Emailing Large Attachments in Outlook

Files over 2 megabytes in size are too large for email. While this was a strict limit in the past, a person can get away with emails over 2mg in size, with current technology. Yet, email is not intended to get clogged up with enormous downloads like that.

The alternative is to upload a large file to the OneDrive Attachment folder and email an attached cloud file. That means, a secure "alias" file is attached to the email; the recipient clicks on the file and can download the secure file from OneDrive. This effectively stores the attachment on OneDrive, rather than on the email itself. The procedure requires only a little more preparation than attaching the large file straight to the email.

Purpose: To avoid sending email attachments larger than 2mg, outlook can cooperate with the OneDrive to provide the attachment.

Log in to your Microsoft Outlook account. In the top left corner of the interface, click on the  button to open a drop down selection of Microsoft products.
Click on the OneDrive link.
Once OneDrive loads, a selection of files will appear. This picture portrays the files in a "Tiles" format--one of four ways to present your OneDrive storage library. If you use a "List" or "Compact List" or "Photo" format then what you see on your screen will be different. Find the Email Attachments folder. Double-click the folder.
The folder will open and present the available files according to the format you are using. Click on the Upload button to open a dropdown menu. Click on the Files option to upload a file to your OneDrive.
Your Mac Finder window will open. Your PC Windows Explorer window will open. Navigate your computer's files to find the file you wish to upload. In this picture, the file is called "upload2onedrive." Click the Choose button.
A notification window will appear in the top right corner of your interface. The notification identifies the number of files that are Uploading. You can watch the progress of the uploads by clicking on the small notification window.
When the upload is complete, you will see another notification window that identifies the number of files that are Uploaded.
Click on the application menu again. Click on Outlook to prepare your email.
Click on New Message (not pictured). Click Attach to open the attachment menu. Click on Browse Cloud Locations to search your OneDrive storage for the file.
A OneDrive navigation window will open. Alt 1: Click the radio button to select the file you want to open. Look at the bottom of the navigation window for the Next button. Continue to select radio buttons and click Next until you find your file. Alt 2: To open folders, double click on them. Each double click will open the options within the folder.
When you find the file you seek, you need to select it. As with the previous step, you can either use the radio button or double-click on the file.
Select the Share as a OneDrive -Personal Link option. Caution: Do not click on Attach as a copy; that will attach the file from OneDrive directly to the email.
The download file will appear in the attachments location of the email interface. Proceed with the familiar steps to send an email to your recipient.

All instructions and documentation written by:

Dr. Jason Lawrence, M.S., Ph.D.

Theory and Practice of Professional Communication

Artificial Intelligence writers, Internal Documentation, and Emergent Texts
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