Zimbra was quite generous with the file sizes it allowed people to attach to emails. No other major email system is as generous, and Gmail is no exception. This means that if you have a file larger than 25MB, you’ll have to use a method other than email attachments to send it to other people. While there are lots of ways to do this, the two most common and best supported on campus will be to send links from either Dropbox or Google Drive. Here’s how to manage this.
From Dropbox
First, put the file into Dropbox.
The easiest method once a file is in Dropbox, and if you’re using the Dropbox folder on your computer’s desktop rather than the browser, is to right-click on the file and select “Copy Dropbox Link” from the resulting menu. This will result in a link that will work for anyone with a Carleton Dropbox account.
For more secure sharing, or to share with people outside of Carleton, log into dropbox.com, find the file there, and click the “Share” button to the right of the file. Then click “change permissions / add expiration” and select “anyone with a link,” or “only people with a password” (for the latter you will then have to tell the other person what password you set on the file). You can also set preferences about how long the shared link will work and who can comment on the file.
From Google Drive
First, put the file into Google Drive.
Right-click on the file in your browser window and select “Get shareable link.” You’ll see a little box appear that has a toggle button for turning sharing on and off, so turn it on. The link it provides when you do this will work for anyone with a Carleton account on Google Drive.
For more secure sharing, turn link sharing off and click on the “sharing settings” link. The most secure method (and therefore the method we most highly recommend) is to type recipient’s email address into the box labeled “People” and then select whether you want the recipient to be able to edit the file, make comments on but not edit the file, or simply view the file. Click “send” and the recipients will get an email with a private link to the file. Sharing this way ensures that the file can’t be accidentally forwarded on to unintended recipients.
If you prefer to share more broadly, turn link sharing on and click the “sharing settings link.” Click the drop-down arrow under link sharing, click “more,” and select your preferred level of privacy for this file. Then copy and past the resulting URL into your email message.