How to send Large Files Over the Internet For Free

If you need to transfer a large file to another Pc over the internet but you don’t know where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! This guide will cover the simplest and most effective ways to send large files to another PC over the internet. And best of all, you won’t have to pay a dime.

File Compression

If you have a file which is too large to send as an email attachment, try to compress the file first. Not only will you shrink the file’s size but it will also make the transfer go faster. Most computers come with file compression utilities built in so compressing your documents to a .zip file shouldn’t be much of a hassle.

Here is how it’s done:

For Windows:
1. Find the file you want to compress
2. Right click on it and select “Send To”
3. Choose “Compressed (zipped) Folder”

For Mac
1. Find the file you want to compress
2. Two-finger click/command+click on the file
3. Select “Compress …”

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

If compressing your files seems a bit too much of a hassle, try using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Designed to transfer large files, FTP requires the installation of a FTP client. We won’t go into detail about how to use this type of software but to get you started, we’ve listed a few FTP programs.

Filezilla: Filezilla is a widely used FTP client which can be installed on most operating systems. Filezilla is completely free, open source and supports a wide range of transfer protocols.
WinSCP: Sort for Windows Secure Copy, WinSCP is a free and open source FTP client which doesn’t require many resources to run. In addition to FTP transfers, it also supports SFTP and SCP (secure transfers).
Cyberduck: This FTP client can only be used on OS X and has plenty of advanced features including FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3 and many more.
FireFTP: If you don’t feel like downloading a desktop program, make sure to check out FireFTP which allows file transfers right from your Firefox browser.

Cloud Storage

Another way to transfers files is to upload them to an online storage service. Cloud storage has become immensely popular the past few years and there are literally thousands of different cloud service providers. To help you pick the best ones, we’ve compiled a list of companies providing plenty of storage space, security and sharing features, all for the price of FREE.99. Just upload your files to the cloud service and access them from any PC by logging in or just send a shareable like to share the file with others.

Google Drive: Offering 5GB of free storage space, Google drive lets you easily upload large files like pictures and videos in just a few clicks. You’ll need a Gmail account to be able to access this service though.
Dropbox: Dropbox is another great cloud storage provider which initially gives you 5GB but this can be increased by completing a few easy tasks like downloading the mobile app or registering your email address.
Mega: As the reincarnation of Mega upload, Mega offers 50GB of free storage, no file size limits and comes with a virtually unbreakable security feature.
Skydrive: Microsoft’s Skydrive is a great way to store all your work related document on the cloud since it offers a built in word and excel editor. And best of all, a whopping 7GB of free storage, no strings attached.

Which type of file transfer do you prefer? Cloud storage, FTP, or do you use something else? Let us know in the comments below.