Send Software Through Gmail

If you've tried to send an executable program through Gmail, you've likely found that Gmail doesn't take kindly to executable files as attachments. It will even go as far as to look for programs inside compressed files. If you need to share a program with someone, there are a couple of different ways you can get around Gmail's attachment limitations. Uploading the file to Google Drive allows you to easily share it with anyone without having to worry about file types, or you can remove the file's extension and send it through Gmail as a generic file.

Steps

Using Google Drive

  1. Know when to use this method. All Gmail accounts come with 15 GB of Google Drive storage. Google Drive allows you to upload and share any kind of file without the restrictions for file types that Gmail puts on attachments.[1] When using this method, you'll upload the program's setup or installer file to Google Drive and then share a link to anyone that you want to give the program to. Google Drive also has a much larger file size limit (4 GB), as opposed to Gmail's 25 MB limit.
    • Since Google Drive is accessed through your web browser, this method works for any operating system and any type of program file.
  2. Log into the Google Drive website. Visit drive.google.com and log in with your Gmail account.
  3. Drag the file that you want to share into your browser window. You can also click the "New" button and select "File upload" to browse for the file on your computer.
    • Make sure you are uploading the installer or setup file for the program you are sharing. If the program runs without installing but requires multiple files, consider creating a ZIP archive containing all of the necessary files so you only have to upload a single file.
  4. Wait for the file to upload. This may take a while for larger files. You can monitor the progress at the bottom of the window.
  5. Right-click on the uploaded file and select "Share".
  6. Click the "Get shareable link" button at the top of the window that appears.
  7. Copy and paste the link into an email message. This link is a direct link to the file that anyone can use to download it.
  8. Send the email to everyone that you want to share the file with. Be sure to include any instructions that they may need in order to run or install the program.

Changing the File Name

  1. Know when to do this. If the file is small enough to send through Gmail (less than 25 MB, 10 MB if the recipient is not using Gmail), you can use this method to bypass the file type filter. It still may be Send-Software-Through-Gmail, but this works if you can't access it.
    • Your recipient will need to know how to fix the file name so that the program can be ran.
  2. Open the folder containing the file you want to send.
  3. Enable file extensions. If you can't see the file extension (.exe, .bat, etc.) for the files on your computer, you'll need to enable them so that you can make the required changes.
    • Windows 7, Vista, XP - Open the Control Panel, select "Appearance and Personalization", and then click "Folder Options". Click the View tab and uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types". Click Apply.
    • Windows 8 - In the folder containing the file you want to share, click the View tab at the top of the window and check "File name extensions".
  4. Right-click on the file and select "Rename".
  5. Delete the extension from the file name. For example, if the file is named filename.exe, you would delete .exe leaving just filename.
    • You will be asked to confirm that you want to change the extension. Confirm that you do, as the file will work perfectly fine when the extension is added back.
  6. Compose an email in Gmail and add the renamed file as an attachment. You can drag the renamed file into the message window to attach it.
  7. Wait for the file to upload. This will likely take a few minutes.
    • If the file is too large, try Send-Software-Through-Gmail.
  8. Send the email with the file attached. This will likely take a few moments as well. Make sure to include a note about the original extension and how to add it back.
  9. Have your recipient add the extension back after downloading it. They don't need to have extensions displayed in order to add them, they just need to rename the file and add the original extension at the end.[2]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6590?hl=en
  2. ↑ http://techdows.com/2010/01/trick-to-send-exe-files-via-gmail.html
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