Despite the different applications that continue to emerge with technological advances for the exchange of different types of files, email continues to be one of the most suitable means or channels for this task.
Different platforms offer a facility to upload and download a variety of files , as long as they do not exceed, in total, the maximum weight imposed by the mail service , which could vary depending on the service you are using.
Attached files
The possibility of exchanging different types of files is given through the file attachment tool offered by the email platform of your choice.
How to attach files?
Generally, this option is represented by a paper clip icon . Which, when clicked, will cause the file explorer of your computer to appear so that you start selecting the files you want to send.
Let’s talk about weight
As noted above, the maximum weight of files that you can attach to an email may vary depending on the platform you are using.
In Outlook, for example, the limit is 20 MB total, while in Gmail it is 25 MB. Other platforms support a lesser amount of weight.
What do I do if I exceed the limit?
The fact that the file or files exceed the weight stipulated by the platform of your choice does not mean that you cannot send it. Quite the opposite. In these cases, most services can modify the way they can be shared.
That is, what could normally be sent as an email with a series of attachments, would become an email with a series of files that are shared through a storage service : Gmail, One Drive, Dropbox, etc. .
What kind of files can I attach?
Emails are a channel that is used mainly for the exchange of documents or images , but the truth is that it goes much further. If you want to learn more about the types of files you can attach, keep reading!
Supported documents
How about starting this list with the most common files? Documents. Believe it or not, there is an interesting list of documents that are compatible to send via email … how many of these do you know?
- .DOC or .DOCX : Documents prepared or structured through a word processing program, such as: Microsoft Word. In order to create files that are much lighter and more compatible when sharing, the .docx format is recommended when saving the document.
- .XSL or .XSLX : Documents referring to spreadsheets, tables, graphs and macros that are made in programs such as Microsoft Excel.
- .PPT or PPTX : Referring to presentation documents that can contain both text and graphics, images or videos.
- .PDF : Digitized documents. They are generally converting .doc or .xsl files.
- .RTF : Extension relative to text documents.
- .TXT : Text documents that do not have any type of format.
- .ODT : Format used to store office files.
What kind of images can I attach?
Photos, ad templates or any other type of graphic content can also be attached to emails. Among them, you have the possibility to share images of the format:
- JPG : Standard format for photographs.
- PNG : Special for use in browsers.
- GIF : Animated images.
- SVG : Resizable vector images that can either be static or animated.
Audiovisual content
Finally, music and videos can also be attached to an email, with the possibility of including formatted files:
- Videos : You can attach files in mp4, .wmv, .3gp, .flv, .mov, .m4v, .mpg and .avi formats.
- Audio : The formats .mp3, .wav, .mp4, .aac, .aif, .ogg and .webm are likely to be shared via email
Don’t hesitate to share!
Finally, other files that you can also attach in an email are compressed files , those that use .zip or .rar extensions . Start using the email channel to share all these types of files with your family and friends.
