How do I use Mail Drop on a Mac?

Attach the file in Mail and click Send. With an iCloud account Mail uses Mail Drop on its own when the file is too big. With another account Mail asks whether to use it. You must be signed in to your Apple Account.

How big a file can I send with Mail Drop?

Up to 5 GB a message, including the attachments. Folders must be compressed first, so zip a folder before you attach it.

How long does a Mail Drop link last?

30 days after you send. Apple's iCloud.com guide says you cannot remove a file already sent, and Apple's pages say nothing about extending the time.

Does Mail Drop use my iCloud storage?

No. Apple says attachments do not count against your iCloud storage. There is a 1 TB total limit for Mail Drop, and it frees up as attachments expire.

Can I use Mail Drop with Gmail?

Apple lists an email account that supports IMAP as a requirement, so a Gmail account added to Apple's Mail app should work. Apple's pages do not list Gmail in a browser or Outlook.

Can people who do not use Apple open a Mail Drop link?

Apple says recipients see an attachment or a Mail Drop link and can download for 30 days. Its pages do not say whether the recipient needs an Apple Account, so send a test to your own non-Apple address first.

How do I turn Mail Drop on or off?

Choose Mail > Settings, click Accounts, pick the account, click Account Information, then tick or untick "Send large attachments with Mail Drop".

Where do the prices and facts on this page come from?

From Apple's own pages, read on 23 October 2026: Mail Drop limits , the Mail User Guide and the iCloud User Guide, plus each tool's own pricing or help pages and Cloudflare's storage pricing . Apple's Mail and iCloud guide pages show no updated date. Loop's facts come from the app and its reader page. Anything Apple's pages do not say, we say Apple does not say. We did not test Mail Drop with a non-Apple recipient. All prices are before tax.

Mail Drop on Mac: How It Works and Its Limits

Q: How much does it cost to send a big file?

Mail Drop is free. A paid step starts at $11.88 a year for iCloud+ 50 GB, $19.99 a year for Google One 100 GB, $119.88 a year for Dropbox Plus or $84 a year for WeTransfer Starter. Loop is $49 once for one person, plus Cloudflare's storage rate past 10 GB.

Quick Answer

Mail Drop is Apple's way of sending a file that is too big for email. Mail uploads the attachment to iCloud, where Apple says it is encrypted and stored for up to 30 days, and the email carries a link instead of the file. Attachments up to 5 GB are allowed, and they do not count against your iCloud storage.

Steps

Open a new message in Mail and click Attach Files in the toolbar, or drag the file in.
Choose the file and click Choose File.
Click Send.

With an iCloud account, Mail uses Mail Drop on its own when the file is too big for your email provider. With another account, Mail asks whether to use Mail Drop, and choosing "Don't ask again for this account" makes it the default. You must be signed in to your Apple Account.

To turn it on or off in Mail, choose Mail > Settings, click Accounts, select the account, click Account Information, then select or deselect "Send large attachments with Mail Drop". On iCloud.com, open Mail, choose Settings from the Mailboxes list menu, click Composing and use "Use Mail Drop when sending large attachments". See Apple's guide to sending attachments in Mail.

Limits

These come from Apple's Mail Drop page, published 18 March 2025.

5 GB a message, including the attachments.
30 days. The recipients have 30 days to download. Apple's iCloud.com guide says you cannot remove a file already sent with Mail Drop, and Apple's pages say nothing about extending the time.
1 TB in total. Space frees up as attachments expire.
No uncompressed folders. Compress a folder into a zip file first.
The recipient's email can still refuse it. Apple says the recipient's email app might have a smaller message limit that stops the attachment being delivered, and that the link might not work if it gets an excessive number of downloads.

Apple's pages do not mention a password on the link or a way to see who opened or downloaded it. They also do not say whether the recipient needs an Apple Account, so send a test to your own non-Apple address first.

