File size limits for 17 platforms in one place — attachment caps, upload ceilings, daily upload caps and storage quotas for email, messaging, social and cloud storage, on free and paid tiers. Every figure links through to a full breakdown with workarounds.
Last reviewed on October 1, 2026
On almost every major platform, no. Accounts are limited by the size of each file and by total storage, not by how much you upload each month. Once a file is under the per-file cap and you have free space, you can keep uploading.
The exceptions are daily caps: Google Drive allows 750 GB of uploads per account every 24 hours, Gmail limits personal accounts to sending to 500 recipients a day, and YouTube sets a daily upload limit per channel that you can see in YouTube Studio. If another service says you have hit a monthly limit, it is that service’s plan quota — check its account or billing page.
| Platform | Free Limit | Paid Limit | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discord | 25 MB | 500 MB | Nitro subscription required for 500 MB | Details → |
| Gmail | 25 MB | 25 MB | Auto-converts to Drive link for larger files | Details → |
| 2 GB | 2 GB | Documents only; media has lower limits | Details → | |
| Slack | 25 MB | 1 GB | Pro/Business+ plans required | Details → |
| Telegram | 2 GB | 2 GB | Per file, any type | Details → |
| X (Twitter) | 512 MB | 512 MB | Video only; images 5 MB | Details → |
| YouTube | 256 GB | 256 GB | Or 12 hours duration max | Details → |
| iCloud Mail | 20 MB | 5 GB | Mail Drop for larger files | Details → |
| Outlook | 25 MB | 150 MB | 2 GB via OneDrive link | Details → |
| WeTransfer | 2 GB | 200 GB | Pro/Premium plans | — |
| 1 GB | 1 GB | Video; images 20 MB | — | |
| TikTok | 287 MB | 10 GB | Mobile vs desktop | Details → |
| Google Drive | 5 TB | 5 TB | Per file; 15 GB free quota shared with Gmail | Details → |
| OneDrive | 250 GB | 250 GB | Per file; 5 GB free, 1 TB on Microsoft 365 | Details → |
| Dropbox | 50 GB | 2 TB | Web upload capped lower than desktop sync | Details → |
| GitHub | 100 MB | 100 MB | Warns at 50 MB; Git LFS for files up to 2 GB | Details → |
| 4 GB | 4 GB | Video; feed posts capped by duration | Details → |
Use tools like HandBrake for video, TinyPNG for images, or ZIP compression for documents to reduce file sizes without significant quality loss.
View compression guides →Upload to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive and share links instead of attaching files directly. Most platforms auto-convert large files to links.
Split large files into smaller parts using tools like 7-Zip or built-in OS utilities. Useful for platforms with strict limits.
Convert to more efficient formats: MP4 instead of AVI, JPEG instead of BMP, PDF instead of DOCX with images.
File size limits exist for several reasons: server storage costs, bandwidth management, user experience (preventing slow uploads/downloads), and preventing abuse. Free tiers have lower limits to encourage paid subscriptions.
YouTube has one of the highest limits at 256 GB (or 12 hours), followed by cloud storage services. For messaging, WhatsApp and Telegram both offer 2 GB limits for documents.
No, many platforms have different limits for different file types. For example, WhatsApp allows 2 GB documents but only 16 MB for videos on mobile. Always check specific type limits.
While you can't bypass built-in limits, you can work around them by compressing files, using cloud storage links, splitting files, or upgrading to paid plans that offer higher limits.