File Size Limits for Every Platform
The complete reference for upload limits, image dimensions, and video size caps on email, social media, messaging apps, e-commerce platforms, and cloud storage services. Updated May 2026.
Last updated: May 2026
📧 Email Attachment Limits
📧
Gmail
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total attachments per email | 25 MB | Combined size of all attachments. Larger files must be shared via Google Drive link. |
| Inline image | No hard limit | Original file is still attached at full size even if displayed inline. Recipients download full-size. |
| Storage per account (free) | 15 GB | Shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. Large attachments fill this quickly. |
📧
Outlook / Hotmail
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total attachments per email | 20 MB | Stricter than Gmail. OneDrive sharing is offered automatically when exceeded. |
| Receiving limit | 25 MB | Outlook.com can receive emails up to 25 MB from external senders. |
📧
Yahoo Mail
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total attachments per email | 25 MB | Same as Gmail. Files over this limit must be shared via Dropbox or another service. |
📧
Apple Mail (iCloud)
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| iCloud Mail Drop | 5 GB per file | Apple's Mail Drop service sends large attachments via iCloud link instead of embedding them. Free for iCloud users. |
| Standard attachment limit | 20 MB | Without Mail Drop, standard attachments are limited to 20 MB. |
Pro tip: Most people attach full-resolution photos directly. A 3-photo email from an iPhone is often 15–20 MB, close to Gmail's 25 MB limit. Compress images first to get each photo under 500 KB, leaving plenty of room.
💬 Messaging App Limits
💬WhatsApp
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Photo (auto-compressed) | Any size | WhatsApp recompresses all photos to ~85% JPEG quality. Pre-compress to prevent double-compression. |
| Document/file | 100 MB | PDF, DOCX, ZIP, and other file types. |
| Video | 16 MB (Android), 64 MB (iOS) | Videos over the limit must be shared via link. WhatsApp compresses videos further. |
| Audio | 100 MB | MP3, AAC, OGG, and others. |
✈️
Telegram
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| File | 2 GB per file | One of the most generous limits of any messaging platform. |
| Photo | Unlimited (sent as file) | Send as "photo" (compressed) or "file" (original quality). File preserves exact original. |
| Cloud storage | Unlimited | Telegram stores all messages and files on their servers indefinitely. |
🔧
Slack
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| File upload (free plan) | 1 GB per file | Free workspace total storage capped at 5 GB across all files. |
| File upload (paid plans) | 1 GB per file | Pro: unlimited storage. Business+/Enterprise: unlimited. |
🎮
Discord
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| File upload (free) | 8 MB per file | Images display inline if they're JPG, PNG, or GIF. |
| File upload (Nitro Basic) | 50 MB per file | Discord Nitro subscription required. |
| File upload (Nitro) | 500 MB per file | Full Nitro subscription. |
▶️ Video Platform Limits
▶️
YouTube
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| File size | 256 GB or 12 hours | Whichever is smaller. Verified accounts can upload longer videos. |
| Recommended resolution | 1920×1080px (1080p) | 4K (3840×2160) is supported. Minimum 426×240px (240p). |
| Video format | MOV, MPEG4, MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, 3GPP, WebM | H.264 recommended for widest compatibility. |
📹
Zoom (recording)
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud recording (free) | No cloud recording | Free accounts can only record locally. |
| Cloud recording (paid) | 5 GB per user (Pro) | Business plans offer more storage. |
| Local recording | Limited by disk space | MP4 format, no file size limit from Zoom itself. |
📦 E-Commerce Image Requirements
📦
Amazon Seller Central
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Main product image | 10 MB max | JPG, TIFF, PNG, or GIF. Pure white background (#FFFFFF) required. |
| Minimum resolution | 1000px on longest side | Required for zoom functionality. 2000+ px recommended. |
| Maximum resolution | 10,000px on longest side | Images larger than this are rejected. |
| Product image limit | 9 images per listing | 1 main + up to 8 additional images. |
🛒
Shopify
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product image size | 20 MB per image | JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP. Shopify resizes to max 5760×5760px. |
| Recommended dimensions | 2048×2048px | Square images work best for product pages. |
| Total media storage | 250 GB (Basic) | Enough for thousands of product images. |
🎨
Etsy
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Listing photo | 1 MB per photo, max 10 photos | JPG format recommended. Minimum 500×500px. |
| Recommended dimensions | 2000×2000px | Square format for consistent listing grid appearance. |
Amazon sellers: White background is a hard requirement for main images. Products violating this policy are suppressed from search. Remove background and add white here →
☁️ Cloud Storage Limits
☁️
Google Drive
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| File upload | 5 TB per file | Individual files up to 5 TB. Free storage: 15 GB shared with Gmail and Photos. |
| Google Docs (converted) | 1.02 MB | When uploading .docx to convert to Google Docs format. |
| Spreadsheet | 100 MB | Upload limit for .xlsx files. |
📁
Dropbox
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upload via browser (free) | 50 MB per file | Free plan total storage: 2 GB. |
| Upload via desktop app (free) | No file size limit | Desktop sync app bypasses browser upload limits. |
| Upload via desktop app (paid) | No file size limit | Plus: 2 TB. Professional: 3 TB. |
📤
WeTransfer
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer (free) | 2 GB per transfer | Link expires after 7 days. No account required. |
| Transfer (Pro) | 200 GB per transfer | Links available for 12 months or forever. |
📄 PDF Upload Portal Limits
📄
Common PDF upload portals
| Type | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Job application (typical) | 2–5 MB | Greenhouse, Lever, Workday portals commonly limit to 5 MB. Keep CVs under 2 MB. |
| Government e-forms | 5–10 MB | Varies by agency. Some accept only 2 MB. |
| University applications | 5–25 MB | CommonApp: 500 KB per essay upload. University portals: 5–25 MB. |
| Legal document filing | Varies by court | US Federal courts: 35 MB per document. State courts vary widely. |
Quick reference: What to do when your file is too large
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Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum file size for Gmail attachments?+
Gmail allows a maximum of 25 MB combined for all attachments in a single email. If your attachments exceed this, Gmail will offer to send large files via Google Drive link instead. Individual files can be up to 25 MB, but the total of all attachments cannot exceed this limit.
Why does WhatsApp make photos blurry?+
WhatsApp automatically compresses all photos sent as images to approximately 85% JPEG quality. This reduces data usage but causes visible quality loss. To prevent it, pre-compress photos yourself to 80-85% quality before sending, WhatsApp won't compress them further. Alternatively, send photos as "Document" instead of "Photo" to bypass WhatsApp's compression entirely.
What image size does Amazon require?+
Amazon requires product images to be at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side to enable the zoom feature. Images can be up to 10,000 pixels on the longest side. The main image must have a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255) and the product must fill at least 85% of the frame.
What's the largest file I can send on WhatsApp?+
WhatsApp supports files up to 100 MB for documents and other file types. Videos are more limited: 16 MB on Android and 64 MB on iOS when sent as videos. For large video files, send as a Document to get the 100 MB limit.
How do I reduce a PDF size for a job application portal?+
Most job application portals (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday) have a 5 MB limit for CV/resume uploads. Compress your PDF at imageandpdf.com/pdf/compress-pdf, a typical CV reduces from 5+ MB to under 500 KB without any visible quality loss.
How much can you actually compress?
Our benchmark study measured real compression ratios across 10 PDF types and 7 image formats, with data tables you can cite.
Need to reduce a file that's too large?
All tools are free, browser-based, and require no account.
📸 Social Media Image & Video Limits
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter / X
TikTok
Pinterest