How to send a zip file by email, from your phone or as a link

Windows 11

Select the files or folder, right-click, choose Show more options, then Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. The zip file appears next to the originals, and you can rename it.

Mac

Select the files, Control-click them and choose Compress. One item becomes a zip with the same name. Several items become a file called Archive.zip.

iPhone and iPad

In the Files app, tap More, then Select, and choose your files. Tap More again and choose Compress. Several files become Archive.zip, which you can rename by touching and holding it.

Android

In the Files by Google app, select the files or folders, tap More and choose Compress. Google says to leave spaces and periods out of the name. You need Android 8 or later.

Sending a whole folder by email? Our guide to attaching a folder to an email walks through it step by step in Gmail and Outlook.

A zip file attaches like any other file: click the paperclip in Gmail or Outlook, or tap the attachment button in your phone's mail app, and choose the zip. The catch is size.

• Gmail, Outlook.com and Yahoo allow 25 MB per email, and iCloud Mail 20 MB.
• Attachments grow by about a third when an email is sent, so a zip needs to be under about 18 MB to fit in a 25 MB email. Your recipient's email service has its own limit too.
• Gmail turns attachments over 25 MB into a Google Drive link, and Outlook offers to share them from OneDrive.

Our guide to email attachment size limits has the limits for every major email service, and why a file under the limit can still bounce.

Email services block some attachments to stop viruses spreading, and zip files are checked too.

Gmail

Gmail looks inside zip files. It won't let you attach:

• Zip files that contain a blocked file type, such as .exe, .bat, .msi, .apk, .dmg, .iso, .jar or .js files. Gmail's help center has the full list.
• Password-protected zip files that contain another archive, like a zip inside a zip.
• Documents with malicious macros.

You'll see "This message was blocked because its content presents a potential security issue". To send a program or installer, share it as a link instead.

Outlook

Outlook also blocks some file types, like .exe files. It goes by the file's extension, so Microsoft suggests zipping a blocked file to send it. Your recipient's email service may still block it, though, especially if they use Gmail.

On an iPhone, open the Files app, touch and hold the zip file and tap Share. On Android, select it in Files by Google and tap Share. From there you can send it by email, text, AirDrop, Quick Share or any messaging app. Each app has its own limits:

• WhatsApp sends zip files as documents, up to 2 GB. See our WhatsApp guide.
• Telegram sends files up to 2 GB, or 4 GB with Premium.
• Discord only takes 20 MB on a free account. See our Discord guide.
• Email takes 20 to 25 MB, like on a computer.

Zipping won't shrink photos or videos

Zipping makes documents and text files much smaller, but photos, videos, music and PDFs are already compressed. Microsoft notes that a zip of JPEG photos comes out about the same size as the photos themselves. If your zip is mostly photos or videos, zipping it again or harder won't help.

Send a link instead

Upload the files and send a link. It works for any size up to the service's limit, in any email or chat. With VeilShare, you don't even need to zip anything first:

1. Drop your files, a whole folder or your zip file onto the upload box on our homepage.
2. Pick how long the link should last, 6, 24, 48 or 72 hours, and add a password if wanted.
3. Click on the upload button, copy the link and paste it into your email or chat.

Your recipient can browse the files in their browser and download just the ones they need, or everything at once as a zip with Download all. It's free up to 3 GB without an account, and every file is encrypted in your browser before it's uploaded.

Split it into parts

Apps like 7-Zip can split an archive into smaller parts that you email one by one. Your recipient needs every part and an app that can join them back together, so it's a last resort.

Neither Windows nor a Mac's Finder can add a password to a zip file. Microsoft says Windows' built-in zip tool doesn't support encrypted archives, and suggests apps like 7-Zip or WinRAR instead. With 7-Zip, which is free:

1. Install 7-Zip, then right-click your files and choose 7-Zip > Add to archive. On Windows 11, you may need to click Show more options first.
2. Set Archive format to zip, or 7z if your recipient also has 7-Zip.
3. Under Encryption, enter a password twice and choose AES-256 as the encryption method.
4. Click OK.

A few things to know before you send it:

• Windows' built-in zip tool doesn't support encrypted archives, so your recipient may need 7-Zip or a similar app to open it.
• Send the password some other way, like a text message. If it's in the same email, anyone who gets the email gets the files.
• Don't put a zip file inside a password-protected zip, because Gmail blocks it.

For the steps on a Mac and which encryption to pick, see our guide to password protecting a zip file.

An easier option for your recipient is an encrypted link with a password: they open it in any browser, with nothing to install. For other ways to protect files, see our guide to encrypting a file.

• Windows: right-click the zip file, choose Extract All and follow the steps. They can also open it and drag files out.
• Mac: double-click it. The files appear in the same folder.
• iPhone and iPad: tap it in the Files app, and a folder with the files appears next to it.
• Android: select it in Files by Google and tap Extract. Files by Google only opens .zip files, so a .7z or .rar file needs another app.