How to send large photo files to clients (2026).
Email attachment caps, transfer-tool size limits, and expiring links all get in the way of a large gallery delivery. Here is what actually works, compared honestly.
The size problem
A single edited JPEG from a modern camera is rarely the issue. The issue is volume. A full wedding shot at 24 megapixels and exported at high quality can easily run to 8 to 12 GB for around 1,000 photos. Add a second shooter, RAW files for select images, or a few short video clips, and the total delivery climbs further.
At that scale, the delivery method you choose has to handle both the total size of the set and give the client a reasonable way to review and download it, not just move the files from your drive to theirs.
Email attachments
Most email providers cap attachments at 10 to 25 MB per message. Gmail and Outlook both sit in that range, though it is worth checking the current limit at your provider's help pages before relying on it. That is enough for one or two compressed JPEGs, and nowhere near enough for a gallery.
Pros
No client account required. Arrives directly in their inbox.
Cons
Impractical past a handful of files. Many providers also silently strip or bounce attachments that exceed the limit.
WeTransfer and MASV
WeTransfer's free tier is around 2 GB per transfer with a link that expires after roughly 7 days. Verify the current numbers at wetransfer.com, since free-tier limits change. MASV is built for larger media files and raises the size ceiling considerably, but it is a paid, per-transfer or subscription tool aimed mainly at video production; check current plans and limits at massive.io.
Pros
Easy to send. No client account required. MASV in particular handles very large single files well.
Cons
Links expire. No browsing, no favorites, no persistent gallery: the client gets a zip of files, not a viewing experience.
Dropbox or Google Drive folders
A shared folder removes the size cap of an email or a single transfer, since files are stored rather than sent in one go. But a folder is a file manager, not a photo delivery. Every file uploaded also counts against your own storage quota on that platform. Check your current plan's limit at dropbox.com or drive.google.com.
Pros
No per-transfer size cap. Storage is persistent as long as you keep paying for it.
Cons
Not a viewing experience: clients see folders and filenames, not a gallery. No favorites. Counts against your own storage plan alongside everything else you store there.
A client gallery link
A purpose-built client gallery separates the size problem from the delivery experience. Photos live at their original resolution in the gallery, and the client browses, favorites, and downloads from the same link, instead of receiving a zip of files with no context.
What a gallery link adds for large deliveries
- Single-photo or bulk ZIP download in original resolution, no re-compression
- No per-transfer size cap: the limit is your plan's storage quota, not a link's file-size ceiling
- A persistent link: no 7-day expiry to explain to a client who downloads late
- Password protection for privacy without a client account
- Browsing and favorites, not just a folder of filenames
On Galerly, the Pro plan includes 250 GB of storage, enough for a full wedding gallery at the 8 to 12 GB range referenced above, plus most other bookings in a season. The Free plan includes 3 galleries and 3 GB of storage, enough to try the upload and delivery flow on a short selection, but not a full wedding at the size above.
Deliver your next large gallery with Galerly
Free plan includes 3 galleries and 3 GB of storage. No credit card.
Communicating download size to clients
A gallery that solves the size problem on your end can still surprise a client on theirs. A bulk ZIP of tens of gigabytes can take a long time to download on a slower home connection, and an even longer time on mobile data. It helps to tell the client upfront, in the delivery message, roughly how large the full download is and that downloading individual favorites is usually faster than pulling everything at once.
This is also where a persistent link helps: a client who starts a large download, gets interrupted, and comes back the next day should find the gallery still there rather than an expired link.
Recommendation by scenario
A handful of preview photos
Email or a quick transfer-tool link is fine: the size and expiry limits don't matter at this scale.
A one-off delivery to a client you won't work with again soon
WeTransfer or MASV can work if the set fits within their current limits and the client will download promptly. Verify today's caps before you commit to the deadline.
A full shoot delivery: weddings, events, ongoing client relationships
A client gallery is the more reliable option at this scale: no per-transfer size cap, a persistent link, and a browsing and favorites experience the client keeps coming back to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to send large photo files to clients?
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For a handful of files under a transfer tool's size cap, WeTransfer or a similar service works. For a full shoot, hundreds or thousands of photos at several gigabytes, a client gallery with original-resolution ZIP download is the more reliable option, since it isn't bound by a per-transfer size limit.
Why can't I just email large photo files?
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Most email providers cap attachments at 10 to 25 MB per message. A single high-resolution RAW or a folder of edited JPEGs from one session can exceed that limit on its own, and a full gallery of hundreds of photos will always exceed it by a wide margin.
How big is a typical wedding photo delivery?
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A full wedding shot at 24 megapixels and exported at high quality can easily run to 8 to 12 GB for around 1,000 photos. That size makes email attachments unusable and pushes most transfer tools' free tiers to their limit as well.
Do WeTransfer or MASV expire or limit file size?
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Both are file-transfer tools built around a transfer size cap and, in most cases, a link expiry window. Free and paid tiers vary and change over time, so verify current limits at wetransfer.com or massive.io before relying on them for a delivery deadline.
How does Galerly handle large photo deliveries?
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Photos are stored at original resolution and the client downloads them individually or as a bulk ZIP, directly from the gallery link. There is no per-transfer size cap: the limit is your plan's storage quota. Galerly's Pro plan includes 250 GB, enough for a full wedding gallery plus the rest of a season's bookings.
Keep reading
How to share photos with clients
Email, WeTransfer, Dropbox, USB, and client galleries compared.
How to deliver photos to clients
The full delivery workflow from finished edit to client download.
Client gallery software
What to look for in 2026: feature checklist and pricing.
Free client gallery
What Galerly's free plan includes and when to upgrade.
All guides
Invoicing, VAT, contracts, pricing: the full resource set.
Send your next large gallery.
Free plan. No credit card. Original-resolution downloads, one link.