How to Send Large and Multiple Files by Email

How to send multiple files via email in a ZIP file

Thinking about sending multiple files via email?

By the way, if you don’t have an email account yet or want to get a new one, you will find some helpful advice in our guide: Get the Best Email Account.

We know how annoying it can be having to upload files one by one when you need to send a lot of photos. Sending multiple files can be quite easy if you first put all the files into a ZIP archive.

What is a ZIP file and how can it help with sending multiple files via email?

You can put all the files that you want to send in one folder and then zip (compress) them. Your email client will treat a zipped folder as one file, so you will have no problem attaching it to your message. Plus, all of the files will be organized in one place, which is very convenient.

In simple terms, when you compress a file, you are basically trading CPU cycles for storage space. However, when it comes to data transfer, whether you should or shouldn’t compress a file is debatable.

On the one hand, compressing a file makes it smaller — and this much easier to send. On the other hand, compressing data can actually make it move much slower. So, your file transfer may end up taking quite a bit of time.

In some situations, compression may do wonders for the speed of a file transfer. This is mostly true for when you need to send a number of all files and instead choose to archive them into one folder first. In this case, transferring a zipped folder will definitely take much less time than sending out each file individually.

However, some types of files and data are simply not compressible. This includes most images, video files, audio tracks and more. Trying to compress files that are not compressible will result in wasted CPU cycles and a slower network speed. Moreover, with some types of data, compression may also result in file damage. In this case, you may end up losing valuable data during the transfer process.

So, before you create a zip file, it’s essential that you make sure the files you are working with can be compressed.

How to create a ZIP file and email it in Windows 10

This method is only for Windows and does not involve using a third-party program. So follow these steps:

1. Select all files and folders you want to zip. You can create one folder with all of the files that you want to email.
2. Right-click on the selected folder.
3. Choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. By the way, the latest Windows versions let you drag and drop other files into the ZIP file, which gets them copied to it.
4. Name your ZIP file. Make it something descriptive so that the recipient can easily tell what is in the folder. You can rename your folder anytime, just right-click the ZIP file and choose Rename.
5. In your email program, create a new message and attach your ZIP file. Attachments usually look like a paperclip button at the bottom of the message.

Useful tip: You can use special programs for creating ZIP files, such as 7-Zip, PeaZip, or Keka. These programs work in Linux, Windows, and macOS.

Find information on other interesting tools in our article: 5 Best Compression Tools to Prepare for Easy File Transfer

Another problem that you may face is that your ZIP file turns out too large to send over email. In this situation, you can upload your large file to FileWhopper first and then send the recipient a link to download it.

How to send large files via email with FileWhopper

If you want to avoid compression when sending your files, you can try using FileWhopper instead. It offers a very simple way to send files your email program may not allow you to send— and no zipping is required. With FileWhopper, you can send multiple files in a folder without compressing them or spending hours attaching your files to an email one by one.

What’s more, with FileWhopper you don’t have to buy a monthly plan from any storage service when you need to send just one large file. And your first 5GB transfer is free — so that you can test the service out and see if it’s a good fit for your needs.

Let’s go through the steps of sending large files via FileWhopper:

1. Select the file you want to send.
2. Get a price quote based on your file size.
3. Get the FileWhopper Desktop App that will help you upload your large file fast.
4. Receive a personal download link to the file you uploaded. Downloading the file is safe and easy with a secure personal link.
5. Share the download link with the intended recipient by copying and pasting it into your email message.

With FileWhopper you will forget about the notorious FILE TOO LARGE issue. Value your time and ensure quick file transfers with no data loss.