How to send large videos (the complete guide)

1. How it works (and the secret of the link)

Forget attaching it to an email. The professional flow is: you upload the video to a cloud, generate a download link and send just the link. The editor clicks and downloads without needing an account. That's exactly what the client does to hand raw footage over to HEY JOE.

2. Before you send: organize the footage

Five minutes organizing here saves hours of editing (and avoids rework). Before you upload anything:

• Review and clean up — but keep the bloopers — watch the raw before sending to make sure there was no recording mistake, and delete what is NOT going into the edit. Exception: those funny mistakes (bloopers) are welcome — just flag them (rename them as “blooper” or gather them in a little “mistakes” folder), and we'll use them at the end of the video.
• Make the order clear — most of the time you record in order and the camera already numbers the files in sequence (MVI_0001, 0002…) — that's already great. Only if you recorded OUT of order is it worth renaming (01, 02, 03…) to make the sequence obvious for the editor.
• One folder per camera — and record audio on all of them — if you have two or more cameras to sync, separate each one's files into different folders. And record AUDIO on EVERY camera: that's what we use to line the shots up (the sync is done by the audio).
• Note anything specific, with the timecode — want a phrase, name, link or image at some point in the video? send a text file saying WHERE it goes. E.g.: “in video 02, at 0:50, put @brunoschannel on screen.” The more exact the timecode, the better.
• Everything in a folder named after the video — create a folder with the video's TITLE, drop the raw + extras inside (use subfolders if it helps — e.g.: “Camera 1,” “Camera 2,” “Audio,” “Text”) and send it all at once, via the link FOR THE FOLDER. It sounds obvious, but organizing here saves hours of editing. (On WeTransfer, which doesn't share a folder, bundle everything into a single transfer.)

3. Step by step: generate the link (no mistakes)

Google Drive

• 1. Upload the folder — on drive.google.com, drag in the folder with the footage (or New → Folder upload).
• 2. Share — right-click the folder → Share.
• 3. Open up the access — under “General access,” switch Restricted to “Anyone with the link” (the Viewer role already allows downloading).
• 4. Copy and paste — click Copy link and paste it where you need it. Done — the editor downloads without an account.

OneDrive

• 1. Upload (use the desktop app for a big file) — on onedrive.com or through the Windows app, upload the folder.
• 2. Share → Copy link — right-click the folder → Share → Copy link.
• 3. Adjust the access — switch to “Anyone with the link” and leave “Block download” OFF.

Dropbox

• 1. Upload the folder — drag it into your Dropbox.
• 2. Create link — hover over the folder → Share → Create link. This link does NOT expire.
• ⚠️ Avoid “Dropbox Transfer” on the free plan — it's handy, but it expires in 7 days — the Share link is safer.

WeTransfer

• 1. Sign in to your account — the free account became mandatory to send (since Nov 2024).
• 2. Add and grab the link — add the files → choose “Get a link” → copy. Remember: on the free plan the link expires in 3 days.

4. Google Drive — the easiest base

Almost every client already has it (it comes with Gmail). 5 TB per file, but the web upload is fragile — for a huge file, use the desktop app.

• Pros — everyone already has it; the editor downloads without an account; 5 TB per file; cheap entry ($1.99/100 GB); the link can be disabled later.
• Cons — 15 GB free fills up instantly with 4K (and is shared with Gmail/Photos); a 750 GB-per-day upload limit; plans above 100 GB come bundled with AI.
• Best for — a client who already lives in Google and sends moderately sized projects.

5. Dropbox — great if you already use it

The best sync in the category, but the free plan (2 GB) is useless for video. There are two ways to send: the Share link (doesn't expire) and Dropbox Transfer (send-and-forget, but it expires).

*price on the annual plan (monthly is more expensive).

• Pros — well-known brand; the editor downloads without an account; stable desktop sync for a huge file; confirms when the other side has downloaded.
• Cons — 2 GB free is no use for video; Transfer on free/Plus expires in 7 days; expensive per TB; the web upload chokes above ~375 GB.
• Best for — someone who ALREADY pays for Dropbox and has their partners inside it.

6. OneDrive — unbeatable if you already have Office

If the client subscribes to Microsoft 365, they already have 1 TB for free and don't even know it. 250 GB per file, robust sync on Windows.

• Pros — cheapest paid entry ($1.99/100 GB); 250 GB per file; built into Windows; if you pay for 365, the 1 TB is “free”; the storage is also Office.
• Cons — only 5 GB free; password and link expiry only on the paid plan; the link is forwardable; jumps from 100 GB straight to 1 TB.
• Best for — a client who already lives in Office, Outlook and Windows.

7. WeTransfer — simple, but it changed (read this first)

It's the simplest for whoever receives it (click and download), but it changed a lot: since November 2024 you need a free account to send (the “send without signing up” is over for the sender) and the free plan got tight. It's not storage — it's just a transfer, and the file disappears when it expires.

• Pros — the recipient needs nothing (click and download); the copy-the-link flow is perfect for pasting into the portal; nothing to install.
• Cons — free is very tight (3 GB for the whole month); an account is now mandatory to send; expires in 3 days; rejects a big ProRes/4K export; stores nothing.
• Best for — a single small transfer from someone who doesn't want a cloud account — or the Ultimate (1 TB/transfer) for genuinely large raw footage.

8. Other options for huge files

• MASV — terabyte-scale originals — built for sending enormous camera originals (the cards from your recording kit). 15 GB free per month, then $0.25/GB — charged on the DOWNLOAD, not the upload, so you don't pay for a file no one downloads.
• Smash — a single transfer with no limit — no size limit on the free plan (above 2 GB it enters a slower queue), available for 7 days. Good for a one-off large raw file without signing up for anything.

9. Heads up: the cloud is not a backup

Summary: which to use

Quick questions

Sources

• WeTransfer — Plan limits (official) — current free limits (3 GB / 30 days).
• WeTransfer — Why I need an account to send (official) — the account became mandatory (Nov 2024).
• Google One — plans and pricing (official) — current prices per tier.
• Microsoft 365 / OneDrive — plans and pricing (official) — Basic/Personal/Family plans.
• Dropbox — plans (official) — Plus/Professional and Transfer limits.
• MASV — Pricing (official) — price per GB, charged on the download.

Keep reading

Production & shooting

Pre-production: plan before you hit record

Production & shooting

Resolution and FPS: why shoot in 4K even if you deliver in 1080p

Production & shooting

Filming with your phone: audio, settings and stabilization