Need to transfer something hefty to somebody over the internet, but don’t know how to send large files online? We’ve got your back. Large file transfers can be done in a few different ways, so we’ve put together this guide to cover the simplest, most effective, and most secure methods. No matter what you’re trying to send, the techniques listed below will help you get the job done without paying a dime.

The video above shows you how to compose a new email in Gmail (click on the 'Compose email' button) and attach a file when you click on the 'Attach a file' link in Gmail. In fact, Mac OS X has built-in features that allow you to compress - or zip - files and folders on the spot. You can also uncompress zipped files and folders - it's all built into Mac OS X. You can also uncompress zipped files and folders - it's all built into Mac OS X.

Here’s how to send large files for free. Compress files before sending Regardless of how you choose to send your file, making it smaller will only help in terms of storage. File compression will not only shrink whatever you’re trying to send, but it’ll make the transfer go faster regardless of which method you’re using — be it email, FTP, or cloud storage. Most computers come with file compression utilities built in, so. Here’s how it’s done. Windows Mac Find the file you want to compress Find the file you want to compress Right click on it and select Send to Two-finger click/control+click on the file Choose Compressed (zipped) folder Select Compress [file name] If you’re transferring music or video, we suggest using RAR compression instead of ZIP because it uses a better compression algorithm that generally cuts down on data loss and file corruption.

We recommend using for this, as the open-source file archivist is one of the best currently available. Upload to a Cloud storage service The best, and most popular, option for transferring large files is to upload them to an online storage service where your desired recipient can download them. Thanks to the rise of cloud computing, there are a zillion of these types of services, so we’ve taken the time to pick out. Below you’ll find a quick list of our current favorites, all of which offer plenty of storage space, security, and sharing features. We won’t get into specifics on how to use each program, but will instead provide quick descriptions to help you find a service that suits your needs.

Google Drive offers up to 15GB of free storage and allows you to share large files, such as pictures and video, in just a few clicks. It even has, which are useful features to have. If you’ve already got a Gmail account, you can’t beat the simplicity of Drive, as it’s effectively built right into the email service. You can “attach” files to emails that are stored on your drive account in order to share them just by clicking the Google Drive logo in the email composition window. Upgrading to the paid version of Drive nets you 100GB of storage for $2 per month or a full terabyte of storage — that’s 1,000GB — for $10. There’s also a 10TB option for $100 a month and larger packages beyond that if you plan to share a lot of big files.

Most often is another great cloud storage option that offers 2GB of free storage space and a variety of sharing options. The basic suite of features is more or less the same as Google Drive, but Dropbox also offers a mobile app for non-Android and iOS devices, such as the Kindle Fire. You can expand your own storage options in a, but premium accounts are also available.

For $10 a month, you get a Plus account with a terabyte of space, while $20 a month gives you a few advanced features, along with advanced sharing controls, including the ability to set passwords and create expiring links. Microsoft’s OneDrive service has seen significant upgrades and renovation over the years, making it one of the more competitive solutions for storing files and folders online.

With its shared folder system, you can share anything you want at any time and stop doing so at the click of a button when you’re done. A free package nets you 5 gigabytes of free storage, while $2 a month bumps that to 50GB. The $7 -a-month package increases that to a terabyte and gives you the cheapest avenue to increase your daily file-sharing limit.

If you’re subscribed to Office 365, you also can enjoy 1TB of OneDrive storage for free as part of your plan. Box has a little more of a business-slant than some of the other offerings in this section. While that doesn’t mean it lacks features applicable to individuals, to access its file and folder-sharing features, you will need to buy into a Business account, which requires a minimum of three users. Each will cost $15 a month. It also has a free storage offering and affordable packages.