Big data sender — move large datasets up to 1 TB securely
Email stops at about 25 MB and most consumer transfer tools stop at 2 GB. TeraSender is built for the sizes that come after that: single files up to 25 GB, transfers up to 1 TB, encrypted end to end, with links that expire on your schedule.
The short answer
To send big data, upload it once to a large-file transfer service and share the download link — do not attach it, and do not split it across a dozen emails. With TeraSender: sign in, drag the dataset in, set an expiry date, add a password if it is confidential, and send. Single files can be up to 25 GB and a single transfer up to 1 TB. The recipient downloads in any browser without an account.
How much data can you actually send?
| Method | Practical limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Email attachment | ~25 MB | Rejected above this by most providers |
| Free consumer transfer tools | 2–3 GB | Usually no encryption or expiry control |
| TeraSender — Free | 10 GB total | No payment card required |
| TeraSender — Pro | 25 GB per file, 1 TB per transfer | Encryption, expiry, download tracking |
Who sends large data this way
Research datasets
Genomics runs, simulation output, survey corpora, imaging archives. Send the whole dataset to a collaborating lab with an expiry date, and collect data back from partner institutions using vouchers.
Video and post-production
Raw footage, ProRes masters, and finished exports move without re-encoding, so the recipient gets the original file rather than a compressed copy.
Database and system backups
Ship a database dump or a full system image off-site as a one-off, without provisioning a bucket and handing out cloud credentials.
Engineering and CAD
Point clouds, BIM models, and simulation meshes are routinely too large for email and awkward in sync tools that try to version every change.
Machine learning
Move training sets and model checkpoints between teams or to a compute provider, with a link that expires once the job is done.
Client and contractor handoff
Deliver a finished project archive with a password, and know when it was downloaded via email notifications.
What makes a large transfer actually finish
Chunked, parallel upload
The file is split into chunks that upload several at a time. This is what keeps throughput up on long-distance links, where a single connection is limited by round-trip latency rather than bandwidth.
Resume after a dropped connection
Completed chunks are tracked, so an interrupted transfer continues from where it stopped instead of starting the file over. On a multi-hour upload this is the difference between finishing and not.
One archive beats many files
Thousands of small files pay per-file overhead on both ends. Archive a dataset into a single .zip or .tar and the same bytes move noticeably faster.
Upload speed is the real ceiling
Most connections are asymmetric. Check your upload speed, not your download speed, before estimating how long a dataset will take — 10 Mbps up is roughly 4.5 GB per hour.
Collecting big data from other people
Sending is only half of it. A voucher is a link you send to someone else so they can upload into your account without registering — the usual way to collect datasets from research partners, clients, and contractors who should not have to create an account to hand you a file. You set the size limit and the expiry, and you are notified when the upload lands.
Frequently asked questions
What is a big data sender?
A big data sender is a service built to move datasets that are too large for email or ordinary cloud sync — typically anything from a few gigabytes to multiple terabytes. Instead of attaching the data, you upload it once and share a download link. TeraSender is a big data sender that handles single files up to 25 GB and transfers up to 1 TB in total, with end-to-end encryption and expiring links.
How do I send a large dataset to a colleague?
Upload the dataset to TeraSender, set an expiry date, optionally set a password, and send the generated link. Your colleague downloads it in any browser with no account. For datasets made of many files, archive them into a single .zip or .tar first — one large file transfers faster and more reliably than thousands of small ones.
What is the largest file I can send?
A single file can be up to 25 GB, and one transfer can total up to 1 TB on the Pro plan. The free plan covers 10 GB in total, which is enough for most one-off dataset handoffs.
How do I receive a big dataset from someone who has no account?
Create a voucher and send them the voucher link. They upload directly into your account through that link without registering. This is the usual pattern for collecting data from research partners, clients, and contractors.
Is it safe to send confidential research data this way?
Files are encrypted end-to-end, download links can be password protected with bcrypt-hashed passwords, and every transfer has an expiry after which the files are deleted from storage. TeraSender does not use your files to train AI models.
Why is my big data upload slow?
Throughput is usually limited by your connection's upload speed, which is often far lower than your download speed — a 100 Mbps download line may only have 10 Mbps up, which is about 40 minutes per 3 GB. TeraSender uploads several chunks in parallel and resumes from the last completed chunk if the connection drops, so a slow link still finishes rather than restarting.
Can I send data larger than 1 TB?
Split it across multiple transfers, or contact us about a plan sized for your volume. Each transfer is independent, so a 3 TB dataset can go as three separate 1 TB transfers with their own links and expiry dates.
Related: how to send large files, WeTransfer alternative, and how TeraSender secures transfers.