File size limits run from 1 MB or less for a picture text to 5 TB for a single file in Google Drive. Most chat apps sit between 20 MB and 2 GB per file: Discord's free tier allows 20 MB, Messenger 100 MB, Slack 1 GB, and WhatsApp (for documents) and Telegram 2 GB. Every number below links to its source, the company's own page wherever one exists, and where a company publishes nothing, we say so.
The short answer
- Biggest in chat: Telegram, at 2 GB per file or 4 GB with Premium. WhatsApp allows 2 GB for documents; free Discord 20 MB.
- Texts: a picture message (MMS) is tiny, 1 MB on AT&T. RCS lifts that to 100 MB on AT&T when both phones support it.
- Email: 20–25 MB on most personal accounts, 35 MB by default on Microsoft 365 work email.
- No published number: iMessage, AirDrop and Signal (whose open-source code falls back to 100 MiB).
- Over the limit: send it directly if the other person is online now, use a cloud link if they're not, and use a USB drive for tens of gigabytes.
Quick table: file size limits by app (checked October 2026)
Every app's limit is per file unless the row says otherwise.
| App | Limit | Applies to | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discord | 20 MB per file | Free accounts | Discord | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Discord Nitro Basic / Nitro | 50 MB / up to 1 GB | Paid plans | Discord | 31 Oct 2026 |
| 2 GB per document; videos default to 100 MB (64 MB on slower connections) | All users | WhatsApp, WhatsApp Help | 31 Oct 2026 | |
| Telegram | 2 GB per file; 4 GB with Premium | Free / Premium | Telegram | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Facebook Messenger | 100 MB per file | Sent from your phone | Meta (2024) | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Signal | Not published (code default 100 MiB) | All users | Signal's code | 31 Oct 2026 |
| iMessage | Not published | Apple devices (blue bubbles) | Apple | 31 Oct 2026 |
| MMS picture text | 1 MB (AT&T); 1.2 MB photo, 3.5 MB video (Verizon) | Texts without RCS | AT&T, Verizon | 31 Oct 2026 |
| RCS | 100 MB (AT&T) | When both phones support RCS | AT&T | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Slack | 1 GB per file, 10 files per message | Members and guests | Slack | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Microsoft Teams chat | 100 MB per file, 10 attachments | Chats | Microsoft | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Microsoft Teams Files | 250 GB per file | Team files (SharePoint) | Microsoft | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Gmail | 25 MB to send | Personal accounts; work accounts follow their admin | 31 Oct 2026 | |
| Outlook.com | 25 MB per email; 2 GB as a OneDrive link | Personal accounts | Microsoft | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Outlook (Microsoft's general help) | 20 MB per email; Exchange default 10 MB | Internet accounts such as Outlook.com or Gmail | Microsoft | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Microsoft 365 work email | 35 MB to send, 36 MB to receive | Default; admins can set 1–150 MB | Microsoft | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Yahoo Mail | 25 MB per email, all attachments together | Sending and receiving | Yahoo | 31 Oct 2026 |
| iCloud Mail | 20 MB; 5 GB with Mail Drop | Mail Drop downloads last 30 days | Apple, Apple | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Proton Mail | 25 MB to send, 50 MB to receive | Up to 100 files | Proton | 31 Oct 2026 |
| AirDrop | Not published | Nearby Apple devices | Apple | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Samsung Quick Share | No limit nearby; 3 GB per file and 5 GB a day by QR code or contact link | Galaxy devices | Samsung | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Quick Share by QR code (Google) | 10 GB every 24 hours | Android to iPhone, iPad or Mac | 31 Oct 2026 | |
| Google Drive | 5 TB per file | Workspace users: 750 GB of uploads a day | Google, Google | 31 Oct 2026 |
| WeTransfer Free | 10 transfers or 3 GB per rolling 30 days | Free accounts | WeTransfer | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Beamaroo | No fixed cap; a few hundred MB into a phone, about 1–2 GB into a computer | Both devices online | How it works | 31 Oct 2026 |
Over a limit? Send the file directly
If the other person is online now, open this page on both devices. Pick the file on one, type the code on the other. Nothing is uploaded or stored, and it's comfortable to a few hundred MB into a phone, about 1–2 GB into a computer.
