It may not be the most elegant solution ever, but it works. In this way, no matter the device I’m on or the OS I’m using, I can access my files by simply logging in Gmail. Plus, it takes a drag & drop to send a file over. If you have tips and suggestions, drop us a comment below. Send full folders through gmailClick here for more detail.http://www.bsocialshine.com/2016/02/how-to-send-entire-folder-via-gmail.html.

I know it’s quite annoying when you try to attach a folder in Gmail, but instead, its contents open up. Gmail doesn’t have an option to upload folders as attachments, although there are a few ways you can send a folder via Gmail. In today’s post, I’ll share two ways to send a folder through Gmail with each method having its own advantages and disadvantages.

Compress and send the folder via Gmail

Gmail supports compressed folders, such as Zip, RAR, and 7z. All you need to do is compress the folder contents and then attach the folder in Gmail. Here are some reasons to help you decide whether this method is good for you or not:

Pros

  • It’s the fastest method to send a folder via Gmail.
  • You can easily send multiple folders at a time.
  • Additional services aren’t needed.

Cons

  • The compressed folder must be below 25MB in size due to Gmail file size limit. Otherwise, it will be sent as a Google Drive link.
  • You can’t send executable files (.exe) as Gmail blocks them.
  • The receiver will have to uncompress the folder before viewing.

Compress a folder

All popular operating systems are capable of compressing files and folders. For demonstration, I am going to show you how to compress a folder in Windows. If you are on Mac or Linux, here is the instructions to do so in Mac OS X and Linux.

1. Right-click on the folder you want to compress.

2. Hover your mouse cursor over the “Send to” option and select “Compress folder” option from it.

A new Zip file will be created in the same location with your folder inside it. You can also select multiple folders by clicking on each folder while holding the Ctrl key and then follow the above process.

Additionally, you can use a third-party app like 7-Zip to compress folders. With a third-party app, you’ll get better compression options along with additional features, such as encryption.

Over

Send the compressed folder via Gmail

Now to send the folder via Gmail, compose a new email in Gmail and click on the “Attach files” button at the bottom. Afterward, select the newly created Zip folder to attach it in Gmail. Unless there was an executable file in the folder, you should be able to send it to anyone.

Send dmg files over gmail freeSend dmg files over gmail account

Decompress the folder

Operating systems are also capable of decompressing folders without the help of a third-party app. Just open up the Zip folder and click on the “Extract to” button. Now, select the location where you want to save the file and it will be extracted there in its original form.

Use Google Drive to Send a folder via Gmail

Gmail may not support direct uploads of folders, but Google Drive does. As Google Drive, seamlessly integrates with Gmail, you can directly email a folder in Gmail using Google Drive. Below are the pros and cons of this method:

Send Dmg Files Over Gmail Account

Pros

  • You can send large folders up to 10GB using this method.
  • All types of files inside the folder are acceptable, including executable files.
  • The receiver can view and download the folder contents without decompressing them.

Cons

  • The process requires an additional online service and some extra steps, making it a rather slow process.
  • The receiver can only download the folder if it is saved in the Google Drive of the sender.
  • Uploading and sending multiple folders is inconvenient.

Upload folder to Google Drive

To send the folder through Gmail, you first need to upload it to your Google Drive account. For regular files, you can do this right from the Gmail compose message window. However, for folders, you’ll have to upload from the Google Drive web interface. Here’s how:

1. Go to Google Drive web interface and login.

2. Click on the “New” button at the top-left corner and select “Upload Folder” from it.

3. Now select the folder from the explorer window and hit “OK” to upload it. You can only select one folder at a time.

You can repeat the above process to upload as many folders as you like.

Send the folder through Gmail using Google Drive

Once the folder is uploaded, follow the below instructions:

1. Go to Gmail and open up the compose window.

2. Here click on the “Insert files using Drive” button at the bottom

Send Dmg Files Over Gmail Email

3. Now select the folder you want to send and click on the “Insert” button at the bottom. You can hold the Ctrl key to select multiple folders.

This will attach the folder in Gmail as a Google Drive link. While sending you’ll be asked whether only the recipient be able to open the folder or anyone with the link can open it. You’ll also have to confirm whether you want to share the folder (making your folder editable) or only send it. Make the right choice, and the folder will be sent via Gmail.

Send Dmg Files Over Gmail

It doesn’t matter whether the recipient is a Gmail user or not, they will be able to view and download the contents.

Wrapping up

I personally find the first method to be the most convenient. The compressed folder is smaller in size and it’s also very easy to send multiple folders without any mess. However, if you have a large folder or it contains executable files, then the second method will surely work for you.

If you have any questions or know any other way to send a folder via Gmail, let us know in the comments.

Let us know if you liked the post. That’s the only way we can improve.










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PeaZip is a safe cross-platform file archiver and encryption utility that provides an unified portable GUI for many Open Source technologies like 7-Zip, FreeArc, PAQ, UPX... free alternative to WinRar, WinZip and similar proprietary software.
- Create 7Z, ARC, BZ2, GZ, *PAQ, PEA, QUAD/BALZ, TAR, UPX, WIM, XZ, ZIP files
- Open and extract ACE, ARJ, CAB, DMG, ISO, LHA, RAR, UDF, ZIPX files and more,
over 200 archive types supported
Features of PeaZip includes:
archives opener and extractor, batch creation and extraction of multiple archives at once, convert files, create self-extracting archives, split and join files, strong encryption with two factor authentication, encrypted password manager, secure deletion, find duplicate files, verify integrity by hash and checksum, export job definition as script.


