How to Send Large Files via Thunderbird
Mozilla’s Thunderbird is packed with features and the preferred client for millions – but how can you email big files using Thunderbird?
IN THIS GUIDE, YOU’RE GOING TO READ THE 3 OPTIONS TO SEND LARGE FILES VIA THUNDERBIRD:
1. Reduce the size of your file
2. Leverage a file storage service
3. Choose Smash
Nearly 20 years ago Mozilla released a web browser they called Phoenix, and shortly afterwards an email client they called Minotaur. The browser gained some traction and was relaunched the next year as the now-famed Mozilla Firefox browser. And, not long after that, Minotaur was re-launched, too, this time as Thunderbird.
Unlike Minotaur, Thunderbird quickly found favor among users. More than 500,000 users downloaded the email client in its first three days, rising to more than 1,000,000 in ten days. Over the next two decades the client expanded its feature list, tightened its code base, improved its user interface, and today it is the email client of choice for tens of millions of users worldwide.
Yet like all email clients, there are some limits to what Thunderbird can do, especially when it comes to sending large files. When it comes to the size of attachments, Thunderbird is constrained by the email services that users choose. If it’s Gmail, that’s 25MB and if it is Comcast, it’s a relatively tiny 10.9MB.
So, if you have a large file that you need to send via Thunderbird, what are your options?
1. Reduce the size of your file
You have a problem: your files are too large to send via Thunderbird. But what if you could just make those files smaller? If you have a large file that you want to send via email, it might be possible to reduce the size of the file so that it is accepted as an attachment by Thunderbird.
For example, imagine you have a large image file, a high definition shot with a pixel count through the roof. If the recipient of your email doesn’t need the image at its full resolution, you might be able to resize the image until it is small enough to attach to an email.
Or, if you are sending a large PowerPoint file or a large video file, you might be able to use a compression tool to ‘zip’ the file and thus come in under the standard 25MB limit. Sending your zip file through Thunderbird might be a good option.
While this might get a version of your file where it needs to go, there are downsides, too. While weekend snaps might be fine to resize and share with family, creatives and professionals won’t want to reduce the quality of their work just to fit in an email. And while compressing a file might allow it to leave your Thunderbird client for your recipient’s inbox, there’s a chance it’ll get deleted by a spam filter, trapped in a spam folder, or corrupted somehow in the zip/unzip process itself.
2. Leverage a file storage service
Faced with trying to send a large file via Thunderbird, many people will turn to a file storage service. Services like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, and Dropbox offer users a means to sync or upload their large files to a cloud server, then share a link to that file in an email.
When all works well, this is a fast and easy means to transfer a large file via Thunderbird. While there are minor differences in the user interface, most large file storage services allow for either drag-and-drop or select-and-upload workflows that are clear and rapid. Once the file is uploaded, a sharing link can be generated and copied into an email once, twice, or as many times as you like.
The catch is that – like much of life – almost nothing good comes for free. For one, file storage services are optimized to store files, not to transfer files. Hence, the speed of the transfer, the download bandwidth, and basic features like file previews, secure access, and password protections are rare, if they exist at all. For another, file storage services put hard limits on the size of the files that you store. If you hit that limit with one file or with many, you not only won’t be able to send a large file you’ll be unable to store any more files on your cloud server.
3. Choose Smash
Unlike a file storage service, a file transfer service is purpose built for sending large files. Simply upload, copy the link, and paste into your Thunderbird email – it’s that fast and that easy. You won’t corrupt the file, you won’t send a low-resolution version of your best work, you won’t run out of space on your personal cloud, but you will get your file where it needs to go.
While there are a lot of file transfer services out there, one is clearly running ahead of the pack: Smash.
Sending a large file via Thunderbird with Smash is easy. Go to the Smash website, click the icon in the middle of the screen, select the file that you want to send, and then choose the Link option. With Smash, you can customize that link that you’re sending so there are no surprises on the other end (wouldn’t your recipient be a bit more confident opening fromsmash.com/ProjectVideo than a random Google Drive link?), and then just click Get a Link. Smash generates the link, and you copy it into your Thunderbird email and hit send – boom!
With Smash there are no limits on the size of the file that you are sending. There’s no need to resize your images, compress your PowerPoint or PDF files, or slice up your video files into 25MB chunks. No matter the size of the file, Smash will transfer it, and for free. Yes, unlike alternative file transfer services, Smash can help you send your file without charging a cent.
If you prefer to send files from your mobile device, Smash offers free Android and iOS applications, and there’s a dedicated Mac app, too, for Thunderbird users who prefer the Apple universe. No matter your operating system, no matter your browser, Smash is easy, fast, reliable, robust, secure, and free. Who could ask for more?
Conclusion: The Best Way to Send Large Files via Thunderbird
The best way to send a large file by Thunderbird is with Smash.
It’s easy, there and no file size limits, it offers free previews and link customization for every transfer, and it’s password protected, too. Generate the link, copy it into your Thunderbird email, and click send – it really doesn’t get faster or simpler than that.
You can try Smash today at fromsmash.com or, if sending large files is a part of your everyday workflow, you might want to check out the Smash API and learn how to integrate Smash into your professional systems in just five minutes with five lines of code. Sign up for your free trial of the Smash API today and get sending at scale, and you don’t even need a credit card to get started!
Need To Send Large Files Via Thunderbird?
Use Smash, it’s no file size limits, simple, fast, secure and free.
Frequently Asked Questions
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If a file is too big to attach, then you need Smash. It’s fast, secure, reliable, and you don’t need to worry about any limits on the size of your files, either: at Smash, if you can upload it, you can send – for free!
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You can try, but there are real limits to this approach. Sometimes you’ll be able to reduce the size of your file just enough to squeak in under a 25MB limit, but often you won’t be able to or you’ll corrupt the file when you do.
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They are great at storing large files, but their services are not built for sending large files. You cannot customize your links, add password protection, and you’ll need to stay within the limits of your storage account. Too many large files shared too many times will see you run out of space fast, and that’s why it is better to go with a ‘built-for-purpose’ file transfer service like Smash.