Click the code to copy it
Code lasts 30 minutes · keep this screen on until they connect
Scan to receive
Files stay on this device until the other side accepts.
Type the code shown on the sending device.
↑ This is the whole app — no install, no signup
Messaging apps: Discord, WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Signal, iMessage
Discord
Free accounts can send 20 MB per file, up from 10 MB in August 2026; Nitro Basic allows 50 MB and Nitro up to 1 GB. Boosted servers give every member 50 or 100 MB in that server. Phones now check a file's size before compressing it, so Android users may hit the limit more often. The full timeline is in our Discord file size limit guide.
The WhatsApp file size limit is 2 GB for documents, which WhatsApp says go without compression (WhatsApp), up from 100 MB in 2022 (WhatsApp). Videos sent the usual way default to a lower limit: 100 MB at 720p on a faster connection, 64 MB at 480p on a slower one (WhatsApp Help). To send a long video as a file, use the Document option.
Telegram
The Telegram file size limit is 2 GB per file of any type, or 4 GB with Premium, the biggest published limit among chat apps.
Facebook Messenger
How big a file can you send on Messenger? The Messenger file size limit is 100 MB per file, sent from your phone, according to Meta's April 2024 announcement, which says all major formats work, including Word, PDF and Excel (Meta). We couldn't find it on a Meta help page, and many guides still say 25 MB.
Signal
Signal's help centre gives no limit. Its open-source apps take one from Signal's servers and fall back to 100 MiB (just under 105 MB) if none arrives (Android, desktop), so it can change without an app update. An independent, unofficial site reported a rise to 200 MB in July 2026 (AboutSignal); we found no confirmation from Signal.
iMessage
Apple publishes no iMessage limit. Attachments are encrypted and uploaded to iCloud, with the key sent inside the encrypted message (Apple). Once a message goes green, carrier limits apply. More in our iMessage file size limit guide.
Texting: MMS vs RCS
A text with a photo or video goes as MMS unless both phones can use RCS. Carriers set the limits, and few publish them. AT&T lists 1 MB for traditional texting and 100 MB for RCS. Verizon lists 1.2 MB per image and 3.5 MB per video on 4G LTE and 5G, puts limits between carriers at typically 300–600 KB, and says files sent to a device with a lower limit are reduced to fit.
On iPhone, RCS needs iOS 18 and a supporting carrier, and lives under Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging (Apple). Apple says carriers may limit MMS attachments and your iPhone can compress photos and videos when necessary (Apple), which is one reason texted videos arrive blurry. We found no official T-Mobile figure, and no Google figure for person-to-person RCS.
Work chat: Slack and Microsoft Teams
The Slack file size limit is 1 GB per file, with up to ten files in one message.
The Teams file size limit in chat is 100 MB per file, up to 10 attachments, and emailing a channel allows under 10 MB per attachment. A team's Files area is SharePoint, which takes up to 250 GB per file, so share big files from there.
Email: Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365, Yahoo, iCloud Mail Drop, Proton
Most personal email tops out at 20–25 MB per message. If yours won't go, our guide to a file too big for email compares the ways round it.
- Gmail: 25 MB to send on personal accounts; over that, Gmail swaps in a Google Drive link (Google). Work and school accounts follow their admin, and Workspace Enterprise Plus moved to 50 MB out and 70 MB in from 23 February 2026 (Google).
- Outlook.com: 25 MB per email, text and attachments included, or 2 GB as a OneDrive link (Microsoft, Microsoft). Microsoft's general Outlook help says 20 MB for internet accounts such as Outlook.com or Gmail, and 10 MB by default for Exchange work accounts (Microsoft), so aim for under 20 MB.
- Microsoft 365 work email: 35 MB out and 36 MB in by default; admins can set 1–150 MB.
- Yahoo Mail: 25 MB per email, all attachments combined.
- iCloud Mail: 20 MB, or up to 5 GB with Mail Drop, which the recipient has 30 days to download (Apple).
- Proton Mail: 25 MB out, 50 MB in, up to 100 files.
