Gmail has become for many a fundamental tool for work. And while many professionals use paid accounts through programs like Outlook , many freelancers have Gmail as their primary email. The problem is when sending large amounts of files to your clients, colleagues, friends or family, since until now Gmail used to give enough problems . In recent times, tools have emerged to share large files (look at Dropbox , DropSent or YouSendIT , to give a few hackneyed examples).
And although for some very comfortable, no doubt that the vast majority would prefer to send files - as large as possible - through a simple email from Gmail . Well, the wait is over. Google has just announced that uploading of files up to 10GB is now allowed . The key is Google Drive , the search giant's cloud storage service.
We are going to tell you how it works, because the truth is that it is very easy. To start, we must indicate that the function of inserting such large files will be available from the new Gmail compose interface . If you do not have it active yet, we recommend that you do so, since it is a very interesting tool to focus all your attention on writing messages instead of on the large number of options that this email service offers you. If you want to activate it, just go to the main Gmail page and look for a link (located at the top of the tray) that reads Try the new writing interface. The tool will be activated automatically, so that when you click on Compose the new interface it will open directly. At the bottom of this new menu, right next to the Send button marked in blue , you should see the Google Drive icon marked in black. Hovering over it will bring up the legend Insert files with Drive . If you still don't see this option, don't worry. Google has just activated it and it will be extended to all users progressively in different countries.
As you may have guessed, Gmail's new file attachment system connects directly to Drive , so you don't have to leave your inbox to send a document. So users can send files 400 times larger than what can be sent as an attached file of a lifetime. And since it is a shared document that is hosted in the cloud, the users you share with will always have access to the latest version of the document , without having to worry about sending modified files. This option is really useful when we talk about working documentswhich must be in permanent change. Gmail's own tool will allow the management of permissions on the file , without having to move from email. The user will also be able to share documents, simply by pasting the link in the body of the message.
The icon for attaching files via Google Drive should appear in your revamped compose interface starting in the next few hours and days. At the moment, we do not have it active, so it is completely normal that you still do not have active service. We hope you can start enjoying it soon.