Every app has a size limit
Email stops at 20 to 25 MB. Chat apps run from 20 MB to 2 GB. Here's each one, checked against the company's own help pages, and what to do when your file is bigger.
Numbers checked Οκτώβριος 2026. Each one links to where it came from.
Limits by app
| App | Limit |
|---|---|
| Gmail | 25 MBSwaps the file for a Drive linksupport.google.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| Outlook | 25 MB on Outlook.comOneDrive link, up to 2 GBsupport.microsoft.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| Yahoo Mail | 25 MBNone in Yahoo's helphelp.yahoo.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| iCloud Mail | 20 MBMail Drop, up to 5 GBsupport.apple.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| 2 GB as a documentSend video as a documentfaq.whatsapp.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 | |
| Telegram | 2 GBPremium, up to 4 GBtelegram.org, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| Discord | 20 MBNitro, up to 500 MBsupport.discord.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| Slack | 1 GBNone in Slack's helpslack.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| Microsoft Teams | 250 GBAlready shares through OneDrivelearn.microsoft.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| Messenger | 100 MBNone documentedmessenger.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
| WeTransfer | 3 GB per 30 daysPaid planswetransfer.com, checked Οκτώβριος 2026 |
Signal and iMessage aren't listed because neither publishes a limit, and we only list numbers we can link to.
Why email is so small
Email was built for text. Attachments are converted to text on the way, which makes them bigger: Google says about 37%, Microsoft 33%. Most providers settled on 20 to 25 MB.
The limit has to fit at both ends. A big email that leaves your provider can still be refused by theirs, which is why a file that sent fine to one person can bounce for another.
Why the workarounds look the same
Nearly every service's answer is the same: upload the file somewhere and send a link. Gmail uses Drive, Outlook uses OneDrive, Apple uses Mail Drop.
It works, but the whole file has to upload before anyone can start, and it takes up your storage while it sits there. Chat apps mostly don't offer even that; they sell a bigger limit instead.
Or skip the upload
download.fyi sends the file straight from your browser to theirs while your tab is open. The link is ready the moment you pick the file, there's no size cap, and nothing is stored. To leave it for later, a pass keeps the file online for 14 days (up to 100 GB, $5) or 30 days (up to 500 GB, $9), paid once.
Questions
Which app sends the biggest files?
Of the ones here, Microsoft Teams, at 250 GB per file, because it stores files in SharePoint and OneDrive. Among chat apps, WhatsApp and Telegram both allow 2 GB, and Telegram Premium 4 GB.
Why did my email bounce when the file was under the limit?
Attachments grow by about a third when they're encoded for email, and the recipient's provider applies its own limit, which may be lower than yours.
How often are these numbers checked?
Each one links to the help page it came from and shows the month we last read it. Services change their limits, so the date is there for a reason.
Sign up. Upload. Wait. Just drop it.
No account and no size cap. Your link is ready the moment you pick a file.
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