How to send a video in an email from Gmail, Outlook, or your phone

Which way should you send the video?

Pick a method by file size and what the recipient needs

Situation	Best method
A short clip under your provider's limit, and the recipient wants the file	Attach it
A larger file for one person or a small group	A Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox link
Sending from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac	Mail Drop, for files up to 5 GB
A video people should watch, not download	Upload it to a video host and send a linked thumbnail
A campaign to a mailing list	Your email platform, with a linked thumbnail (see our guide to video email marketing)
You need to know who watched, such as for training	A personalized link to an interactive player that reports each viewer

Email attachment size limits

Check the limit before you attach anything. These are the published limits for the most common email services.

Attachment limits by email service (from each provider's help pages, checked October 2026)

Email service	Attachment limit	For larger files
Gmail (personal)	25 MB per message	Gmail removes the attachment and adds a Google Drive link
Gmail (work or school)	Set by your Google Workspace administrator	Insert the file from Google Drive
Outlook.com	25 MB	Share from OneDrive as a link, up to 2 GB
Microsoft 365 (work or school)	35 MB per message by default; administrators can set 1 MB to 150 MB	OneDrive file attachments up to 2 GB
Yahoo Mail	25 MB total per message	Use a cloud storage link
iCloud Mail	20 MB per message	Mail Drop, up to 5 GB, downloadable for 30 days

Sources: Gmail Help, Sending limits in Outlook.com, Exchange Online limits, Yahoo Help, and iCloud mailbox and sending limits. The receiving server has a limit too, so a file that leaves your outbox can still bounce. One Microsoft article lists 20 MB for internet email accounts in some Outlook apps, so stay under 20 MB when you attach.

How big is your video file?

Video fills those limits fast. YouTube's recommended upload settings put 1080p video at 8 Mbps and 720p at 5 Mbps. At those rates, one minute of 1080p video is about 60 MB, and one minute of 720p is about 37.5 MB. Check the real size before you attach: on a Mac, select the file and choose Get Info, and on Windows, right-click it and choose Properties. To make a file small enough, export at a lower resolution or trim it, as our guide to reducing video file size shows.

How to send a video in Gmail

On a computer

1. Open Gmail and click Compose.
2. For a small file, click Attach and choose the video. For a larger one, click Insert files using Drive, select the video, and choose Drive link.
3. Click Insert. If a recipient does not have access to the Drive file, Gmail asks you to change its sharing settings before you send.
4. Send the message.

If you attach a file over the 25 MB limit, Gmail removes the attachment and adds it as a Drive link. Google's guide to sending Drive files in Gmail has the details.

In the Gmail app on Android or iPhone

1. Open the Gmail app and tap Compose.
2. Tap Attach at the top right.
3. Choose where the video is. On an iPhone the menu offers Photos, Camera, Files, Google Photos, and Google Drive. On Android, choose Drive to send a link to a file already in Google Drive.
4. Send the message.

How to send a video in Outlook

Outlook.com, Outlook on the web, and new Outlook for Windows

1. Start a new message and select Attach.
2. Choose OneDrive to send a link to a file stored there, or Browse this computer to attach a copy. In new Outlook, the menu is Attach file, with OneDrive and Browse this PC.
3. Send the message.

A OneDrive link keeps the message small, and every recipient opens the same file. An attached copy gives each recipient their own file, so it counts against the size limit (Microsoft Support). If you get a size error, upload the video to OneDrive or Dropbox, copy the link, and paste it into the message.

Outlook for iOS and Android

In a new message, tap the paperclip, then Attach file. Pick the video's location. For a file in OneDrive for Business, tap Insert OneDrive for Business Link to send a link instead of the file. Microsoft lists a 33 MB attachment limit in the mobile app for most accounts and 20 MB for iCloud accounts (Outlook mobile help).

How to send a video from your phone

iPhone or iPad

Open the video in Photos, tap the Share button, and tap Mail. If the message is larger than your email provider allows, Mail offers to send the video with Mail Drop. Mail Drop handles files up to 5 GB, and the recipient gets 30 days to download them. It also works from Mail on a Mac and from iCloud.com on a Mac or PC.

Android

Open the video in Google Photos, tap Share, swipe to the extra options, and tap Create link. Paste that link into your email. Google Photos Help notes that anyone who has the link can view what you share, so send it only to people you would show the video to. You can also attach from Drive in the Gmail app, as described above.

