How to Send Large Video Files in Privacy Without Reducing Quality
Sending large video files with others can be more complex than you anticipated. We often encounter problems because of file size limits, reduced quality, or privacy concerns.
To help you solve these issues, we will offer you advice on how to send large video files securely, methods to compress files to bypass size restrictions, and a file-sharing solution that is the best way to send video files without worrying about your privacy.
Table of contents
- Cloud storage
- File Transfer platforms
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- Hard Drives or USBs
- Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing
Why is it difficult to send large video files to other people?
These are the main reasons why sending video files can be difficult.
File size
Sending large video files can be problematic primarily because of the time required to upload and download, even if you have a fast internet connection. They can also take up space in your email inbox, preventing you from sending or receiving important emails.
Another issue is that almost all file-sharing platforms have size restrictions, which can limit you from sending files over a specific size.
However, file sizes keep increasing, as a 1080p HD video was a much larger file 10 years ago compared to now. For context, here is the average amount of minutes of video take up 1GB:
- 12 minutes of 4K
- 50 minutes of 1080p
- 3.5 hours of 720p
Although sending large video files is challenging, there are methods we will explore later in this article to make the process easier.
Email size limit
Many email providers have size limits to prevent overloading their servers, consuming bandwidth, and slowing down email delivery.
Here are the limits of sending large videos from these email providers:
- Microsoft Outlook — 20 MB
- Apple iCloud Mail — 20 MB
- Gmail — 25 MB
If you have files exceeding this limit, choose a cloud storage or file transfer service, such as Internxt Drive or Send.
Internet restrictions
Sending large files can be interrupted by an unstable or weak internet connection; even if you restart the upload multiple times, there is still a chance that the file will fail to upload.
Although your internet connection may be strong, large files consume a large amount of bandwidth and cause network congestion, affecting the upload process.
How to send large video files easily
There are many ways to send large video files, depending on whether you need to share them with family, co-workers, or clients. These methods offer a solution to send your files without compromising quality.
Cloud storage
All cloud storage providers provide file-sharing on their platforms, but only Internxt offers full privacy for your files with zero-knowledge and end-to-end encryption.
Other providers Google Drive and Dropbox, use in-transit and at-rest encryption, and although this is the standard method for most companies, there are moments when your files are unencrypted.
As a result, these companies could access your videos and profit from your data, or in the worst case scenario, could result in a security breach, as has been the case with Dropbox.
Therefore, if you choose cloud storage to send large videos, choose Internxt Drive, as its zero-knowledge encryption and password protection guarantee your videos and data remain safe.
Internxt supports file sharing for up to 10GB, which means you can share:
- 1080p video: 10GB * 50 minutes/GB = 500 minutes of 1080p video.
- 4K video: 10GB * 12 minutes/GB = 120 minutes of 4K video.
File Transfer platforms
File transfer platforms like Internxt Send allow you to send 5GB video files for free. It also has the same encryption technology as Drive so that you can send your videos with a secure and private encrypted link or email.
It also supports PDF, JPEG, DOC, PNG, XLS, and many more formats, and there are no limits to the number of times you use the platform, offering secure file sharing whenever you need it.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol that transfers files between computers over a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) network, such as the Internet.
FTP allows users to upload and download large files to and from a server. However, the major drawback is its lack of security. Standard FTP protocol does not encrypt your data, so everything you send, like your username, password, or file contents, is sent in plain text, which could be easily hacked if the files are not manually encrypted beforehand.
Hard Drives or USBs
You could also take the traditional route and store your videos on a hard drive or USB to share with others. Although this is becoming less common thanks to cloud storage, hard drives do offer another backup option for videos, and if you are in the workplace, they can be convenient to share content with others.
The downside of this, however, is that sharing videos isn’t possible between countries; they can be at risk of theft or physical damage, and files may be corrupted.
While email can be used to send video files by attaching the file, this method has some disadvantages. As mentioned before, email providers set limitations on the size of the file you upload and send.
Another thing to remember is that email providers don’t compress your files before sending, so it won’t be possible to send large files, such as 4K videos.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing
The (P2P) method shares files directly between users' devices on a decentralized network and each user acts as a server and a client, allowing them to send and receive large video files directly from one device to another.
One advantage of P2P file sharing is its ability to distribute the file across multiple peers, improving download speeds and reducing the load on any single device.
There are disadvantages and other concerns to be aware of with this method. One reason is that the networks may be slow if there are few peers or the user’s internet connection isn’t fast enough. Some countries may also restrict P2P networks, as they are typically used for illegal torrenting or spreading malware.
How to send large video files more easily
Now that you know how to send large video files using the methods discussed in this article, here are a few ways to make the process easier.
Compress the files
File compression can reduce video size by removing redundant data, making it easier to send larger videos and meet file-sharing limits from your chosen platform. Although it may compromise the quality of the video, tools like HandBrake try to preserve the quality as much as possible, and you can also adjust the quality from 4K to 1080p to reduce the file size.
Edit unnecessary content
Editing out unnecessary content from your video will reduce the time and bandwidth required for uploading and downloading and help reduce the file size.
Optimize the video format
Some video formats, like MP4, are better suited for file compression, and they can reduce the video size to make it easier to share. If you don’t need to share a video in a specific format, you can use an online file converter to optimize and share your videos.
Check your internet speed
A bad internet connection will prevent you from sharing video files effectively, so to be sure you internet speed can handle the process, you can check your internet connection online easily.
For smooth uploading, these are the recommended speeds to send video files online:
- For files less than 1GB, your upload speed should be 5Mbps.
- For files above 1GB, your speed should be 10-20 Mbps or higher.
- 4K or 8K video files are more demanding and require 50 Mbps or higher speeds.
How to send large video files with Internxt
Here’s how to send large video files with Internxt Drive or Send in total privacy and protected with zero-knowledge and post-quantum cryptography.
Internxt Drive
To share files with Internxt Drive, first, you will need to log in or create an account.
Once logged in, upload or choose the video you want to share, and follow these steps:
- Choose the video you want to share
- Right-click and select “Copy link”
- The message “Link copied to clipboard” will pop up when successful
Advanced file sharing
For advanced sharing options on Drive Web follow these steps:
- Choose the video you want to share
- Right-click and select “Share”
- Under “General access” choose “Restricted”
- To choose people with access, select “Invite”
- Enter the recipient’s email
- Choose if you want them to view or edit your file
- Click “Invite”
To password-protect your file for extra security and limit unauthorized access, follow these steps:
- Select the file you want to share
- Choose "Protect with password"
- Select a strong password
- Click "Save"
When you want your video unavailable to the people you shared it with, prevent access by following these steps:
- Go to the video you want to stop sharing
- Right-click and select “Manage Access”
- Under “General access” choose “Stop sharing” and confirm
Internxt Send
To send video files of up to 5GB with Internxt Send, visit the Internxt Send website and follow these steps
- Upload or choose the video you want to send
- Choose “Send link” or “Send email”
Add the email addresses of those you wish to share the video with and click “Send files”
Internxt Send is free to use, and you can use it to send large video files of up to 5GB so you can share up to
- 1080p video: 5GB * 50 minutes/GB = 250 minutes of 1080p video.
- 4K video: 5GB * 12 minutes/GB = 60 minutes of 4K video.
Send large video files in total privacy with Internxt
Join Internxt for your video-sharing needs, get the most secure cloud storage for your videos and files, and keep your data private from Big Tech companies. You can also use the Internxt VPN to encrypt your internet connection for additional security online.