Question

How to send large files saved to dropbox to China without VPN?

  • 8 June 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 487 views

Userlevel 1

Hi all. My need is this: I need a reliable way to send large files to China. The files are in dropbox, and I have the share link. 

 

I can set up a zap in google sheets where I paste the dropbox link and convert it to a direct download link, and then have gmail send the attached files through a zap, but if the files are too large, nothing will attach and I have no way to know there was an issue. 

 

There are no zapier apps that I can think of that I know my contacts in China can use like wetransfer, qq, or wechat. 

 

Any ideas? My team in the US needs to be able to easily find and view the files that have sent, too. 


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5 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Hi @aprilfisher01! 👋

Yes, I think the Gmail app has a limit of around 25MB so if the files you’re pulling from Dropbox are bigger than that that’s likely why it’s erroring.

As you’re creating a direct download link for the files, could you add it into the Body field instead of the Attachments field? 

I’m thinking that way your contacts China and the US team should be able to click on the link in the email to download and view the files. I know it’s not ideal as you’d like them attached to the email but it should avoid any issues with the file size.

Do you think that approach could work?

Userlevel 1

Hi @SamB  ! Love the suggestion, but since China blocks dropbox, this is not reliable. They would need a VPN to use the direct download link and I’m told the VPN’s are very unstable. 

 

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +8

Hi @aprilfisher01 since you are using Gmail, would Google Drive work to store files? I don’t believe a VPN would be needed since they have access to GSuite. 

Userlevel 1

@chanelle they do not have access to Google products in China!

 

I am working with the google sheet trigger on my end.

Userlevel 7
Badge +6

Hi @aprilfisher01,

I’m jumping in to see if I can help!

After doing a bit of research, it appears that FileCloud could be a suitable alternative for you, as it doesn't have any restrictions in China. You can check it out as an option here: https://zapier.com/apps/filecloud/integrations

If FileCloud doesn't meet your needs, I suggest exploring our File Management & Storage Apps category on our apps page: https://zapier.com/apps/categories/files

I hope this information is helpful to you! 🤗