How to make the email look like a video

A bare link works. A picture of the video with a play icon tells the reader what they will get and gives them a bigger target to click. Most email apps will not play the video itself, so a linked image is the usual way to show video in an email:

1. Upload the video to your host or cloud drive and copy its share link. Set access so the recipient can open it, such as Anyone with the link in Google Drive or Unlisted on YouTube.
2. Take a screenshot of a clear frame, or use the video's thumbnail, and add a play icon to it in any image editor.
3. Insert the image into the body of the email, select it, and use your email app's link button to link it to the video.
4. Under the image, add a text link that gives the runtime, such as "Watch the 3-minute walkthrough", for readers whose email app hides images.
5. Send a test to yourself and open it on a phone and a computer.

For animated GIF previews and the HTML5 video code that plays in a few email apps, read our guide to embedding a video in an email. For the wider choice of links, phones, social posts, and websites, see how to share a video.

How to record and send a video message

A video message is a short recording made for the person you are writing to, such as a project update, a sales follow-up, or feedback on a draft. To make one:

1. Record yourself, your screen, or both. Screen and camera recorders such as Loom and Vidyard upload the recording and give you a share link when you stop.
2. Trim the start and end so the video opens on your point.
3. Paste the link into your email with a one-line reason to watch and the runtime.
4. Ask for one thing at the end, such as a reply or a meeting.

Keep it short and record one take per recipient only when you will say something specific to them. For sales emails at scale, our guide to video email marketing covers personalizing one recording for many prospects.

How to see who watched the video you emailed

Once you send an attachment, you cannot see whether anyone opened it. A YouTube or Drive link reports totals, such as views, but not which person watched. To see each recipient, you have to identify the viewer.

In Mindstamp, open the video, select Share, and copy the link. Then identify the viewer in one of these ways:

• Create a personalized link for each recipient, or upload a CSV to make many at once.
• Add merge fields from your email or CRM tool to the link, such as ?name= and &email=, so each recipient's link carries their details.
• Ask for a name and email in the player with lead capture.

Each view then appears in the per-viewer report with that person's watch progress, answers, and clicks. Personalized links and variables are available on supported plans. Our help article on sharing a Mindstamp video in email walks through the steps.

Sending training videos to employees

For required training, add questions that pause the video at the moment each idea is taught, so the report shows what each learner understood as well as how much they watched. On supported plans, Mindstamp can email the video owner when an identified learner finishes a session above a minimum completion or score. The email arrives after the viewing session ends. See interactive video for training for more.

Troubleshooting a video email

• The message bounced: it was larger than your provider or the recipient's server accepts. Send a link instead.
• The recipient cannot open the link: the file is still private. In Google Drive, add their email address or set General access to Anyone with the link.
• The video will not play on their phone: export an MP4 file with H.264 video and AAC audio. YouTube recommends that combination for uploads, and MDN's video codec guide calls MP4 with AVC (H.264) and AAC broadly supported by every major browser.
• The thumbnail does not show: the recipient's email app blocks images. The text link under the image still works.
• Drive says the video is still processing: large uploads take time before other people can play them. Wait, then open the link in a private browser window to check.
• The recipient's company blocks your video host: ask them which service they can open, or send the file from your company's OneDrive or SharePoint.

Common questions

Can you embed a video in an email?

Only in a few email apps. Apple Mail can play video inside a message, but Gmail and Outlook.com cannot, so a linked thumbnail is the safer choice. Our guide to embedding video in email explains the options.

What is the best video format to email?

MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. MDN describes that combination as supported by every major browser, and YouTube recommends it for uploads.

How do I email a video that is too large?

Upload it to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox and email the link. In Gmail, a file over 25 MB becomes a Drive link on its own. On Apple devices, Mail Drop sends files up to 5 GB.

Can I email a video without losing quality?

Send a download link to the original file. Streaming players lower the quality to match each viewer's connection, and Google Drive plays video at up to 1920 x 1080 (Drive Help), so a recipient who needs the full-resolution file should download it.

Sources and further reading

• Mailtrap's guide to video in email marketing (March 2025), which walks through hosted links, thumbnails, GIFs, and HTML5 video for campaign sends.