Most e-mail providers refuse attachments above 20–25 MB. A single minute of 4K video, a photo shoot in RAW or a design project with linked assets is far bigger. So how do you get large files to someone quickly and safely?
1. Compress and split the files
A ZIP archive helps with many small files, but barely shrinks videos or photos, which are already compressed. Splitting archives into parts works, yet the recipient has to download and join every part. It is a workaround, not a solution.
2. Cloud storage (Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive)
Great if you and your recipient already live in the same ecosystem. The downside: you upload into your own storage quota, permissions are easy to get wrong, and shared folders tend to stay open for years.
3. A file transfer service
Services like Dropvik are built for exactly this: drop your files, get a link, and the files expire when you want. The recipient needs no account and can preview photos, videos and documents before downloading. Uploads resume automatically if your connection drops.
4. FTP / SFTP
Still common in print and broadcast. It is reliable for huge, regular deliveries, but needs a server, credentials and a client program on both sides — too much friction for a one-off delivery.
5. USB drive or courier
For terabytes on a tight schedule, a physical drive can still be faster than the internet. For everything else it is slow and risky.
Which one should you pick?
- One-off delivery to a client: a transfer link with an expiry date.
- Confidential documents: a link with a password or end-to-end encryption.
- Collecting files from others: a file request link.
- Ongoing collaboration: shared cloud folders.
Tip: if you send the same project repeatedly, upload new versions to the same link. Your recipient keeps one bookmark and always gets the latest files.