Nearby sharing: AirDrop and Quick Share
Apple publishes no AirDrop file size limit. The catch is that the other person has to be nearby with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on (Apple).
Samsung's Quick Share file size limit depends on the method: “no limitation on the number and size of files” nearby, 3 GB per file and 5 GB a day by QR code or contact link (links expire after two days), and up to 20 files and 200 MB at a time for private sharing.
Google's Quick Share QR-code option for iPhone, iPad and Mac allows 10 GB every 24 hours. Google says those files are end-to-end encrypted, uploaded to its servers and available for 24 hours, with internet needed on both devices.
Cloud and transfer services: Google Drive and WeTransfer Free
Google Drive takes single files up to 5 TB if you have the storage, and Workspace users can upload and copy 750 GB a day. Cloud storage wins when the other person isn't around: they only need the link.
WeTransfer Free allows 10 transfers or 3 GB in total per rolling 30 days (help centre, updated 23 October 2026). Our WeTransfer free limit guide explains the window.
Why a file bounces under the stated limit
- Encoding adds about a third. Email turns attachments into text: Microsoft says messages leaving its data centres grow 33% (Microsoft), and Google measures receiving limits after encoding, which adds about 37% (Google). A 20 MB file can become a 27 MB email.
- The other end has a limit too. Apple warns that the recipient's email app might have a smaller message size limit (Apple), and Verizon says a text over another carrier's limit may be rejected (Verizon).
- It's per message. Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook.com count all attachments together; Slack and Teams cap files per message.
- The app checks the original. Discord's phone apps now measure files before compressing, so a long Android video can fail where it once squeezed through.
- You're out of allowance. WeTransfer counts back 30 days, Samsung's link sharing allows 5 GB a day and Google's QR sharing 10 GB per 24 hours.
Hit a limit? Pick the right workaround
- One person, online now: send it browser to browser. Beamaroo does this free, with no app or account: nothing is uploaded or stored, and you get a receipt once it's verified on their device. You both stay online with screens on, one code serves one receiver, folders need zipping, and it's comfortable to a few hundred MB into a phone or about 1–2 GB into a computer.
- Someone offline, or a group: a cloud link. Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud Mail Drop and WeTransfer all hold the file for the recipient to collect later.
- Same room, same ecosystem: AirDrop between Apple devices, Quick Share between Android phones.
- A video for a chat app: trim it, or send the full file another way; see our guide to sending large video files.
- Tens of gigabytes: a USB drive or external SSD is still the honest answer.
Questions
Which messaging app has the biggest file size limit?
Telegram: 2 GB per file, or 4 GB with Premium. WhatsApp allows 2 GB for documents, Slack 1 GB and a Teams chat 100 MB.
Is there a messaging app with no file size limit?
Not among the big ones; iMessage and Signal just don't publish theirs. Apple gives no AirDrop limit and Samsung says nearby Quick Share has none. Beamaroo has no fixed cap either, but the receiving browser holds the file in memory, so it's comfortable to a few hundred MB into a phone and about 1–2 GB into a computer.
What's the file size limit on Facebook Messenger?
100 MB per file sent from your phone, according to Meta's April 2024 announcement, which says all major formats work, including Word, PDF and Excel. Guides saying 25 MB are out of date.
What's the file size limit for a text message?
Your carrier sets the MMS limit and it's small: AT&T lists 1 MB; Verizon 1.2 MB per image and 3.5 MB per video. RCS raises it to 100 MB on AT&T when both phones support it.
Why did my file bounce when it was under the limit?
Usually encoding or the other side's limit. Email attachments grow by about a third in transit, and the recipient's server may accept less than yours sends.
How do I send a file that's too big for every app?
If the other person is online now, send it directly browser to browser with a tool like Beamaroo (comfortable to a few hundred MB into a phone, about 1–2 GB into a computer). If they're not, share a cloud link such as Google Drive. For tens of gigabytes, use a USB drive.
How often do these limits change?
Often. Discord has changed its free limit three times since 2023, and Gmail's Enterprise Plus limit rose in February 2026. This page was checked on 31 October 2026.