If you’ve ever tried to send a large file and received an error or bounce-back message, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common questions we get.

This article explains the email size limits on our hosting and the best way to send larger files.

What is the email attachment limit?

All hosting accounts on our platform have a maximum email size limit of 40MB per message.

This includes both the message itself and any attachments.

While that might sound restrictive, it’s actually higher than many popular providers. For example, Gmail and Outlook typically allow between 20MB and 25MB per email.

Why can’t the limit be increased?

Email systems are not designed for transferring large files, and increasing the limit can create a few important issues.

First, there’s delivery reliability. Even if we allowed larger messages, the recipient’s email provider may reject them. This results in a failed delivery and a bounce-back message.

Second, large attachments can impact server performance. Sending very large files through email can slow down mail processing for everyone on the server.

There’s also something less obvious at play. When a file is attached to an email, it is encoded to be transmitted over the internet. This process increases the file size by roughly one-third.

For example, a file that appears to be 30MB on your computer may actually exceed 40MB once it’s sent, causing the message to fail.

Why your email might fail even under the limit

Because of this encoding process, emails with attachments around 30MB or larger may not send successfully, even if they seem to be within the limit.

If you’re running into issues sending files of that size, this is usually the reason.

What’s the best way to send large files?

For anything beyond typical document sizes, we recommend using a file-sharing service instead of attaching the file directly to your email.

Services like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox allow you to upload your file and share it using a link. You can then include that link in your email.

This approach is faster, more reliable, and ensures the recipient can access the file without any delivery issues.

Does this affect receiving files?

Yes, it can.

If someone is trying to send you a large file and it doesn’t arrive, it may be because their email provider has a lower sending limit and blocked the message before it reached you.

Storage considerations

It’s also worth noting that any attachments you send or receive are stored in your mailbox.

Over time, large attachments can take up a significant amount of your hosting storage space.