How to Create a Zip File to Send via Email (Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android)

By the SureSend Team · Updated October 14, 2026

You have a folder of documents to send. There are a dozen files, some of them large, and the recipient needs all of them. Attaching them one by one is tedious, and the email may bounce anyway.

Zipping solves most of that. It bundles everything into one file and usually makes it smaller. This guide covers how to create a zip file on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android, how to attach it in Gmail and Outlook, and what to do when the zip file is still too big to email.

Can You Email a Zip File?

Yes. A zip file attaches to an email like any other file, and every major email service accepts it. There are two catches.

Size limits still apply. A zip file over your provider’s limit will not send as an attachment. Your recipient’s mail server can also have its own, lower limit.

Service	Attachment limit	What happens above the limit
Gmail (personal)	25 MB	Gmail offers to upload the file to Google Drive and sends a link instead
Outlook app (Outlook.com, Gmail and other internet accounts)	20 MB by default	The attachment is refused; Outlook suggests sharing through OneDrive
Outlook with a work account (Microsoft 365)	35 MB by default (10 MB on older on-premises Exchange; your IT team may change it)	The attachment is refused
SureSend	2 GB per transfer	The recipient gets a secure, expiring download link

Some contents are blocked. Gmail rejects zip files that contain executable files, such as .exe, .bat, or .js files, even when they are zipped. Many corporate mail filters do the same. If your files are documents, spreadsheets, or PDFs, you will rarely run into this.

Why Zip Files Before Emailing Them?

Zipping turns many files into one attachment, shrinks documents and spreadsheets, keeps your folder structure, and opens on any device without extra software.

• One attachment instead of many. The recipient downloads a single file, and nothing gets missed.
• Smaller file size. Documents and spreadsheets often shrink considerably, which helps you stay under email limits.
• Folder structure is preserved. Subfolders arrive exactly as you organized them.
• It works everywhere. Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android can all open zip files without extra software.

How Do You Create a Zip File for Email?

Select the files, then use your device’s built-in compress option. Windows and Mac have one in the right-click menu, and iPhone and Android can zip files from their file apps; the steps for each follow.

How to Create a Zip File on Windows

1. Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to compress.
2. Right-click your selection.
3. On Windows 11, choose Show more options, then Send to, then Compressed (zipped) folder. On Windows 10, choose Send to, then Compressed (zipped) folder.
4. Windows creates the zip file in the same location. Rename it to something the recipient will recognize.

How to Create a Zip File on Mac

1. Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to compress.
2. Right-click (or Control-click) the selection.
3. Choose Compress.
4. macOS creates the zip file in the same location. A single item keeps its name; multiple items become Archive.zip, which you should rename.

No additional software is needed on either system.

How to Create a Zip File on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Files app.
2. Tap Select and choose the files you want to include.
3. Tap the More button (three dots), then Compress.
4. The zip file appears in the same folder, ready to attach.

How to Create a Zip File on Android

1. Open your phone’s file manager. Samsung devices call it My Files.
2. Long-press to select the files you want to include.
3. Tap More or the three-dot menu, then Compress or Zip.
4. If your file manager has no compress option, install a file manager app from the Play Store that does.

How Do You Email a Zip File in Gmail and Outlook?

Attach the .zip file like any other attachment. Gmail sends files over 25 MB as a Google Drive link, and the Outlook app limits attachments to 20 MB by default for personal accounts.

How to Email a Zip File in Gmail

1. Click Compose.
2. Click the paperclip icon (Attach files) at the bottom of the message.
3. Select your .zip file and click Open. You can also drag the file into the message window.
4. Wait for the upload to finish, add your recipient and message, and click Send.

If the zip file is over 25 MB, Gmail sends it as a Google Drive link instead. The recipient then depends on your Drive sharing settings to open it, which is worth checking before you send anything confidential.

How to Email a Zip File in Outlook

1. Click New mail (or New Email in the desktop app).
2. Click Attach (the paperclip icon), then Browse this computer.
3. Select your .zip file and click Open.
4. Add your recipient and message, then click Send.

If the file is over the limit, Outlook will not attach it and suggests sharing it through OneDrive. As with Gmail, that link is only as private as its sharing settings.

Why Is Your Zip File Too Big to Email, and What Can You Do?

Zipping barely shrinks photos, videos and most PDFs, so the zip can stay over the limit. Split it into parts, share a cloud storage link, or use an encrypted file transfer service.

Zipping does not shrink every file equally. Text documents and spreadsheets can compress by 70 to 90 percent. Photos, videos, audio, and most PDFs are already compressed, so zipping them may save 5 to 10 percent or nothing at all. A 60 MB folder of JPEGs will still be close to 60 MB once zipped.

If your zip file is still over the limit, you have three options.

1. Split the Zip File into Parts

Free tools such as 7-Zip can split an archive into several smaller files. In 7-Zip, choose Add to archive, then enter a size such as 20M under Split to volumes. You then send each part in a separate email.

It works, but it is clumsy. The recipient needs every part and a tool that can rejoin them, and one missing email breaks the whole set.

2. Share a Cloud Storage Link

Uploading to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox and sending a link avoids the size limit entirely. For everyday files, that is often good enough. For anything sensitive, check who can open the link, whether it expires, and whether you can revoke it. Our comparison of WeTransfer alternatives covers how the common services differ.

3. Use an Encrypted File Transfer Service

For client files, financial records, or anything containing personal information, a purpose-built encrypted transfer service is the safer choice. The file is encrypted, the link expires, and you can see when it was downloaded.

