How to send a 5GB file to a client today
Email will not carry a 5GB file. Compare drive and transfer links, and add a password and expiry before you send.
How to send a 5GB file: skip email and share a link instead. Upload the file to a cloud drive or a transfer service, then send the link. For a one-off send to a friendly recipient, a free transfer tool is often enough. If you send big video, photo or design files to clients regularly, a branded transfer link with a password and an expiry date is worth setting up.
This guide helps you pick a method and send the file today.
Why email fails for a 5GB file
Email attachment limits are measured in megabytes, not gigabytes, and they differ between providers. Even where a limit looks generous, the attachment is encoded for sending, which makes it larger than the original file. A 5GB video will not go through as an attachment, and a rejected message wastes your time and the client's.
Email is still the right place for the message. Write the note, paste the link, and let the file travel another way.
Cloud drive link or transfer link?
Both give you a link. They are built for different jobs.
Cloud drive link. You upload the file to your drive, then share it. It works well when the recipient already uses the same drive and you want them to keep the file. The downsides: sharing settings can be confusing, the file sits in your storage until you remove it, and the recipient may be asked to sign in.
Transfer link. You upload a set of files, get one link, and the recipient downloads. It is made for sending, so expiry dates and passwords are part of the flow. Tarkle works this way: one link, no account needed to download.
If you want to understand how the two ideas differ, read file sharing vs cloud storage. As a rule of thumb, use a drive link for files that live in a shared project, and a transfer link for files you deliver.
Before you upload: four checks
Many failed large uploads come down to the connection, not the tool.
Use a wired connection if you can. A Wi-Fi drop in the middle of a 5GB upload can stall or cancel it. A cable removes that risk.
Keep the tab open and the computer awake. Turn off sleep for the length of the upload, and leave the browser tab alone until every file shows as ready.
Zip only when you need to. Zipping a single video saves little, because video is already compressed. Zip many small files into one archive if your tool handles them badly, or keep a folder structure intact if the tool supports folders.
Check the file first. Open it once to confirm the export is not corrupt. Re-uploading 5GB because of a bad render is a long afternoon.
Start the upload before you write the email or take a break. A long upload is the one job you can leave running while you do something else, as long as the laptop stays awake.
How to send a 5GB file in one transfer with Tarkle
On Tarkle, the size limit depends on the plan. Free allows files up to 1 GB in a transfer, so a 5GB file needs a paid plan. Pro allows up to 200 GB in one transfer, and Agency matches Pro. You can read the details on the send large files page.
The flow has three steps. Click to start a new transfer and choose Files. Drop your files or a folder, and the upload starts straight away, with a progress bar for each file. Then add a title and a short summary, choose your settings and click Create transfer. You get a link to copy, or you can email it from the same screen with Share by email.
Files are not zipped on upload, and folders keep their structure. When the recipient selects several files, their browser builds a ZIP on their side.
Be aware of what Tarkle does not do. Large files upload in parts, and a failed upload shows a Retry link that restarts that file from zero. Files that already finished are kept. There is no resume after you close the tab.
For a very large file, leave Direct link switched off. Direct link starts the download the moment the recipient opens the link, and it has not been checked at multi-gigabyte sizes. The normal transfer page is the safer choice for a 5GB delivery.
What your client sees
The client opens the link in a browser. They do not need an account. They see a page with your logo and colours, plus the title and summary you wrote, and then press Download. If you set a custom domain, the link comes from your own address instead of a Tarkle one, and on Pro you can name the link. The branded file sharing links guide covers the setup.
A clear title and a short summary help here. They tell the client what the files are before they download anything.
Add an expiry date and a password
A large file is usually something you do not want floating around forever, so set the end date when you create the link.
Expiry. With link expiration, you pick a calendar date after which the link stops working. Pick a date a week or two out, long enough for the client to download it and short enough to close the door.
Password. With password protection, the recipient must type a password before the files load. Send the password in a separate message, not in the same email as the link. Tarkle does not include it in the notification email.
For unreleased footage, contracts or anything under NDA, use both.
Send the link by email and the password by text message or chat. If someone gets hold of one message, they still cannot open the files.
Check that it arrived
After you send, you want to know whether the client opened the link. In Tarkle, your transfers list shows badges such as Viewed, Downloaded and, if you sent it by email, Delivered. The transfer status page explains them. A download is recorded when the recipient presses Download, not when the file has finished saving, so if the client says it never arrived, ask them to check their downloads folder.
This saves the "did you get my file?" email chase, and tells you when to nudge a client who has not opened the link.
Your checklist for sending a 5GB file today
Decide: a one-off to a friendly recipient can use a free transfer tool. Repeat client work needs a branded link.
Check the plan limit before you start. On Tarkle, 5GB needs a paid plan with the 200 GB limit, such as Pro or Agency.
Plug in a cable and upload.
Add a clear title and summary.
Set an expiry date and a password for anything sensitive.
Send the link by email and the password by another channel.
Check the status to see when the client has viewed and downloaded.
If you send large files to clients often, start for free to set up your branding and try a small transfer first. Moving up to Pro lifts the limit for files like this one.
