Send Large Files to Another Computer Using the Internet

File sizes have gotten bigger and bigger over the years, but most email services still limit attachments to just a few measly megabytes. If you need to send a large file or a collection of files to someone, you'll need to turn to other methods. Luckily, cloud storage and file sharing services make sending large files easier than ever, and an often be much faster and more reliable than email attachments.

Steps

Using a Cloud Storage Service

  1. Decide if cloud storage is right for you. Cloud storage services are remote servers that will store your files online for you so that they can be accessed anywhere. You can share links to these files to anyone you want, and they can then download the file from your cloud storage account.[1]
    • Most cloud storage services allow you to store at least 5 GB of files for free, with some services offering significantly more storage space.
    • There is rarely a practical limit to the size of the file you can transfer using cloud storage.
  2. Pick a cloud storage service. There are a variety of cloud storage services available, and they all offer similar services when it comes to file transferring. You may already have an account with one and not realize it!
    • Google Drive - This is Google's free cloud storage service, and every Gmail account gets 15 GB of storage. You can access it at drive.google.com by logging in with your Gmail account.
    • OneDrive - This is Microsoft's cloud storage service, and a Microsoft (Hotmail, Outlook.com) account comes with 15 GB of free storage. You can access it at onedrive.live.com by logging in with your Microsoft account.
    • DropBox - This is an independent cloud storage service. Free accounts come with 2 GB of storage, which can be increased through referrals. You can sign up at dropbox.com.
    • Box - This is another independent cloud storage service. Free accounts come with 10 GB of storage, but are limited to files 250 MB or smaller. You can create an account at box.com/personal.
    • Mediafire - This is a file-sharing service that has evolved into a cloud storage provider. Unlike the other cloud storage services here, it is geared more towards sharing files as opposed to storing them. Free accounts come with 10 GB of storage, with ads on any download links you share. Free accounts no longer have a file-size restriction (it used to be 200 MB). You can get started at mediafire.com
  3. Upload the file you want to share. Before you can send the file to someone else, you'll need to upload it to your cloud service. The process for this varies depending on the service you are using, but generally you can simply sign into your cloud service account through your web browser and then drag the file into the browser window.
    • Many cloud storage services have mobile apps that allow you to upload files from your smartphone or tablet.
    • Some cloud services such as Google Drive and DropBox create a sync folder on your computer. Adding a file or folder to the sync folder will automatically upload it to your cloud storage.
    • The amount of time it takes the file to upload will depend on your internet connection speed. Files that are a GB or more could take over an hour to upload.
  4. Generate a link to your file. once your file is uploaded, you can generate a link that you can then send to whoever you want to share the file with. Again, the process varies depending on the service you are using, but you can usually simply select the file and click the "Share" or "Get Link" option.
  5. Copy and paste the link into an email. Anyone with the link you generate can access the file and download it to their own computers. Paste the link into an email, and then send it to whoever you want to give the file to.
    • Your email service may be able to easily include links to files on your cloud storage service. For example, when you are composing a Gmail message, you can include a link to a Google Drive file. If you are composing as Hotmail email, you can include a link to your OneDrive files.
  6. Instruct the recipient to download the file. When the recipient clicks the link you send them, it will typically open the file in the cloud service's online viewer. For example, if you share a video with OneDrive, the video will open in OneDrive's online video player when the recipient clicks the link. They can download the video to their computer by clicking the "Download" button.

Using a File-Sharing Service

  1. Decide if a file-sharing service is right for you. These services act similarly to cloud storage services, but they're designed more for sharing files as opposed to storing them. You simply upload the file that you want to transfer to someone, and then send them the link to the file. You typically don't need any accounts, and you can usually share the file with multiple people.[2]
    • Since you are uploading the file to a server that's not under your control, you should probably avoid using this method to transfer sensitive material.
    • File-sending services are great if you need a one-time transfer and don't want to deal with a cloud storage service.
  2. Compress multiple files into a single archive. Most file-sending services only allow you to upload one file at a time, and typically don't support folders. If you need to transfer multiple files to someone, add them all to a ZIP archive so that you can send them as a single file. ZIP is a universally supported format, so you won't need to worry about your recipient being able to extract the files.
  3. Find the right file-sharing service for you. There are a huge number of file-sending and file-sharing services available, so picking the right one can be tough. Below are a few of the most popular services, as well as some of their specific benefits and uses:[3]
    • WeTransfer (wetransfer.com)- This is one of the most popular file-sending services, which means that it immediately generates and sends an email with the link to your file. You can also just generate a link to the file if you'd prefer. You can upload files up to 2 GB without creating an account.
    • MailBigFile (free.mailbigfile.com/)- This is a service that is very similar to WeTransfer. You can upload and share files up to 2 GB for free accounts, and files will last 20 downloads or 10 days.
    • Mega (mega.co.nz) - This is a popular file-sharing service based out of New Zealand. Free accounts come with 50 GB of space, and you can easily create links for your files. Mega also offers encryption for files.
    • DropSend (dropsend.com)- This is another file transfer service like WeTransfer or MailBigFile. DropSend supports files up to 4 GB in size for the free account and encrypts all files sent. Recipients have seven days to use the download link that is generated before the file is deleted.
  4. Upload the file that you want to to share. Most services allow you to simply drag the file into the browser window, though you may need to browse your computer for the file.
    • Depending on the service, you may or may not be able to upload a folder to share.
  5. Generate a link to the file. Once the file has been uploaded, you will be provided with a link that you can distribute to the people you are sharing with. You may be able to set additional sharing options, such as specific users or password protection.
  6. Share the link. You can email or message the link to whomever you would like to share the file with. The link will stay active for as long as the service you chose dictates in their account settings.

