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 is 25 MB, while Outlook’s maximum file size is capped at 20 MB.

How to share big files for free without an account

HiDrive Share

HiDrive Share 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
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
HiDrive Share
File sharing made easy
  • Send up to 2 GB of photos, videos and more
  • No need to register
  • Keep your files secure

Swis­sTrans­fer

With the free file hosting service Swis­sTrans­fer, 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
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, 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
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 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
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.

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

Dropbox

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
With Dropbox, you store large files on Dropbox servers and send the as­so­ci­ated link to selected re­cip­i­ents; Source: https://www.dropbox.com/
HiDrive Next Cloud Storage
Your data – available anytime, anywhere
  • Set it up ef­fort­lessly and start saving files straight away
  • Your data is available anywhere and on all devices
  • 100% GDPR compliant in European data centres

OneDrive

With 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
With OneDrive, up to 5 GB of storage for files is available free of charge; Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/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, 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
With its iCloud cloud storage, Apple offers free online storage with 5 GB of space; Source: https://www.icloud.com/en-gb

Google Drive

With a Google account, you can use Google’s cloud storage 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
Google Drive offers up to 15 GB of free storage on Google servers; Source: https://drive.google.com/drive/

Reviewer

  • Jeanna Raffa

    Jeanna Raffa

    With over 18 years of ex­per­i­ence in online marketing, Jeanna Raffa possesses extensive expertise in digital marketing. Since 2020, her focus has been on providing practical in­form­a­tion regarding email, office, and cloud storage solutions.

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