PDF too large to email

Attachment limits of the common email services

These are the limits each provider publishes. The recipient’s mail server can be stricter, so a file that leaves your outbox can still bounce on the other side.

• Gmail: 25 MB. Larger files are turned into a Google Drive link automatically.
• Yahoo Mail: 25 MB for all attachments in one message together.
• iCloud Mail: 20 MB, or up to 5 GB with Mail Drop turned on.
• Outlook desktop app with an internet account such as Outlook.com or Gmail: 20 MB.

Email encodes attachments for sending, which makes them about a third larger in transit. Aim comfortably below the limit rather than just under it.

Make the PDF smaller

Scanned pages and photos are what make most PDFs heavy. Compressing re-saves the images at a sensible resolution and usually shrinks a scan by more than half, with text still sharp.

1. Open Compress PDF and add the file.
2. Pick a target size a little under your email limit, or choose a strength.
3. Download the result and check the size before attaching it.

Split it into parts that each fit

If the file is still too big — a long scanned contract, a photo-heavy report — split it by size. You choose the largest size a part may have and get as many parts as needed, in page order, ready to send in separate emails.

Or send a link instead

For very large files, share from Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or iCloud and email the link. The recipient downloads the original at full quality and nothing counts against the attachment limit.