Though you can share files of a few MBs using regular methods like email, social media channels, or messaging apps, things get complicated when you need to share a huge file. No social media website or email service will let you privately share a big file of 10GB or higher. For this purpose, you need a dedicated tool that takes the large file from you and securely sends it to the recipient. Thankfully, there are many apps and online services that let you send large files including videos. Most of them have amazing free packages where you can even send up to 10GBs of large files for free. You can also send files over 100GB in size, but that usually requires a premium account. No matter what your need, I know a few good tools that can send large files privately to one or multiple users. Below you’ll find tools to send large files on Windows, Android, iOS, and the web.
Web-based tools to send large files
I will start with websites that let you upload large files and then share them with recipients. These tools are most versatile as they are not gated by the operating system and can work on both desktop and mobile. All you need is a working browser. Let’s see some of the best picks in this category:
WeTransfer
Nothing beats WeTransfer when it comes to simplicity and quick execution. As soon as you open the website, it asks you to upload the large file you want to send without needing to sign up or provide further details. You will be given a link once the file is uploaded that you can share with others to download the file. You can also email the link, but for that, you need to provide your and the recipient’s email address. The free no signup account lets you upload files up to 2GB in size. You can upgrade to the Pro version that increases the limit to up to 200GB and comes with other perks like password protection and custom expiration time.
MASV
If you want to go for reliability and speed, then MASV can be your best stop. MASV is an excellent platform for creators and videographers to transfer files over a secure platform to clients. MASV offers a free trial of 7Days which includes 100 GB of data, and then you can avail of service at $0.25 every time you want to share the file. Whether it is a time-critical file or extremely large, MASV can cover it for you. It can transfer expensive annual contracts, port-forwarding issues, software, size limits, storage limits, complicated interfaces, upload speeds, slow file downloads, and transfer failures. MASV is probably one of the best ways to send large video files.
Dropbox Transfer
This is a dedicated large file transfer service by Dropbox, separate from the cloud storage service they offer. Although Dropbox Transfer is a bit limited compared to most others, if you want a reputable service or are already using Dropbox for storage, then it’s worth using. A tracking system also tells you whenever a user downloads the file, which is available for free account users. The free users can send large files up to 100MB, and the Plus and Pro accounts lift this limit to 2GB and 100GB, respectively. Upgraded users can also protect files with a password and set expiration dates.
ShareFast
Even though ShareFast only lets you upload files with a max size of 1GB, but for a free service, it’s astonishingly customizable. You can upload up to 1000 files, and the service creates a 2 character URL that is easy to remember and share. You can even create your own URLs if you want. There is an option to set an expiration date from 1min to up to 1 month, but using a longer period will also increase the length of the URL. The files can also be encrypted with a password and managed online using a dedicated admin key.
Pixeldrain
This service offers a much more lenient upload limit in the free version with 5GB uploads per file, and you can upload up to 10,000 files. The best part is that it stores files for 30-days from the last time it was accessed. Therefore, as long as the uploaded file is viewed once every month, it can stay on the server. Pixeldrain Pro version increases the file size limit to 15GB, removes all ads, increases expiry time to 30 days, and gives 1TB of bandwidth for downloads. Creating an account isn’t necessary, but you can make one to track file history.
FileTransfer.io
Another large file sender tool with an excellent free version. FileTransfer.io sends large files up to 6GB in size, but with a max storage of 100GB. The files can stay on the server for up to 21 days and can be downloaded 50 times. The paid version of the service increases the storage to 1000GB with a max file size of 25GB and 100GB. A good monetization program lets you put a paywall on the files to make money.
Smash
If you don’t want a limitation on the file size, then Smash is the right service for you. Even in the free version, it has no limit on the file size that can be stored for 14-days and is password protected. However, only files under 2GB size are given priority transfer speed, any files above 2GB will be slower to upload. Buying any of the paid subscriptions will remove this priority limitation and offers many more features. You can 30-days file availability, real-time tracking of downloads, file history, email support, and much more.
Send large files on Windows
If you don’t want to open your browser to share large files, then some tools for Windows can also help you send big files. Let’s see which one works best for you:
Mega
Mega is actually a cloud storage service, but it does have dedicated features that make it easy to send large files. You need to create a free account to use the service, and once installed, it will work from the system tray. You get 25GB of storage space to upload your files, further increased up to 16TB by buying the Pro subscriptions. When you upload a file to Mega, it will show a Get link next to the file. Just click on it, and you’ll get a link that you can share with anyone to send the file. The recipient can either download the file or import it to their Mega account if they have one.
Send Anywhere
Send Anywhere lets you share large files using multiple ways. It has a transfer key method where you can give a randomly generated key to the recipient, which they can put in their Send Anywhere client to download the file. There is also no limit on file size while sending using this method. Its paid version offers cloud storage of 1TB with unlimited storage of links and link management features. You can also create a shareable link that can be shared with multiple people, but it has a limit of max 10GB. Interestingly, you can allow the app to easily add a context menu entry to send files right from the right-click menu in Windows.
Android/iOS apps to send large files
If you prefer using your phone to manage large files, then a dedicated app would be much better than an online service. Below you’ll find some of the best apps for both Android and iOS that can send large files online.
Filemail
As the name suggests, Filemail uses an interface like an email client to send large files. The recipient will receive an email with a link to download the file. You can send up to 5GB size files without needing to sign up for an account, and the file stays on the server for 7 days. That’s was just the free version. The paid version completely removes the file limit restriction and gives 1TB of space to store files. You can send unlimited files, and files can be configured to be stored forever. Download on Android | iOS
UpFile
This app mostly focuses on keeping the privacy of the user and ensuring secure transfer. It doesn’t require an account at all to send a file, and there is no limit on the size of the files. Like most other apps here, it creates a link that you can share with the recipient to download the file. Once the recipient downloads the file, it gets automatically deleted from the UpFile servers. This makes it a bit limited when it comes to file management, but if privacy is important to you, it’s perfect. Download on Android
SwiftspeedShare
SwiftspeedShare gives 64GB of storage space to upload up to 10 files at a time and send them. It has an interesting self-destruct feature that automatically deletes the file once all the recipients have downloaded it. This can be very useful if you don’t want your data lying around on the web, especially because it’s accessible by anyone with the link. You can upgrade to the Pro version to get more storage and better features like password protection and custom expiry time. Download on iOS
Link File Share
A perfect free app for sharing large files. Link File Share creates a password-protected link to share with others with a custom expiry date. It doesn’t have a paid version, but the free app does not limit the bandwidth as long as the file size is below 1GB. You can share multiple files simultaneously, and the app keeps a record of all the files shared. You don’t even have to register for an account to use the service. Download on Android | iOS
Wrapping up
One tip I would like to add is to compress the large file before sending it. It’s because most of these apps have a limit on file size, and it will also be faster to upload a smaller size file. You can use an open-source tool like 7-zip to compress and even encrypt the file. If your selected tool does not delete the file automatically after a certain time, make sure you keep track of it and delete any confidential files that you may have shared. Password protect your files so that unauthorized persons do not access them.
