How to Send a Zip File (Even a Large One)

Why email struggles with zip files

Two things get in the way. First, the size limit: most providers cap attachments at around 20 to 25MB, and a zip full of photos, documents, or a project folder blows past that easily. Second, security filters: Gmail, Outlook, and others sometimes block or quarantine zip attachments because zips can hide executables, so your message can bounce or land in spam.

That combination makes zip-by-attachment unreliable. The fix is to upload the zip once and send a link, which sidesteps both the size cap and the security filter.

How to make a zip file first

On Windows, select the files or folder you want, right click, and choose Compress to ZIP file. On a Mac, select the items, right click, and choose Compress. You now have a single .zip that holds everything, which is much easier to share than dozens of separate files.

Zipping also shrinks documents and uncompressed files a little, though photos and videos are already compressed and will not get much smaller. The real win is bundling everything into one tidy file with one link.

Step by step with SAVEDLY

First, open SAVEDLY and drag your .zip onto the upload box, or click to choose it. There is no account and no size limit, so even a multi-gigabyte archive uploads fine. Second, copy the link when the upload finishes. Third, paste that link into your email, chat, or message.

The recipient clicks the link and downloads the zip in one step, with no account and no security warning from a mail filter. If the contents are private, add an optional password before sharing so only the right people can open it.

Sending a zip on email vs a link

If your zip is small and the recipient's provider allows zip attachments, attaching it directly can be fine. But the moment it is large, or the recipient is on a strict corporate filter, the attachment route gets unreliable fast. A link always arrives, because the email only carries a small URL rather than the archive itself.