# How to send large files for free with these providers

With free services, you can send large files ranging from around 2 to 50 GB. The files are either sent directly via an email link or stored online and shared through a sharing link. Often, you can also set whether recipients can only view the files or edit them as well.

Note For security reasons, free email services limit the size of attachment files. For example, the maximum [Gmail attachment size](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/e-mail/technical-matters/gmail-attachment-size-limit/) is 25 MB, while [Outlook’s maximum file size](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/e-mail/technical-matters/outlook-attachment-size-limit/) is capped at 20 MB.

## How to share big files for free without an account

### HiDrive Share

[HiDrive Share](https://share.hidrive.com/i/upload/ "HiDrive Share from IONOS") is the free IONOS solution for sending large files. Without registering, you can upload files via the website with a **total of up to 2 GB per upload**. You will then receive a download link that you can **share for 7 days** with any number of people via email or chat. After this period, the uploaded files are automatically and permanently deleted.

[![Image: HiDrive Share from IONOS](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/a/a/csm_hidrive-share-link_34518d1b71.webp "HiDrive Share from IONOS")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2024/hidrive-share-link.png) With HiDrive Share, you can upload files up to 2 GB in size without having to sign up; Source: https://share.hidrive.com/i/upload ### SwissTransfer

With the free file hosting service [SwissTransfer](https://www.swisstransfer.com/ "Official SwissTransfer website"), you can send up to **50 GB per transfer** without needing an account or registration. The data is stored on certified servers in Switzerland and encrypted during both transmission and storage. You also have the option to protect transfers with a password. Files are available for download for up to 30 days and can be shared via a generated download link or by email with selected recipients.

[![Image: Swiss file hosting service SwissTransfer](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/a/7/csm_swisstransfer-screenshot_e99fc6a433.webp "Swiss file hosting service SwissTransfer")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2026/swisstransfer-screenshot.jpg) With the Swiss file hosting provider SwissTransfer, you can send up to 50 GB of data for free; Source: https://www.swisstransfer.com/ ### WeTransfer

With the file hosting service [WeTransfer](https://wetransfer.com/ "Official WeTransfer website"), you can send files of **up to 3 GB per transfer** with the free version. The uploaded files remain available for up to three days and can be shared with others via a download link. Alternatively, you can enter both the recipient’s and your own email addresses, allowing WeTransfer to send the download link directly via email. You can make up to 10 free transfers per month.

[![Image: WeTransfer](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/4/7/csm_wetransfer-screenshot_a84c705b61.webp "WeTransfer")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2026/wetransfer-screenshot.jpg) With the file hosting service WeTransfer, you get 10 transfers and 3 GB per transfer for free; Source: https://wetransfer.com/ ### TransferXL

With **up to 10 GB of transfer volume per day**, [TransferXL](https://www.transferxl.com/ "Official TransferXL website") offers a comparatively generous free quota. You can send files of up to 5 GB per transfer. The uploaded files remain available for up to seven days and can be shared with others via download link or email. Optional end-to-end encryption is available, and you can select the server location before uploading.

[![Image: Send large data volumes with TransferXL](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/1/6/csm_screenshot-transferxl_d2242b8976.webp "Send large data volumes with TransferXL")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2026/screenshot-transferxl.jpg) With TransferXL, you send download links for files up to a maximum of 5 GB; Source: https://www.transferxl.com/  Tip To send big files as large attachments, you can also **reduce the file size**, for example by [creating a ZIP file](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/server/configuration/create-a-zip-file/).

## How to send large files for free via the cloud with registration

### Dropbox

[Dropbox](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/server/tools/what-is-dropbox/) offers 2 GB of free storage, which you can use to share files through a shareable link. You can copy and send the link to specific files or folders and choose whether invited users have view-only access or editing rights. While a Dropbox account is not necessary to download the files, it is required for uploading them.

[![Image: Share large files with Dropbox](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/1/3/csm_dropbox-screenshot_8bae3439f8.webp "Share large files with Dropbox")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2026/dropbox-screenshot.jpg) With Dropbox, you store large files on Dropbox servers and send the associated link to selected recipients; Source: https://www.dropbox.com/ ### OneDrive

With [OneDrive](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/server/tools/what-is-onedrive/), Microsoft’s cloud storage service that requires registration, you get **5 GB of free storage** for saving files on Microsoft’s servers. You can share files or folders by generating a sharing link, and decide whether recipients can only view or also edit the content. Simply copy the link and send it via email or chat. A separate OneDrive account is not necessary to download the files.

[![Image: Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/6/5/csm_onedrive-screenshot_7e73bfd257.webp "Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2026/onedrive-screenshot.jpg) With OneDrive, up to 5 GB of storage for files is available free of charge; Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage ### iCloud

Apple’s cloud storage lets you store all kinds of files in your **own online storage of up to 5 GB**. A valid Apple ID is required. With [iCloud](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/server/tools/what-is-icloud/), you can share files or folders with others using a sharing link. Alternatively, you can share folders directly with other people and specify whether they only have view access or also editing rights. An Apple ID is not strictly required to download shared files.

[![Image: Apple’s iCloud cloud storage service](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/9/3/csm_icloud-screenshot_118246ef8d.webp "Apple’s iCloud cloud storage service")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2026/icloud-screenshot.jpg) With its iCloud cloud storage, Apple offers free online storage with 5 GB of space; Source: https://www.icloud.com/en-ca ### Google Drive

With a Google account, you can use Google’s cloud storage [Google Drive](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/server/tools/what-is-google-drive/) with **15 GB of free storage**. This storage is shared by Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. You can store files in Drive and then share them via a sharing link, specifying whether others can only view, comment on, or edit the files. When composing an email in Gmail, you can also insert files directly as a Google Drive link or as an attachment.

[![Image: Google’s cloud service Google Drive](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/e/1/csm_google-drive-screenshot_21ba7725bb.webp "Google’s cloud service Google Drive")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2026/google-drive-screenshot.jpg) Google Drive offers up to 15 GB of free storage on Google servers; Source: https://drive.google.com/drive/


This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/e-mail/technical-matters/send-large-files/](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/e-mail/technical-matters/send-large-files/) for AI/LLM consumption.