Guide
How to send a 100 GB file online
To send a 100 GB file online, upload it to a transfer service that holds 100 GB and resumes broken uploads, then send the recipient the link. Email stops at 25 MB and most free plans at 2 to 5 GB, and on a 50 Mbps upload 100 GB takes about 4 h 27 min at full speed.
What can actually carry 100 GB?
Fewer services than you'd think. Here's where each one stops, from their own help pages.
| Service | Can it take 100 GB? |
|---|---|
| Tranzfer | Yes on Starter ($15 a month, 300 GB live at once) and up. Free holds 20 GB. |
| WeTransfer | Not on Free, which allows 10 transfers or 3 GB in 30 days. Starter allows 300 GB in 30 days. |
| Dropbox Transfer | Only on Standard and up, where the cap is 100 GB, and Dropbox suggests staying at 80 to 90 GB for folders with deep nesting. |
| MASV | Yes, pay as you go. 100 GB costs $21.25 after the 15 GB free each month. |
| Filemail | On Pro, which takes 250 GB per transfer. Free stops at 5 GB. |
Dropbox is the tight one. A 100 GB file sits right on its limit, and their own page warns about folders at 95 GB and above.
How long will the upload take?
Your upload speed decides it. The first row assumes the line runs flat out. The second assumes 80% of that, which is closer to what a real upload holds over hours.
| 20 Mbps | 50 Mbps | 100 Mbps | 500 Mbps | 1 Gbps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full speed | 11 h 7 min | 4 h 27 min | 2 h 13 min | 26 min 40 s | 13 min 20 s |
| At 80% | 13 h 53 min | 5 h 33 min | 2 h 47 min | 33 min 20 s | 16 min 40 s |
On a typical cable upload of 20 to 50 Mbps, that's an afternoon or a night. There's more on what drags the number down in how long it takes to upload 100 GB, and the upload time calculator does your own speed.
How do I send it, step by step?
- Check the real size. Windows Explorer counts in GiB and labels it GB, so a 100 GB file shows as about 93 GB there. Transfer services count in GB.
- Sign in and pick the file. On Tranzfer you sign in with Google, pick the file or the whole folder, and choose how long the link lasts. Starter links last up to 7 days.
- Give it a clear run. Plug in power and, if you can, an ethernet cable. Pause cloud backups, which share the same upload.
- Send the link once the upload finishes, with a line saying when it expires.
What happens if the connection drops at 60 GB?
At 50 Mbps you're about 2 h 40 min in. On a tool that starts over, you just lost that.
On Tranzfer, a dropped Wi-Fi connection retries by itself. If the laptop sleeps, the upload carries on when it wakes, though nothing uploads while it sleeps. If the browser crashes or you close the tab, open Tranzfer, pick the same file, and only the missing parts go up. It checks the file matches what already arrived and refuses a different file with the same name.
Other services say less. WeTransfer's troubleshooting page warns that sleep mode cancels an upload and doesn't mention resuming. MASV's help page says its browser uploader retries through a lost connection, but a closed tab or a crash means starting over.
What does the recipient do?
They open the link. No account, nothing to install. On desktop Chrome and Edge, Download all asks for a folder once and saves everything into it, and carries on if their download is interrupted. Other browsers download file by file, which is fine for one big file and slower going for a folder of hundreds.
When should you use something else?
- You want an installed app. Tranzfer runs in the browser only. MASV's desktop app recovers from most interruptions, reboots included, and Filemail's desktop app resumes transfers and adds UDP acceleration that its browser upload doesn't have.
- You need review and comments. Tranzfer has no comments or review. Frame.io is built for feedback on the work itself.
- You send 100 GB once a year. MASV's per-GB price can beat any monthly plan for a single delivery.
If 100 GB is one shoot of many, the 300 GB footage guide covers the next size up, and the guide to sending large files covers the rest.
Questions people ask
Can I send 100 GB for free?
Not as one file on most free plans. Tranzfer Free holds 20 GB live at once and WeTransfer Free allows 3 GB in 30 days. Smash Free takes any size, but anything over 2 GB waits in a queue behind paying users.
Which Tranzfer plan do I need for 100 GB?
Starter, at $15 a month. It holds 300 GB live at once, so a 100 GB file fits with room for two more like it.
Should I zip a 100 GB file before sending it?
No. If it's video, photos or audio, a zip barely shrinks it, and you need another 100 GB of free disk to make one. Send the file or folder as it is.
How long does the recipient need to download 100 GB?
That depends on their download speed, not your upload. At 500 Mbps it's about 27 minutes. Most home lines download much faster than they upload.