Email servers usually have a Attachment Size Limits for Outlook Gmail Yahoo Hotmail Facebook and WhatsApp . Any files larger than a few MB’s in size may cause an error stating The attachment size exceeds the allowable limit or The file you’re attaching is bigger that the server allows. Most cloud servers allow uploading files up to 5-15 GB in size free of cost, so it must not be an issue. One way to mitigate this problem is to upload attachments on cloud drives and send the link to the recipient through email.
Attachment Size Limits for common service providers
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The maximum file size limits and sizes for attachments for the following services are listed below:
- Microsoft Outlook
- Outlook.com
- OneDrive
- Office 365
- Gmail
- Google Drive
- Yahoo
- Dropbox
- WhatsApp.
1] Microsoft Outlook
The maximum attachment size for the Outlook desktop client is 20 MB. This is regardless of the email server being used. If an email server allows users to send attachments of larger sizes, they can be sent through the web application but not through the Outlook desktop or mobile client.
If you’re using an Exchange server, the attachment size limit for sending files through the Outlook client can be modified, but the upper limit for sending the file can’t be more than what’s allowed by the email server.
2] Outlook.com
Outlook/Hotmail limits the size of files that can be sent to 10 MB. After that, the user can upload attachments to OneDrive and send a link to the file.
3] OneDrive
OneDrive permits free storage of up to 5 GB and paid storage of up to 50 GB. It also has Microsoft’s support and integrated Microsoft Office Online.
4] Office 365
Support for email messages up to 150 MB is now available in Office 365.
5] Gmail
The maximum permitted attachment size for Gmail is 25 MB. Google Drive is the cloud drive web application compatible with Gmail.
6] Google Drive
The free plan allows for up to 15 GB of data storage. The paid plans could get you up to 10 TB of storage.
7] Yahoo
Yahoo Mail now supports attachments up to 25 MB in size. For larger attachments, you can use a Dropbox link.
8] Dropbox
The basic plan provides free storage up to 5 GB. For more storage, you can purchase one of the paid plans.
9] Twitter
GIFs, JPEGs, and PNGs can be up to 5MB; animated GIFs can be up to 5MB on mobile and up to 15MB on web. Video files should not exceed 15MB (sync) or 512MB (async).
10] Facebook
The maximum limit for files sent through Facebook messages is 25 MB. Any cloud drive link can be shared through Facebook messages, but the user has to be logged on to their cloud drive account separately.
The maximum file size for uploading videos to timelines is 1.75 GB and the maximum running time is 45 minutes. However, a user can only upload a file of unlimited bit-rate if it is 1 GB or less. If the file is larger than 1 GB, the bit-rate must be limited to 8 MBPS for a 1080 HD file or 4 MBPS for a 720 HD file.
11] WhatsApp
The attachment size limit for sending files is 16 MB, and it could be increased to 30 MB. It becomes difficult to share uncompressed videos when the limit is so low. One workaround is to share cloud drive links, but the links usually open in the browser and the user has to be logged in to view them.
Whenever you’re sending large files through cloud drives, the recipient needs to be logged into an account of the same cloud drive brand. For example, if you’re using a Hotmail account and you send a OneDrive link to a Gmail user, the recipient may not be able to access the link, depending on your settings.
The size limits for email service providers or social networking sites may change from time to time, so please check with your service provider.
Hello, My name is Shari & I am a writer for the ‘Outlook AppIns’ blog. I’m a CSIT graduate & I’ve been working in the IT industry for 3 years.