How to send large email attachments on iPhone and iPad

By Cella Lao Rousseau, Rene Ritchie
published

How to send large email attachments on iPhone and iPad
How to send large email attachments on iPhone and iPad (Image credit: iMore )

While sending an email with the Mail app, you might need to attach a large file or a document to it. For security reasons, you can't go wandering through the file system, but you can attach any file to any email with the help of your Cloud Storage system, including the Files app, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more.

How to send large email attachments from the Files app on iPhone and iPad

The Files app gives you access to all of your documents, videos, photos, and more that are saved onto your iCloud Drive, all from the convenience of your iPhone. This makes it easier to send large email attachments by browsing through your folders and recent files. Here's how!

  1. Launch Mail from your Home screen
  2. Tap the Compose button on the bottom right corner of your screen to start a new email.
  3. Touch-and-hold to bring up the editing menu on iPhone. (Or use the shortcut key on iPad)
  4. Tap the arrow button to get more options.
  5. Tap Add Document.

How to send large email attachments by showing steps: Touch and hold the message to bring the editing menu, tap the arrow on the right side of the menu, tap on Add Document (Image credit: iMore)
  1. If the file isn't in the recent tab, tap on the Browse tab. You might need to Browse again at the top left corner of your screen, if your file is not on iCloud either.
  2. Tap on the folder that contains the file you want to attach, if it's not at the top level.
  3. Tap on the file you want to attach.

How to send large email attachments by showing steps: Tap the folder that contains the file you want to attach. Tap on the file you want to attach (Image credit: iMore)

Add a recipient, a message, and you're good to go.

How to attach Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive or enterprise files to email on iPhone and iPad

If you want, you can also attach and send large email attachments by using other popular Cloud Storage systems. This is thanks to the document provider extension feature. Here's what you need to do.

How to use Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and other could storage services with the Files app on iPhone and iPad

For the document provider extension to be available, you first have to download the host app from the App Store.

Once you've downloaded the app, launch it and log into your account. Then you can start attaching away.

  1. Launch Mail from your Home screen
  2. Tap Compose to start a new email.
  3. Touch-and-hold to bring up the editing menu on iPhone. (Or use the shortcut key on iPad)
  4. Tap the arrow button to get more options.
  5. Tap Add Document.

How to send large email attachments by showing steps: Touch and hold the message to bring the editing menu, tap the arrow on the right side of the menu, tap on Add Document (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Browse at the bottom of the screen. You might need to tap Browse again at the top left corner of your screen.
  2. Tap the app you would like to attach files from.
  3. Tap the files you would like to attach to your email.

How to attach files from other Cloud Storage system by showing steps: Tap on Browse, tap the app you'd like to attach files from, select the files you want to attach to your email. (Image credit: iMore)

Add a recipient, a message, and you're done.

How to use the attachment shortcut on iPad

The iPad has shortcut keys to either side of the predictive keyboard. In Mail, one of those keys is for attachments. Instead of having to use the edit menu, as detailed below for iPhone, simply use the attachment button to save yourself some time. Everything else remains the same.

How to save Mail attachments

Want to save email attachments as well? Check here!

How to save email attachments in Mail for iPhone and iPad

Any questions on attachments?

If you have any questions about how to send large email attachments from your iPhone or iPad, or about Mail in general, drop them in the comments!

Updated October 2020: Updated for iOS 14.

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○ Updating your iPhone ultimate guide
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○ iOS Discussion

Cella Lao Rousseau
Cella Lao Rousseau

Cella writes for iMore on social and photography. She's a true crime enthusiast, bestselling horror author, lipstick collector, buzzkill, and Sicilian. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @hellorousseau

2 Comments
  • Thanks! The article was helpful. I also tried Binfer for large file sharing. I found that Binfer was faster than cloud-based file transfers since only you and the recipient possess the file, thus coupling the upload and download times! The File Sharing application is good for that large transfer since it auto resumes in case of an interrupted connection (I HATE restarting a large transfer!).
  • This was useful. I knew I could select a file in Files and send it as an attachment. I didn’t know you could add an attachment to an email from Files while within the message