Google Drive and Gmail Team Up For 10GB File Sharing

For major players like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, the ongoing race to lock customers into their online services is intensifying. One benefit of the competition is that services are working to make their own tools work better together, and a recent example of that is Gmail’s new support for sharing files from Google Drive.

Until recently, sharing files on your Google Drive account was generally done by opening Drive and starting an email (or by copying a link). Now, you don’t have to jump into Drive at all. So long as you’re using the new version of Gmail’s Compose Message tool (that would be the little message in the bottom-right corner of your Gmail window), you can link to files right from the message. If you haven’t already opted into this new feature, you’ll need to in order to enjoy the Gmail/Drive integration.

The new, opt-in Gmail Compose tool integrates with Google Drive.

Google is touting Gmail’s new capability to send Drive files that are as large as 10GB, but if you’re thinking of a 10GB email hitting your contact’s irate ISP, wipe the sweat off your brow. It’s a link, so your email’s actual size won’t prevent it from sailing through to your contact’s inbox.

Before your message goes out the door, Gmail checks to see which sharing options you’ve selected (such as Everyone, or Anyone With A Link) and may prompt you to double-check your permissions selection before you send the email out the door. That should help you avoid accidentally sharing files with more people than you meant to.