How to email a folder in Gmail by attaching it as a ZIP file or using Google Drive

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  • You can email a folder in Gmail by first zipping it on your computer and then attaching the ZIP file containing the folder to your email.
  • Even if you're attaching a ZIP file, all attachments in Gmail have to be less than 25 MB.
  • Alternatively, you could opt to include a link to a Google Drive folder in your email to simplify the process or get around the file size limitations.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you've ever tried to attach a folder to an email in Gmail, you probably felt somewhat confused and frustrated. 

Unfortunately, you can't directly upload folders as attachments in Gmail, but if you compress the folder into a ZIP file, you can attach it. 

Just be aware that if your attachment is larger than 25 MB, you'll have to use an alternative method, such as a link to a Google Drive folder.

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How to email a folder in Gmail

To add a folder that's less than 25 MB as an attachment, you need to create a ZIP file first.

1. Navigate to where the folder is located on your computer and compress the folder into a ZIP file on your Mac or Windows PC. 

Compress the folder. Isabella Paoletto/Business Insider

2. Open Gmail and log in, if needed.

3. Open your email draft, or click the plus sign in the top-left corner to create a new email and fill out the required information, such as recipient, subject line, and any necessary body text.

Create a new email. Isabella Paoletto/Business Insider

4. Drag the ZIP file into the message box, or click the paperclip icon at the bottom and select the file from your computer.

Click the paperclip icon to attach your file. Isabella Paoletto/Business Insider

If you discover that your ZIP file is too large, you can instead upload the files to a folder within Google Drive.

Then, it would simply be a matter of selecting the Google Drive icon from your email's bottom toolbar and selecting that folder. 

Keep in mind that this would be a link to the folder, not an attachment.

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Devon Delfino Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino. Read more Read less

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