How to send blocked files on Gmail

If when you try to send a file like, you receive Blocked for security reasons message, then this post will show you how to send them. Bear in mind that Gmail does not support file formats such as EXE, DLL, DMG, VB, CMD, BAT, JAR, VBS, JSE, PIF, VXD, JSE, APK, INS, SCT, MSI. You can send RAR and ZIP files – but even these two get blocked at times if they include a prohibited file type. In this post we will show you how to send blocked files, taking the example of RAR files.

The chances are you’ve been attempting to send a RAR file via Gmail, but for some strange reason, it’s not working. You’re wondering what needs to be done here because sending this RAR file is very important. Sending a RAR file through Gmail to someone else is not always straightforward, and this is mainly due to rules set by Google. You see, Google doesn’t like it when you send certain files to friend or family via Gmail, therefore, the problem is likely not the RAR archive, but the contents within.   

Blocked for security reasons

If the search giant is indeed blocking your upload, then you should see a message that says Blocked for security reasons. This is fine because as stated above, there’s a high chance you’ve been blocked due to certain files within the RAR archive. In this post, I will take the example of a scenario where Gmail is blocking a RAR file.

How to send blocked files on Gmail

You have three options, and we will take a look at them in details:

1. Remove blocked files
2. Edit blocked files
3. Share with OneDrive

1) Remove Blocked Files
The first option is to extract the contents of the RAR archive and delete the affected files if they are not super important. After that, go on ahead and send the RAR archive file again. This time, you should come across no errors from Gmail.

2) Edit Blocked Files file extension

Editing the files is a sure way to get things to work as you want it to. However, we recommend communicating with the other party before doing so. We say this because after they have received the RAR file through Gmail, they will be required to manually set the edited files back to normal.
OK, so open File Explorer and search for the RAR archive you’re interested in sending. Right-click on it and extract the files from within. If any file has the same extension as the unsupported ones mentioned above, right-click on them one after the other, and select Rename.

If the file in question is called TWC.exe, for example, rename it to TWC.jpeg or any supported file format. Return all content into the RAR archive, and restart the upload process through Gmail once more.

After receiving the archive, the other person must follow the same example. Right click on the affected files, choose Rename, then remove the extensions and add the right ones.

3) Share with OneDrive

There’s another option that tends to work most of the time. With this option, there’s no need to edit the contents within the RAR archive. If you’re using Windows 10, which you should be, visit the Microsoft Store and download the OneDrive app.
Launch the app, then drag and drop the RAR archive from the File Explorer to the OneDrive app. After the upload has been completed, right-click on the RAR archive, then select Share Link. Copy the provided URL and send it to the third-party. Whenever they click on that link, they’ll be brought to the file’s location on OneDrive. From there, they’ll be able to download it without a fuss.