Other Accounts

Apple's system requirements for iCloud list an email account that supports IMAP, so a Gmail or Outlook.com account added to Apple's Mail app should work. Apple's pages list only Mail on a Mac, Mail on an iPhone or iPad, and iCloud.com/mail for sending, and do not mention Gmail or Outlook in a browser.

Beyond Mail Drop

For a file you send once, Mail Drop or a free plan costs nothing. The tools below matter when the file is bigger than 5 GB, the link has to last longer, or you want a password or a record of who opened it.

Tool	Free limit	Cost, one person
Mail Drop	5 GB, 30 days	Free with Apple Account
iCloud Drive link	Free 5 GB storage	$11.88 a year, 50 GB
Google Drive	Free 15 GB storage	$19.99 a year, 100 GB
Dropbox	Free 2 GB transfers	$119.88 a year, Plus
WeTransfer	Free 3 GB a month	$84 a year, Starter
Loop	14-day free trial	$49 once

These are US dollars for one person, before tax, on the cheapest paid plan that raises the limit. iCloud+ is billed monthly only, so its yearly figure is 12 times $0.99. Dropbox Plus is $9.99 a month billed yearly. WeTransfer's free plan is for non-commercial use. Branding plans cost more: Dropbox Standard is $180 a year and WeTransfer Ultimate is $228. The iCloud+ price is from Apple's page, the Google One price from an archived US copy of 19 October, Dropbox from an archived US copy of 23 October and WeTransfer from its US prices of 23 October.

iCloud Drive shares a link with "Anyone with the Link" as an option. Apple's Mac guide gives a 50 GB limit for a single file or folder.
Google Drive gives every account 15 GB free. A link set to "Anyone with the link" needs no sign-in, and link expiry needs a work or school account.
Dropbox transfers go up to 2 GB on the free plan, 50 GB on Plus and 100 GB on Standard, and the recipient does not need a Dropbox account. A password and a custom expiry start on Standard.
WeTransfer lets the free plan send 10 transfers or 3 GB in any 30 days, and Starter allows 10 transfers or 300 GB.

Loop

Loop does not beat Mail Drop on size. Mail Drop takes up to 5 GB, and we do not promise a maximum file size for Loop. Loop is a Mac app that turns a file into your own branded link, and it adds three small things for people who send files to the same clients again and again.

An expiry you choose. Never, or after 1, 7, 30 or 90 days. New links default to Never.
A password and a Download switch. Turning Download off hides the button, though it is not copy protection.
A record of opens. Loop shows every open and download, and names the person when they give an email or name, which you can require with Ask for Email. Your Mac shows a notification the first time each reader's browser opens it, while Loop is running.

Copy Link puts the link's name on your clipboard as a hyperlink, so your email shows a name instead of a long address. Loop does not live inside Mail: you add the file in Loop, copy the link and paste it. It is Mac only on your side, needs a Cloudflare account, and sends no email or phone alerts.

Use Mail Drop when the file is under 5 GB, goes once and nobody needs to know it was opened. Use a link from a tool you pay for, or Loop, when the same people get files from you again and again.

Try Loop free for 14 days

Your own branded link, with notes on the exact second. $49 once.

Download for Mac

Cost

Mail Drop costs nothing and uses no iCloud storage. A paid step starts at $11.88 a year for iCloud+ 50 GB, $19.99 a year for Google One 100 GB, $119.88 a year for Dropbox Plus or $84 a year for WeTransfer Starter. Loop is $49, paid once.

Loop's files are stored in your own Cloudflare account, free up to 10 GB. Past that, Cloudflare bills you. Cloudflare's pricing page, updated 30 October 2026, lists $0.015 per GB-month with no data-transfer charge for downloads, so 100 GB stored for a month is about $1.35 after the free 10 GB. Cloudflare may also ask for a card when you switch storage on.

Loop includes a 14-day free trial that starts on first run, and Loop asks for no payment to begin it. During the trial a small "Shared with Loop" badge shows on the pages your clients see, and it goes with a licence.