Email a too-large PDF
Most email services cap attachments at around 25 MB, and some are stricter: 20 MB for Gmail, 20 MB for Outlook.com, and corporate mail servers often less. A scanned report or a signed contract with images can easily pass that.
You have three options: compress the PDF, split it into smaller emails, or send a link instead. The first two keep the document in the email where you want it, and both can be done on your own device.
This guide covers compressing and splitting, and when to reach for a link instead.
How to Email a PDF That Is Too Large | LocalPDF
- 01
Find out how big the file is
Check the size in your files app. If it is just over the limit, compression alone will do it.
- 02
Compress it
Open the compress tool, add the PDF and choose Balanced, or Maximum if you need to lose a lot. Aim comfortably below the limit, since attachments are encoded and grow slightly.
- 03
If it is still too big, split it
Use the split tool to cut the document into parts that each fit, and send them in separate emails.
- 04
Send, or share a link instead
Attach the smaller files. If the document must stay whole and large, a cloud link is the better route.
Questions
Why is my PDF too large to email?
Almost always because of images. Scanned pages and photographs make up most of a PDF’s size, while text and vector graphics are small. Mail providers also cap attachments, commonly around 20 to 25 MB, and encoding a file for email adds roughly a third to its size.
How do I email a PDF that is too big?
Compress it first: open the compress tool, add the file and choose Balanced, or Maximum if you need to lose more. If it is still over the limit, split it into parts with the split tool and send them in separate emails. Both work on your device, with nothing uploaded.
What is the email attachment size limit?
Gmail allows up to 25 MB per message, Outlook.com around 20 MB, and many work accounts are set lower, at 10 MB or 5 MB. Remember that encoding a file for email adds roughly a third to its size, so leave room below the stated limit.
Should I use a file-transfer site instead?
Only when the document is large and must keep its full quality, such as a high-resolution portfolio or a scan archive. Otherwise compressing or splitting keeps the file in the email. If you do use a transfer service, it is a copy of your document on their servers, so check what they keep.
Will compressing ruin the document?
No. Text, fonts and vector graphics are recompressed losslessly and stay identical; only images are re-encoded. Balanced is hard to tell apart from the original, and even Maximum keeps text crisp while softening photographs.
How big can an email attachment be?
Gmail allows up to 25 MB per message, though a single attachment is usually a little under that once it is encoded. Outlook.com is around 20 MB. Many work accounts sit lower, at 10 MB or 5 MB, set by the IT department rather than the provider.
Encoding adds overhead: an attachment grows by roughly a third when it is turned into email-safe text. A 20 MB file can arrive as a 27 MB message. Leave headroom, and treat the limit as a little lower than the number suggests.
When to send a link instead
If the document is large and must keep its quality, such as a high-resolution portfolio or a scanned archive, compression is the wrong tool. Send a link from a cloud drive instead, and set an expiry or a password if the content is sensitive.
Note the irony worth avoiding: uploading a sensitive document to a random “compress PDF” site to get it under an email limit defeats the point. Compress it on your own device instead, then attach the result.