How to send a PDF as an email attachment on iPhone or Android

1 min read·25 July 2026

Sending a PDF as an attachment from your phone is straightforward, but the steps differ by platform. Here is how to do it on iOS (Mail, Gmail) and Android, and what to do if the PDF is too large.

iOS: Mail app

Open the Files app and find your PDF. Long-press the file and tap "Share". Tap Mail. The attachment is added automatically. Enter a recipient and subject and send.

iOS: Gmail app

Open the Gmail app, tap the pencil icon. Tap the paperclip for attachments > Choose files. Navigate to your PDF and add it. Sent as an attachment.

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Android: Gmail or Samsung Mail

Tap Compose, then tap the paperclip. Choose "Attach file" and navigate to the PDF in your Files app. Select it and send. You can also open the PDF in Files and directly "Share" > choose your mail app.

File too large?

Mail attachments are often limited to 25 MB. Compress the PDF first via PDFrust in your mobile browser. Open pdfrust.com, upload the PDF, compress, download, and send the smaller version.