The Best Ways to Share Large Files for Free: 6 Tips & Tricks in 2023-24

After toiling for some time on a big project, you have finally finished it and are ready to share it. You find yourself faced with the words that make your heart sink: “File too large to send.” 

However, do not consider this a final answer. When you send large files, you may encounter storage problems. Fortunately, there are ways to make sure your email reaches the intended recipient, so you can send large files without worrying. If you work virtually or as part of a team, you should know how to send large files over the Internet for free.  

Here are some of the ways and tips. Take a look. 

1. Upload Your Files to the Cloud

No matter what your reason for sharing large files is, you're likely to use your email platform to share big files regularly. If your email provider offers cloud storage, you might be able to send large files without storing them on your device. 

If you use Gmail, the functionality is already built into the platform. When you upload your file, click on the Google Drive button, select the attachment, and send it as normal. Using Outlook? It is no problem. Follow the same steps as Gmail in Outlook and choose OneDrive. 

Otherwise, you may use Dropbox, WeTransfer, Hightail, or Box if you don't use Gmail or Outlook. With such platforms, you can upload large files and share them with anyone by creating a link. All of these platforms are inexpensive and offer a great deal of storage, but by no means do they qualify as digital asset management systems. It can handle a range of file types, offers activity logging, and is simple to use. However, some of the more advanced features can be confusing to new users. 

2. Compress Your Files

If you have to send multiple files, file compression will be very helpful, as you can compress an entire folder with only a few clicks. With file compression, you can control the channel through which large files are sent. Keep in mind that, if you're in a hurry, one large file will usually transfer more quickly than a folder containing several smaller files. 

If you are working with branded imagery, you should not lose quality if you are compressing files with lossless compression. After all, your customers don't want to see substandard graphics!  

3. Use a Specialist Large File Sharing Service

When it comes to business efficiency and service quality, it's sometimes best to use a specialist. Using this option is a hassle-free way to send large files within your business or to external partners. Just make sure the file-sharing service offers these features: 

• No restrictions on the amount, size, or type of files you can share – internally or externally
• The ability to send files quickly without sacrificing data or quality
• Monitoring tools and successful delivery notifications
• Secure files with end-to-end encryption and password protection
• Collaboration and sharing are easy both internally and externally
• User-friendly and intuitive interface
• Features a variety of permissions and usage settings
• 24/7 global access
• Good customer service

4. Use an FTP Service

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a trusted, old-school method for transferring large files, either internally or externally. Although it's not the most secure method, it has a number of features that busy marketers might appreciate because it was designed specifically for sending large files. There is no file size limit, you can schedule transfers, queue transfers, and transfer more than one file at the same time. FTP is easy to use, but it requires some technical knowledge to set up. A downside to this is that if your internet is down, you won't be able to send files. 

So, now you may ask, 

Which is better HTTP or FTP? 

FTP and HTTP file transfers are two of the prominent large file transfer options, but they serve completely different purposes. While FTP is used for website maintenance and batch uploads, HTTP is for client-end work, such as uploading movies, pictures, and other files to the server by end-users. The programmer will often use FTP to upload the files that allow the end-user to upload files via HTML/HTTP as well. 

5. For Truly Large Data Sets, Mail Someone an External Drive

Today, external drives are fairly inexpensive. When you are sending someone a lot of data, you may want to copy the data to an external drive, and then mail it to them. You can always have them return it. 

The thought of people waiting for external drives to arrive in the mail might put you off, but you should weigh that delay against the difficulties of transferring large amounts of data over the Internet. Even with a fast connection, uploading and downloading a terabyte of data can take a long time. Furthermore, it is likely to consume your ISP's data cap as well. 

You can also encrypt your drive if you're worried about privacy. Both Windows Professional and macOS include free encryption tools. Creating an encrypted container and filling it with whatever you want to protect is extremely simple. 

6. Use ioMoVo's DAM Platform: Your Large File-sharing Site

The ioMoVo DAM platform is a trusted, secure file-sharing service that helps marketers and creatives save time, improve collaboration, and respond more quickly to feedback and recommendations. With ioMoVo's marketing toolkit, busy marketers have access to a valuable resource. Strict security measures ensure that only you are granted access to the toolkit. Does that sound perfect to you? Here are some more reasons to consider ioMoVo for managing your digital assets: 

• It is not necessary to download content in order to share it (just group the large files together, specify the email address you want it sent to, and decide if the content is to be downloaded or just viewed) 
• Drag and drop files easily
• No limit to the size of files 
• File sharing for large videos is handy  
• Built-in support for large files  
• Connect all your cloud storage accounts in one place 
• Files are completely under your control; you can set expiration dates, instruct links to expire early, etc. 

Conclusion 

When choosing the right large file-sharing service for you and your business, you should always keep the following in mind: your security requirements, the types of files you need to send, their speed, and the kind of support you might need. 

Don't accept the limits on the size, type, or quantity of files you need to send – you don't know how your business needs will change in the future! 

You can save time, streamline workflows, and increase collaboration with improved file-sharing processes like ioMoVo. When it comes to sharing and storing large files, businesses often find that using powerful online file-sharing tools is a practical and cost-effective solution. To improve workflow efficiency, improve security, and eliminate hassles associated with sharing and storing files, try ioMoVo free for 30 days.