	Split zip	Cloud storage link	SureSend
Size limit	Email limit per part	Depends on your storage plan	2 GB per transfer
Effort for the recipient	Download every part, then rejoin	Click a link	Click a link, enter the passphrase
Who can open it	Anyone who receives the emails	Depends on sharing settings	Only someone with both the link and the passphrase
Link expires	No	Optional, varies by service	Yes, on a date you set
Know when it was downloaded	No	Varies	Yes

If the large file is a video, compress the video itself first. Our guide on how to compress a video file walks through it.

What Are the Best Practices for Zipping Files?

Include only what the recipient needs, organize and name files clearly, check the size, test the zip, use ZIP rather than RAR or 7Z, and never send a password in the same email.

• Be selective. Only include the files the recipient actually needs.
• Organize before zipping. A clear folder structure saves the recipient time.
• Name files clearly. “2026-Q3-Invoices.zip” is more useful than “Archive.zip”.
• Check the size before you attach it. It saves a bounced email.
• Test the zip file. Open it once to confirm it is not corrupted.
• Use ZIP, not RAR or 7Z. Every recipient can open a ZIP file without extra software.
• Never send a password in the same email. If you password-protect a zip file, share the password by phone or another channel.

Is It Safe to Email a Zip File?

For holiday photos or a draft presentation, usually yes. For sensitive documents, zipping does nothing for security, and email adds risks of its own.

• Standard zip passwords are weak. The default ZipCrypto protection can be cracked with freely available tools. AES-256 zip encryption, available in 7-Zip, is much stronger, but only if the password is strong and shared separately.
• Email is easy to misdirect. One auto-complete mistake sends the file to the wrong person, and you cannot take it back.
• Attachments stay in inboxes indefinitely. They sit in the recipient’s inbox, your Sent folder, and both sides’ backups long after the transfer is done.

For financial documents, identification, medical or legal records, or anything else that would cause harm if it leaked, email is the wrong channel, zipped or not. If your business handles personal information, Canadian privacy law expects safeguards that match its sensitivity. Our overview of PIPEDA compliance explains what that means in practice, and why encryption matters covers the technical side.

How Do You Send Large Zip Files Securely?

This is where SureSend comes into the picture. SureSend is a Canadian secure file transfer service that sends files through a passphrase-protected link that expires on a date you choose. It is built for the moments when an email attachment is not safe enough, or simply too big. You do not need to zip anything first, either. See how SureSend works step by step, or compare plans and pricing: the Starter plan is free, and Pro is $7 CAD a month plus applicable taxes.

Here is exactly how it works:

1. Create a transfer. Sign in, add one or more recipient email addresses, upload your files, and choose an expiry date.
2. Set a passphrase. SureSend emails each recipient a secure link, but the passphrase is never included in that email. You share it separately, by phone or text.
3. The recipient downloads. They open the link, enter the passphrase, and download the files. They do not need a SureSend account.
4. Track and control it. Your dashboard shows when the transfer is retrieved. You can cancel it before it is downloaded, and it expires automatically on the date you set.

A Quick Workflow That Works

1. Gather only the files the recipient needs into one folder.
2. Zip the folder using the built-in tool on your device.
3. Check the size. Under 20 MB and not sensitive? Attach it and send.
4. Too big, or confidential? Send it through SureSend and share the passphrase by phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest zip file I can email?

It depends on the service. Gmail allows 25 MB, and the Outlook app allows 20 MB for personal accounts; Microsoft 365 work accounts default to 35 MB, and older on-premises Exchange servers to 10 MB. Your recipient’s mail server may also have its own limit, so staying under 10 to 20 MB is the safest approach. For anything larger, use a file transfer service.

How do I zip a file that is too large for email?

Zip it as usual, then check the size. If it is still over the limit, split it into parts with a tool like 7-Zip, share it through a cloud storage link, or send it with a file transfer service such as SureSend, which handles up to 2 GB per transfer.

Why won’t Gmail let me send my zip file?

Either the file is over 25 MB, or it contains a file type Gmail blocks for security reasons, such as an executable. Gmail checks the contents of zip files, so zipping a blocked file does not get around the rule.

Can zip files contain viruses?

Yes. A zip file can hide malicious software, which is why many email services scan or block certain zip contents. Never open an unexpected zip attachment, especially from an unknown sender.

How secure is a password-protected zip file?

Standard ZIP password protection (ZipCrypto) is weak and can be cracked. AES-256 zip encryption is much stronger, but the protection depends on a strong password that is shared separately from the file. For sensitive documents, an encrypted file transfer service with expiring links is the more reliable option.

What is the difference between compressing and zipping?

Compression is the general idea of reducing file size. Zipping is one specific method that also bundles multiple files into a single container. All zip files are compressed, but not all compressed files are zip files.

Does my recipient need a SureSend account?

No. Your recipient receives a secure link by email and enters the passphrase you share with them separately. There is nothing to sign up for or install.

Sources

This article draws on the following sources.

• Google. Send attachments with your Gmail message. support.google.com
• Google. File types blocked in Gmail. support.google.com
• Microsoft. Reduce attachment size to send large files with Outlook. support.microsoft.com
• Microsoft. Zip and unzip files. support.microsoft.com
• Apple. Zip and unzip files and folders on Mac. support.apple.com
• Microsoft. Attachment size exceeds the allowable limit error in Outlook. learn.microsoft.com
• Microsoft. Exchange Online limits. learn.microsoft.com

Creating a zip file takes a few seconds on any device, and for everyday files, attaching it to an email is all you need. When a zip file is too big to send, or too sensitive to leave sitting in an inbox, use a channel built for the job.

Zip it. Then send it the right way.