Attachment Size Limits for WhatsApp, Gmail, and Outlook

The most common limits

The limits below are those listed by the services as of October 2026. They can change over time and may differ for business accounts managed by an organization.

• Gmail: up to 25 MB of attachments per email. For larger files, Gmail offers to send them through Google Drive as a link.
• Outlook: generally, up to 20 MB of attachments per email. Larger files can be sent as OneDrive links.
• WhatsApp: files sent as documents can be up to 2 GB. Photos and videos sent as regular media are compressed and have their own limits.

Keep the recipient’s limit in mind: your email service may let you send 25 MB, but the recipient’s mailbox—on another provider or a company server—may allow less and bounce the message.

Why an attachment is rejected even when it’s under the limit

• Email encoding: To travel in an email, a file is converted to a text format that takes up about a third more space. A 20 MB attachment can reach nearly 27 MB “inside” the message and be rejected by servers that count it this way.
• Total attachment size: The limit applies to all attachments combined, not each one individually.
• Blocked file type: For security, providers block executable files and some compressed files that contain them, even when they’re small.
• Recipient’s server: Companies and government agencies often set their own limits, sometimes as low as 10 MB.

How to send files that exceed the limit

1. Reduce the file size. Scanned PDFs are often especially large and compress well. Compress PDF for email is already set up to help your file fit as an attachment. Videos can be made much smaller with Compress video.
2. Split it into parts when it makes sense: divide documents into multiple PDFs and send them in numbered emails (“1 of 3,” “2 of 3”).
3. Bundle multiple files. Create ZIP combines everything into one file. It can significantly reduce text files, spreadsheets, and uncompressed PDFs. Photos and videos usually won’t shrink much because they’re already compressed.
4. Send a link. Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, and Dropbox let you share large files by link. Check the access settings (anyone with the link or specific people only).

Which option to choose for each situation

• Applications, government agencies, or court documents: Compress the file and attach it, or use the official upload system. External links may not be accepted.
• Event photos and videos: Share a link to a folder. It’s the easiest option for recipients.
• Confidential files: Use a link with access limited to the right people, or protect the PDF with a password and send the password through another channel.
• On WhatsApp: Send it as a document, up to the app’s limit. For larger files, share a storage link.

Best practices for email attachments

• Use clear file names: ana-lima-resume.pdf is better than scan0001.pdf.
• Use PDF for documents: they look the same on any device.
• List the attachments in the body of your email so the recipient can check them.
• Don’t send the same large file to lots of people as an attachment: a link saves everyone’s inbox space.

Example: documents for an application

An applicant needs to email an ID, proof of address, diploma, and transcript, all photographed on a phone. Together, the PDFs total 38 MB, but the institution’s email limit is 10 MB.

1. They combine everything into one PDF, in the order requested in the application instructions.
2. They compress it using the email setting: the file shrinks to a few megabytes, while the text stays readable.
3. They check that small details, like the diploma number, are still legible.
4. They send it as application-firstname-lastname.pdf and list the documents in order in the body of the email.

Frequently asked questions