How to use WeTransfer in 2024?
Don’t be constrained by WeTransfer when Smash offers free transfers without any file size limits!
Sending a large file can be hassle, especially once it gets too big to attach to an email or drop into an instant message. If you also want to avoid the sub-optimal sharing experience of dropping a file onto a file storage service like Google Drive or iCloud and if physically handing a USB key to your recipient is out of the question, you’ll likely be looking for a file sharing service. The best known of these: WeTransfer.
WeTransfer is well known and well-regarded, having built a reputation for effective file sharing even if it frustratingly seems to go down for some people just when its required. It’s relatively easy to send a large file for free and without registering on the WeTransfer site if you know what you’re doing. But, for everyone, there’s a first-time and if you aren’t used to WeTransfer or file sharing services in general, you might find yourself getting stuck. You'll discover the best tips about WeTransfer usages in this post. No fear – we’re here to walk you through the transfer step by step.
Getting Started with WeTransfer
There are a few basic things you’ll need to share a file with WeTransfer.
First, you’ll need a file to transfer (that almost goes without saying!). WeTransfer offers free transfers of files up to 2GB in size but is happy for you to send larger files if you pay a monthly or annual subscription. Here’s how those charges stack up for files of different sizes against the WeTransfer alternative, Smash.
| 2GB | 10GB | 250GB | 1TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeTransfer | Free | €12/month €120/year |
€23/month €228/year |
€23/month €228/year |
| Smash | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Second, if you want to send the link by email, you’ll need an email address. This is necessary as part of WeTransfer’s security protocol as you’ll need to confirm the transfer with a one-time password during the transfer process.
With those two things at hand, let’s work step-by-step through sharing a file on WeTransfer and – because it’s a the zero-cost alternative to WeTransfer – compare it with Smash along the way, too.
Sharing a File with WeTransfer
Start by heading to the WeTransfer website and find yourself on a login screen like this one:
Though most of the screen real estate is there to entice you to sign up for a WeTransfer subscription (more than €200 a year? No thanks.) it’s the box on the left hand side you should concentrate on.
1. Share as a URL
The blue button with the + sign is where you’ll start: hit the button, select your file, and click Upload
You can add a title for the transfer and even a message and then click the Get a link button. You’ll have to wait a bit (or maybe more than a bit…) as the systems generates a URL you can copy and paste into an email or an instant message. Easy, right?
2. Share as an email
If you’d prefer to share as an email, the process is almost the same.
You still start with the blue button with the + sign: hit the button, select your file, and click Upload.
Next, you’ll add the email address of your recipient, then your own email below that. As with sharing via URL, you can add a title and message here, too.
When you click Transfer, you’ll be taken to a screen where you’ll need to add a one-time password code that should be in your email inbox. If it’s not there, check your spam folder as, without it, you cannot complete the transfer.
After entering the code and clicking Verify your upload will begin, and as soon as it is done your email transfer will begin.
Sharing a File with Smash
We already know that it is less expensive to send large files with Smash – but is it also easy?
Short answer: yes!
When you land on the Smash website, you won’t be overwhelmed by an ad for the Smash Pro subscription product. Instead, what stands out is a single button in the very center of the screen and a label: Click to send your files.
As instructed, this is your starting point: click the button to get started and select your file, then click Upload.
1. Share as a URL
On the next screen you’ll see space for your email address, and a title for the file. If you add a title, Smash will also add it to an auto-generated URL, something that makes the arrival of a file a little easier to comprehend for your recipient.
You also have the option to require people downloading the file to enter their email address to access your transfer – a little bit of added piece of mind when sharing large, confidential files.
Then just click Get a link and, as soon as your upload is done, you can copy and paste the link into an email or private message, just like with WeTransfer.
But wait: there’s more!
If you click the cog icon next to that Get a link button, you’ll open the settings control for the transfer. At no extra cost you can:
Extend the transfer period beyond 7 days
Add password protection
Get notifications for the transfer being created, for downloads or non-downloads of the file
Turn on file previews for your recipient
2. Share as an email
As with WeTransfer, Smash offers the chance to transfer your file by email, too.
Click the Email tab on the transfer screen, enter your email and that of your recipient, add a subject for the email and a message, too. As with WeTransfer, you’ll need to grab the one-time password code from your email inbox to make sure that it’s actually you sending the file.
And, as with transferring with a link, you can adjust all the transfer settings here. Add a password, enable file previews, and get all the notifications you need to ensure that the file transfer goes as smoothly as promised.
Conclusion: The Best Way to Use WeTransfer is to Use Smash
Sending a file with WeTransfer is not difficult, but it is also not always your best bet. In a number of important ways, the competing file sharing service Smash offers a better deal for transferring a file that is just too big to attach to an email. Consider trying to send a file for free on both services – let’s compare.
| Max File Size? | Adjust Transfer Time? | Password Protection Standard? | File Previews? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeTransfer | 2GB | No | No | No |
| Smash | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Recall, too, that if you want to send a file that is bigger than 2GB you’ll need to create an account and sign up for a subscription that might cost you more than €200 each year!
When it comes to fast, secure, and free file transfers, Smash is your best bet. No matter how large your file, you can transfer it for free with Smash, add additional password protection to your already-encrypted transfer, only allow downloads by people who enter their email address, and get notifications at every step of the transfer, too.
Faster, more secure, and more cost-effective, Smash is available on the web through any browser, on dedicated apps for iOS, Android, and Mac, and as an API for power users and developers, too. Try it for yourself today and leave the restrictions, constraints, and costs of WeTransfer behind for good.
Frequently Asked Questions
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It’s true: at Smash, there are no limits on the size of the folder that you are sending. No matter how big your folder might be, Smash can send it where you need to go in complete security, and lightning fast, too.
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Yes, Smash is really free – and there’s no catch. You can send a folder of any size to anyone via Smash for free, no matter where you are located or how many times you use the service. If you like Smash and want to upgrade or if you want to integrate Smash into your daily workflows using an API, there are paid tiers you might consider, but sending a folder has always and will always be free on Smash.
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It’s correct – as long as you’re willing to pay. You can send files larger than 2GB with WeTransfer if you subscribe to either their Pro or Premium services. With month-by-month costs of more than €20 and Premium annual subscriptions breaking the €200 mark, you’ll be paying a pretty penny to send with WeTransfer…especially compared to Smash where it is (and always will be) free!
