How to Send Large Files Over the Internet: 7 Free Ways

"How do I send this thing?" is a question almost everyone eventually runs into. Attachments don't scale: Gmail caps them at 25 MB, Outlook.com at 20 MB, and messenger limits are only slightly higher. Meanwhile the file you actually need to send is a 5 GB work video, or a 40 GB project archive.

Here are seven ways to move any file over the internet: cloud storage, file-share services, and peer-to-peer transfer that skips the server entirely. All have free tiers and work across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

Contents

1. Pick the right tool
2. Google Drive
3. Microsoft OneDrive
4. Proton Drive
5. Dropbox
6. WeTransfer
7. Send by Mullvad and Bitwarden Send
8. P2P: LocalSend and Wormhole
9. A note on security (and Firefox Send)
10. FAQ

Pick the right tool

Google Drive

The best-known free option. Every Google account comes with 15 GB of storage (shared with Gmail and Google Photos), and single files can go up to 5 TB — enough for almost anything you'll ever send.

How it works: upload the file, click "Share," pick who can access it (by link, by domain, or specific email addresses), and send the URL to the recipient. You can upload through the web interface or through the desktop Google Drive for desktop app, which mounts the cloud as an ordinary folder.

Nice touches:

• Deep Gmail integration — oversized attachments are auto-replaced with a Drive link.
• Offline mode: files marked "available offline" sync to the device.
• Real-time collaboration through Google Docs/Sheets if you're moving office files.

Current limits and pricing are on the official Google support page. Google One plans start at 100 GB.

Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft's answer to Google Drive, built into Windows and Office. Free tier: 5 GB, with individual files up to 250 GB. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, OneDrive comes bundled with 1 TB or more depending on your plan.

The workflow is standard: upload, click "Share," get a link, send it. OneDrive lets you password-protect links and set expiry dates on the free tier — a level of control that base Google Drive (without Workspace) doesn't offer.

Current limits and docs live on the Microsoft support site.

Proton Drive — with end-to-end encryption

A Swiss service from the Proton team (the folks behind ProtonMail). The key difference from Google Drive and OneDrive is end-to-end encryption (E2EE): files are encrypted on your device, and Proton itself can't read them. That makes it a sensible choice for sensitive documents.

Free tier: 5 GB; paid plans start at 200 GB. Native apps are available on every major desktop and mobile OS, and the web interface can send files to external recipients — even without a Proton account — via a password-protected link.

Technical details of the encryption are in the Proton Drive whitepaper.

Dropbox

One of the oldest cloud services. The Basic free plan is only 2 GB — thin for regular use but fine for a one-off. Maximum single-file size is 50 GB (via the app or web) or 2 GB when dropped into the browser.

Dropbox's real strengths are rock-solid folder sync and Dropbox Transfer: a dedicated one-shot sending mode for files up to 100 GB (100 MB on the free plan). Transfer links live for 7 days and don't count against your storage.

WeTransfer

The simplest option when you just need to hand a file to someone once, no account required: go to wetransfer.com, drop the file in, enter the recipient's email (or grab a shareable link), send.

Current limits (2026):

• Free, no signup — up to 3 GB per transfer.
• WeTransfer Pro — up to 200 GB per transfer, links that live up to a year, custom email design and password protection.

If your file is larger than 3 GB, split it into archives (7-Zip, WinRAR) and send them as separate transfers — a fine tactic for "just this once." Links on the free tier live for 7 days before the files are deleted from WeTransfer's servers.

Send by Mullvad and Bitwarden Send

Both are spiritual successors to the retired Firefox Send (see below). Each encrypts the file on your device before uploading and hands the recipient a one-time link.

• Send by Mullvad — a fork of the original Firefox Send, maintained by the Swedish VPN provider Mullvad. Free, no signup, up to 2 GB per file. You can cap downloads, set an expiry (up to 7 days) and protect with a password.
• Bitwarden Send — a feature inside the well-known password manager. Works for text or files up to 500 MB on the free plan and 5 GB on paid. Every transfer is end-to-end encrypted.

Ideal for a one-off drop of something sensitive — a contract, scanned IDs, or a password.

Peer-to-peer: LocalSend and Wormhole

A separate category: direct device-to-device transfer with no intermediate server upload. Size limit? Only your bandwidth.

LocalSend is an open-source app for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS that transfers files across a local network — home Wi-Fi, office, coworking. Effectively a cross-platform AirDrop. Both devices need to be on the same network; no internet involved, files fly at near-full Wi-Fi/Ethernet speed, and there's no size cap.

Wormhole is a web-based service for P2P transfer across the internet. Built on the Magic Wormhole protocol; the file is encrypted on your device, and the link lives for 24 hours. Free tier is 10 GB, and the recipient needs nothing but a browser.

A note on security (and Firefox Send)

Older roundups on this topic often still list Firefox Send — Mozilla's simple E2E-encrypted file sender. Mozilla shut it down in September 2020, so any links to send.firefox.com are dead. Its functional replacements are Send by Mullvad and Bitwarden Send.

Practical security tips:

• For sensitive files, use E2EE services: Proton Drive, Send by Mullvad, Bitwarden Send.
• On mainstream clouds (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox), the provider can technically read your content. If that matters, encrypt a 7-Zip archive with the "encrypt filenames" flag, use a VeraCrypt container, or wrap the file in a password-protected zip before uploading.
• Send the password on a different channel. If the link goes over email, send the password over a messenger — that way a leak in one channel doesn't unlock everything.
• Set an expiry. Nearly every service supports expiry and download limits — use them rather than a "public forever" link.

FAQ

Which service is fastest?
With a decent connection you'll almost always be bottlenecked by your own internet. On the same pipe, P2P (LocalSend, Wormhole) beats clouds because the file goes directly, without a server in between. On a local network LocalSend runs at near-full Wi-Fi/Ethernet speed.

Can I just send it through a messenger?
You can, but limits are tight. Telegram allows 2 GB per file free, 4 GB with Premium; WhatsApp caps at 2 GB; other messengers are usually lower. For a file under 2 GB, that can be simpler than any cloud.

How long does a share link live?
Depends on the service. WeTransfer free — 7 days; Send by Mullvad — up to 7 days; Wormhole — 24 hours. On your own cloud (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) — until you delete the file or revoke access.