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PeaZip is a file manager and archiver utility, its point being consolidating multiple composite files in a single archive file so it is more handy to manage for any purpose, including saving, copying and sharing or sending the file, with any method as email, ftp or other protocol such as torrents or p2p.
Moreover, supporting high compression algorithms, output file is usually significantly smaller than the sum of sizes of input files, saving bandwidth and time both for uploading and downloading large files.


If a maximum size limitation is mandatory, in example when attaching a large file to an email or uploading to a web storage service, file spanning feature can (in a single pass) create multiple split output file parts (.001, .002, etc), each one smaller than the desired size - compatible with Unix / Linux split command, and applications like HJSplit, and 7-Zip - to avoid risk of the payload being rejected by the service for exceeding maximum allowed size.
The integrated archive files conversion function ensure the ability to change the type of an existing archive, extracting and effectively re-compressing its content in the desired file format, in order to, in example,
  • transform old archives (as backup files) into a more up to date format either for improved compression or better security
  • the sender needs to share data with recipient users being able to read only a subset of the archive formats supported by sender's software
  • the sender needs to avoid the attachment being rejected by some services due security risk concerns frequently associated with some specific formats - i.e. Gmail and some email services rejecting encrypted zip files, being commonly used as vectors for virus, password protection effectively preventingin-archive malware scanning.
PeaZip also features strong file encryption protocols (AES for 7Z and ZIP; AES, Twofish and Serpent for PEA and ARC files), including encryption of table of content of the archive (encrypt the list of archived files and folders), in order to keep the content of the file private applying end to end encryption before sending data or use any cloud / upload service. Two factor authentication is optionally supported, to improve the security of password based protection, and an encrypted password manager is also featured to help safely storing multiple passwords.
Hint: to directly attach to email an archive compressed with PeaZip you can either
  1. select desired files, rightclick, and send them with 'PeaZip' > 'Zip and mail' system context menu entry
  2. alternatively, use 'Send by mail' option in archive creation interface of PeaZip
in both cases remember to check maximum attachment size, and use file spanning (splitting) function if output archive is larger than allowed size

Cloud, synchronize data with PCs and other devices (tablet, smartphones)


PeaZip file manager / archive browser automatically detects local paths for mainstream cloud storage providers:
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  • My Box Files

  • Google Drive

  • Microsoft OneDrive (previously SkyDrive)

  • Sharepoint Workspaces

  • Yandex Disk

Cloud based synchronization platforms allows users to store data on a remote network location that is mutually accessible by different devices owned by the user, like multiple PCs, smartphones, tablets/phablets etc, basically any device capable to connect to the Internet and run the file synchronization software, which for this reason is usually multi-platform and can run on Windows, Linux and Android, and Apple MacOSX and iOS.
As additional endpoint privacy measure, PeaZip can encrypt files getting shared or stored on cloud services.
PeaZip file manager shows available shared cloud directories in the navigation area (on the left of file browser), so shared files are quickly accessible.
Moreover, file compression/conversion and archive extraction interfaces shows shared directories in the dropdown directory selection menu, for quickly selecting sync folders as target for archiving and extraction tasks.
This is especially useful when sharing archive files with mobile or ultramobile devices not running a full featured file archiver (i.e. because some archive formats or encryption protocols are not supported, or because not enough powerful for convenient use of strongest compression algorithms, especially on very large archives, or because no viable freeware choices are available, or because locked for some policies), but fully capable to handle the content of the archive in uncompressed form.

Receive or download files


PeaZip support extraction of over 200 archive types, including most popular file formats used on the Internet and file sharing platforms like RAR, ZIP, ZIPX and TAR files, support decryption of password protected files and joining split set of files (.001, .z01, .r01 files).
The application can scan for malware and virus inside archive files before proceding with extraction - last group of entries in PeaZip's 'Test' context menu shows available antimalware / antivirus software that can be used to scan open archive, or scan multiple selected archive files before opening them in PeaZip, in this case if the security software supports reading that format.
Many checksum and hash algorithms (CRC32, CRC64, MD5, SHA, SHA2, SHA3...) are supported by this application for file integrity test against known in order to detect file corruption or forgery, to avoid risks inherent in opening / storing corrupted, non verified files coming from the web or any untrusted remote source.
Unreadable files can also be tested trying to open them providing a password, in case they are in fact encrypted files with changed extensions.
Same algorithms can also be used to de-duplicate files, searching for duplicate content in order to reduce disk space waste and make file collections more manageable after duplicate files gest removed.
Finally, secure deletion can take care of permanently remove unwanted files from disk making unfeasible recovery of the unwanted (or unreadable) files.
Read more on Wikipedia pages about cloud computing, backup, and cryptography
RELATED & SIMILAR PAGES
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PROTECT FILES WITH ENCRYPTION

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ENCRYPT LIST OF FILES IN ARCHIVE

USE MULTIPLE PASSWORDS IN SAME FILE

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