In the past, if you wanted to send large files to friends or colleagues, you had to upload them to FTP servers or hope that you made it under the file-size limitations of the recipient’s e-mail account. But with file-sharing applications such as DropSend, you can send large files without fear of bounce-backs.

DropSend will be familiar to anyone who’s sent an e-mail attachment. The service replicates the look and feel of your Inbox by including contacts, subject lines, and text areas, but one-ups most e-mail services by letting you attach files as large as 1GB. When recipients open the e-mail, they are presented with an URL form where they can download the file. The number of times you can send a file depends on whether you sign up for a Free, Basic ($5), Standard ($9), Pro ($19), or Business ($99) account, which offer 250MB, 1GB, 10GB, 25GB, and 250GB of online storage, respectively. Here’s how to get started:

 

1. Point your browser to www.dropsend.com and open an account.

2. Click the Send A File button. You’ll be directed to your DropSend Inbox, where you’ll key in a contact’s e-mail address, subject, and message.

3. Click the Browse button to search for and attach a file.

4. Check the box labeled “Copy sent files to my online storage” if you’d like to send a backup of the file.

5. Click Send.