Tech Reference

'What is Mail Drop on an iPhone?': How to use Mail Drop to email large files from your iPhone

Written by Steven John
iphone mail app notifications
Mail Drop is built into your iPhone's Mail app. NurPhoto/Getty Images
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Most email platforms have size limits that are, to put it simply, limiting. Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo won't let you send emails greater than 25 MB. With Outlook and Hotmail, you're limited to 10 MB.

The good news is that if you're using a relatively recent iPhone, running iOS 9.2 or later, to send that extra large email, Apple's Mail Drop service has you covered. 

Mail Drop, which transfers emails and attachments via iCloud, has a huge 5 GB capacity, so there are few files that won't make it through Mail Drop. And once you send a file, the recipient will have 30 days to open it before it expires.

However, there is a 1 TB storage limit — so if you manage to send enough files to hit that limit, you'll need to wait 30 days for files to expire before you can send more.

Here's how to use it on your iPhone.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to use Mail Drop on your iPhone

To use Mail Drop, all you have to do is try to send an email that's too big through the default Mail app. 

A window will pop up that reads: "These attachments may be too large to send in email. Do you want to use Mail Drop to deliver these attachments using iCloud? They will be available for the next 30 days."

Tap "Use Mail Drop," and off the message goes to its intended recipient(s) thanks to the wonders of the cloud. 

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Once you hit the file size limit, you'll be encouraged to use Mail Drop.  Steven John/Business Insider

The message will arrive like normal, massive size notwithstanding.

The recipient will just have to click the Mail Drop link in the email they've received, and they'll have to be checking their email on "a Mac using OS X Yosemite or later, an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 9.2 [or later], [or] a Mac or PC with an updated browser," which are the supported systems for Mail Drop, according to Apple. 

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Steven John
Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.