If you get a Blocked for security message when you try to send a file like this, this message will show you how to send it.Please be aware that Gmail does not support file formats like EXE, DLL, DMG, VB, CMD, BAT, JAR, VBS, JSE, PIF, VXD, JSE, APK, INS, SCT, MSI. You can send RAR and ZIP files, but even these two files are sometimes blocked if they contain a prohibited file type. In this post, we will show you how to send locked files using RAR files as an example.
Most likely you tried to send a RAR file via Gmail, but for some strange reason it doesn’t work. You are wondering what to do here because sending this RAR file is very important. Sending a RAR file via Gmail to someone else is not always easy and it mostly has to do with the rules set by Google. You see, Google doesn’t like it when you send certain files to a friend or family via Gmail, so the problem is most likely not in the RAR archive, but in its contents.
Locked for security reasons
If the search giant is indeed blocking your download, you should see a message that says Blocked for security reasons . This is normal because, as stated above, there is a high chance that you have been blocked due to certain files in the RAR archive. In this post, I will provide an example scenario in which Gmail blocks a RAR file.
How to send locked files to Gmail
You have three options, and we’ll take a closer look at them:
- Remove locked files
- Edit locked files
- Share to OneDrive
1] Delete locked files
The first option is to extract the contents of the RAR archive and delete the affected files if they are not very important. After that go ahead and upload the RAR archive file again. This time, you shouldn’t run into errors from Gmail.
2] Change the file extension of blocked files
Editing files is a surefire way to make things work the way you want. However, we recommend communicating with the other party before doing so. We say this because after they receive the RAR file via Gmail, they will need to manually return the edited files to their normal state.
So, open Explorer and find the RAR archive you want to send. Right click on it and extract the files from the inside. If any file has the same extension as the unsupported files mentioned above, right-click them one by one and select Rename .
If the file in question is named TWC.exe , for example, rename it to TWC.jpeg or any other supported file format. Return all content to the RAR archive and start the download process via Gmail again .
After receiving the archive, the other person should follow the same example. Right-click on the relevant files, select Rename , then remove the extensions and add the ones you want.
It’s pretty straightforward and shouldn’t take time if you’re not submitting a lot of content.
3] Share to OneDrive
There is another option that works the most. With this option, there is no need to edit the content in the RAR archive. If you’re on Windows 10, which you should be, visit the Microsoft Store and download the OneDrive app .
Launch the app, then drag the RAR archive from File Explorer to the OneDrive app . Once the download is complete, right-click on the RAR archive and select Share Link .
Copy the provided URL and send it to a third party. Whenever they click on that link, they are taken to the location of the file on OneDrive. From there, they will be able to download it without fuss.
