Gmail, Meet Google Drive--and Behold 10GB File Transfers

Anyone who has ever had to send enormous files across the Internet has a new option

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Anyone who has ever had to send enormous files across the Internet has a new option. Google announced today that it has integrated Google Drive with Gmail, allowing users of both services to insert files from Drive directly into their messages.

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Notably, file sizes can be up to 10GB, or 400 times larger than is allowed in a traditional attachment.

The team also built some "smart assistant" technology into the feature to make sure recipients of your shared files have the necessary permissions. Product manager Phil Sharp explains in a blog post:

Like a smart assistant, Gmail will also double-check that your recipients all have access to any files you're sending. This works like Gmail's forgotten attachment detector: whenever you send a file from Drive that isn't shared with everyone, you'll be prompted with the option to change the file's sharing settings without leaving your email. It'll even work with Drive links pasted directly into emails.

The feature is rolling out over the next few days to users who have already upgraded to Gmail's new composing window.

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