OneDrive alternative for sending a large file
5 GB free, external sharing often locked down by the company, and a link that asks for a Microsoft account.
The heart of the problem. OneDrive is the disk that comes with your Microsoft subscription. Sending a file amounts to opening access to part of that disk: it takes space, a subscription, and permission to share externally — three things that are often missing at the exact moment you have to deliver.
The three obstacles
1. Five gigabytes, then a subscription
The free account has 5 GB. A single video sequence uses all of it. Beyond that, the space is no longer sold on its own: it comes as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription, paid every month whether you send a file or not.
2. External sharing, often locked down
On a work account, the administrator decides whether a link can be opened by “anyone with the link”. Many organisations forbid it by default. Your recipient is then asked to sign in to a Microsoft account they do not have — and you have no way to change the setting.
3. The file stays on your disk
After delivery, the file still occupies your space, often synced to your machine. You have to remember to delete it on both sides.
The comparison
| OneDrive | toobigtoshare | |
|---|---|---|
| Account to send | Microsoft account | None |
| Account to receive | Often required | None |
| Free space | 5 GB | 2 TB per send |
| Model | Microsoft 365 subscription | $5.49 per send |
| External sharing | Subject to the company's setting | Always possible |
| After sending | The file stays and takes up space | Deleted after 3 days |
No sign-up, no subscription: why it changes everything
Two points of friction explain most transfers that never arrive.
Creating an account. It costs you three minutes, but above all it costs the recipient: a link that asks them to sign in, create an ID or install an app meets someone who has neither the time nor the inclination — and who writes to tell you “it doesn't work”. With toobigtoshare nobody signs up: not you, not them. They click, they download.
The subscription. A subscription makes sense when you send large files every week. If you send three a year, you pay for twelve months to use it three times, and you forget to cancel. Here you pay $5.49 per send, once, and nothing renews: there is no account, so no subscription to keep an eye on.
When OneDrive is enough
If you already work inside Microsoft 365, your recipient does too, and the file fits in your space, the OneDrive link is the simplest solution: it is built into Outlook and costs nothing extra. The trouble starts when the person on the other side is outside your organisation, or when the file runs to several tens of gigabytes. That is exactly where toobigtoshare takes over: a link that opens for anyone, up to 2 TB, with no sign-up and no subscription.
Send a file with toobigtoshare — up to 2 TB, no sign-up, no subscription.
Frequently asked questions
How much free storage does OneDrive give?
5 GB. Beyond that, the space is sold inside a Microsoft 365 subscription, billed monthly or annually.
Why does my OneDrive link ask the recipient to sign in?
Because external sharing is restricted. On a work account, the administrator chooses whether links can be opened by anyone with the address; by default, many organisations forbid it.
How do I send a large file without a Microsoft account?
By going through a transfer service that does not ask for one. toobigtoshare accepts up to 2 TB and requires no account from the sender or the recipient.
Can you send a file over 5 GB with OneDrive?
Only by paying for a subscription to enlarge the space, and provided external sharing is allowed. A one-off 200 GB send does not fit that model.
Got a file of several gigabytes to send?
toobigtoshare carries up to 2 TB. No account to create, neither for you nor for the person receiving: you get a link, you paste it into your email. $5.49 per send, file deleted after 3 days.