know, video files size can be exceptionally large - even short videos - and sending them via email attachments might exceed the attachment file size limitations. You might want to consider sending them by uploading the videos to the cloud or video-sharing sites and then share the link with the recipient.
  

4. File and Folder Compression

• One way to solve the Outlook file size limitations is by compressing the files or folders you want to send. You can decrease the size of your file and folder attachments size by compressing them into .zip. And if you are lucky enough, it might fit the Outlook attachments limit size.
  

5. Breaking up file attachments and mailing them separately or as multiple emails.

• Personally speaking, this method is one of the most troublesome ways of sending large file attachments in Outlook. You would have to do several extra steps to compress and break up the attachment into multiple parts and the email recipients would have to open several emails and put back the file attachments back together. (source: Microsoft Support)
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The above solutions might help you deal with attachment size limitations. But let us be honest, those solutions require extra few steps – uploading files one by one to the cloud, copying, and pasting links to emails, etc. - and you would need to invest more time when sending emails, which is so inconvenient. In this busy society, people would prefer a way to send large files and folders securely and hassle-free.

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And that’s where totle came in and save the day

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How to easily send large file attachments in Microsoft Outlook with totle

With totle, you do not need to upload large files and folders to the cloud or provide external links anymore. totle also supports file compression and encryption which can prevent security concerns about data leakage. You can easily drag and drop the file or folder you want to attach from the totle tab’s attachment pane (tab or menu will be available and appear after you install totle) on Outlook, which means you do not need to go back and forth or open multiple windows while sending emails. totle’s large file attachment feature also includes the ability to designate a download period and the location of the attachments in the email body.

Okay, to summarize here's the Easy Steps to Send Big Files in Outlook Using totle

1. Install totle: First, download and install totle on your computer. It’s free and quick to set up!
2. Log In to totle in Outlook: Open Outlook, log into your totle account, and you’ll see a new totle tab.
3. Start a New Email: Click on "New Email" to begin your message.
4. Attach Files Quickly: Go to the totle menu and choose “Attach Large File” or “Attach Folder”.
5. Pick Your Files or Folders: In the totle panel on the right, click "Attachment" and select what you want to send.
6. Set Your Preferences: Decide how long the files can be downloaded and where they appear in your email.
7. Send It Off: Hit “Send”. totle will take care of the rest, ensuring your large files get where they need to go without trouble.

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Attaching files or folders in Outlook has never been easier!

totle makes your email experience better! Download and use totle now.