Using BitTorrent

  1. Decide if BitTorrent is the way to go. BitTorrent is a method for transferring large files across the internet. It differs from cloud storage because the other person will be downloading the file directly from your computer; it is not uploaded to any server first. BitTorrent can also provide much faster transfer speeds for the recipient than cloud storage.
    • If you're trying to share the large file with as many people as possible, BitTorrent may be the best bet. Anyone that has a part of the file will share it with others that are trying to download it. This allows large numbers of people to share a file without putting strain on a server. As long as one person with the file is running a torrent client, anyone can download the file.
    • BitTorrent requires a little more work than cloud storage or file-sending services, because it requires all participants to have a BitTorrent client installed, as well as a basic understanding of how torrents work. It also requires that at least one person with the whole copy of the file be connected at all times.
  2. Install a torrent client on your computer. This is a program that facilitates the connection between you and anyone else sharing the file.
    • qBittorrent is one of the most popular, lightweight clients. You can get it from qbittorrent.org.
  3. Create a torrent file. Open the torrent creation tool in your torrent client. You can usually press Ctrl+N to open the torrent creation wizard.
    • Add the file that you want to share with others. If you want to share multiple files at once, consider creating a folder and then adding that folder to the torrent.
    • Paste a few trackers into the "Trackers" field. Trackers are URLs that are required for new connections to the torrent, as it contains the updated list of all the current connections. There are several free trackers that you can use, and including more will help keep your torrent alive longer:
      • udp://open.demonii.com:1337
      • udp://exodus.desync.com:6969
      • udp://tracker.leechers-paradise.org:6969
      • udp://tracker.pomf.se
      • udp://tracker.blackunicorn.xyz:6969
      • udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969
    • Save the torrent file. You will be asked to give it a name and pick a spot on your computer to save it to.
  4. Distribute the torrent file. Now that the torrent has been created, send the torrent file to everyone that you want to share the files with. Remember that each person will need their own torrent client in order to download the file from you.
    • Torrent files are very small, and can easily be attached to email messages.
  5. Keep your computer on, your torrent client open, and don't move the file. Now that you've distributed the file, you'll need to keep it available for people to start downloading. This means keeping your computer on and your torrent client open.
    • If you move the file while you're sharing it, no one will be able to download it. This is because the file is being downloaded straight from its location on your hard drive.
  6. Wait until the torrent has been seeded before stopping or deleting. Depending on how many people you're sharing with, you may not have to wait long for at least one other person to have the entire file. This will allow you to stop sharing, or "seeding", if you'd like. Of course, if you want to ensure availability of the file, you should continue seeding.
    • When a torrent is shared with a lot of people, it quickly becomes seeded, as all of the parts are available from a wide number of different users. This is how torrents survive without having a central server.
    • For more detailed instructions on creating and sharing torrents, Use-BitTorrent.

Other Options

  1. Upload the file to an FTP server. If you and your recipients have access to an FTP (file transfer protocol) server, you can upload the file to it and then they can download it through an FTP client of their browser.
  2. Compress-Large-Files. You can use third-party compression programs like WinRAR and 7-Zip to create multi-part archives. The recipient can then download each smaller file and then combine them into one archive, which can then be opened to access the contents. The biggest downside to this method is that the recipient will need the same program that you used to create the parts, as well as some basic knowledge of how to combine the pieces.

Warnings

  • The RIAA and MPAA combat music and video piracy vigorously. To be safe, only use these tools for legitimate purposes.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.howtogeek.com/171328/how-to-send-large-files-over-email/
  2. ↑ http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/storage/3509067/how-send-large-files-free/
  3. ↑ http://www.pcworld.com/article/217247/send_large_files.html
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