Like all other files, it’s possible to send videos via emails and you can do this with any email provider. There are two ways to do it, and your choice depends on the video’s file size. Let’s take a look.
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Ways to Send a Video via Email
Most email providers cap the size of the files that you can attach to your emails. For instance, in Gmail, you can only attach files up to 25 MB in size. In Outlook, the attachment limit is 20 MB.
That means if your video’s file size is within the allowed file limit, you can attach your video to your email directly. It will be sent like a regular attachment.
However, if your video’s file size exceeds the maximum limit, you can’t attach your video to your emails. In this case, use a cloud storage provider and upload your video there. Then add your video’s link in your email so that the recipient can view and download the video. We’ll explain how to do just this in the sections below.
Send a Video Through Email With Gmail
To use Gmail to send your video, first, open a web browser on your desktop and launch the Gmail site.
Log in to your account on the site, or create a free new Gmail account if you do not already have one.
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Once you are logged in, in Gmail’s top-left corner, click “Compose” to compose a new email. You will attach your video to this email.
If your video’s file size is 25 MB or less, then at the bottom of the “New Message” window, click “Attach Files”(a paperclip icon) and find your video in the dialog that opens.
If your video’s file size is larger than 25 MB, then at the bottom of the “New Message” window, click “Insert Files Using Drive.” We’ll select this option.
On the window that opens, click the “Upload” tab.
On the “Upload” tab, to add a video from your computer, click the “Select Files From Your Device” button.
In the “open” window, select the video file you want to send via email.
Your selected video will be listed on the “Upload” tab. To start uploading the video, click “Upload” at the bottom of the tab.
Gmail will upload your selected video to Google Drive, take you back to the “New Message” window, and automatically attach the video’s link in your email.
Fill in the rest of the fields in your email and click “Send” to send your email along with your video’s link.
Your recipient can click the video link in the email to access your video on Google Drive. And that’s all.
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Send a Video Through Email With Outlook
To use Outlook to email your video to someone, launch a web browser on your computer and access the Outlook site, or open the Outlook app. Sign in to your Outlook account.
Once you are signed in, in Outlook’s top-left corner, click “New Message” to compose a new email.
If your video’s file size is less than 20 MB, attach your video to your email directly by clicking Attach > Browse This Computer.
Simply select your video file in the dialog that opens.
If your video is larger than 20 MB, then upload it to OneDrive and add its link to your email. Do that by clicking Attach > Upload and Share.
On the “open” window, select the video you want to share via email.
To change which folder your video is uploaded on OneDrive, then in the “Upload To” prompt, click “Change Location.” Then start uploading your video file by clicking “Upload.”
Outlook will upload your video to OneDrive and add its link to your current email. Now fill in the rest of the fields in the email and hit “Send” at the top to send your email.
Once your recipients receive the email, all they will have to do is click the link in the email to watch your video. And you are all set.
Other Options for Sharing a Video via Email
If your video is only slightly larger than the maximum allowed limit for your email provider, try compressing your video (you might want to try zipping the file) and see if that brings the size under the allowed limit.
Another option is to upload your video to YouTube, set the video to “Unlisted” so only the chosen people can watch it, and then share the video’s link with your people via email. This isn’t very different from the Google Drive and OneDrive options that we discussed above.
And that’s how you can share your videos with people via email. Happy sharing!
If you often have to send large files via email, check out our dedicated guide to learn what options you have.
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