# Gmail and attachments
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-and-attachments/410256
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 2, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-and-attachments/410256 "2007-07-02T18:14:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-and-attachments/410256/1 "2007-07-02T18:14:30Z")
This is a brand new problem for me today, no settings have been changed in my anti-virus, browser or anything.
I’m having trouble sending **some** attachments through Gmail. I use Firefox, and am using (always have) the encrypted gmail.
I can’t send a .bmp file. I hit send, get that little red “sending” note, but nothing after that.
I tried and could send .doc files and .xls files and even a .pdf
I’ve sent larger files before, I can’t figure this one out today though.
Help? Anyone else come across this? The Google Groups weren’t much, if any help - they tell me to clear private data, etc. I did that. No help.
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### Author:  [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-and-attachments/410256/2 "2007-07-02T18:21:41Z")
I don’t know why/if this was the problem, but what I was trying to send was a .bmp file. It kept getting hung up.
I went back to Paint, saved it as a .jpg and ta-da.
Mods can close this if they wish.
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### Author:  [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-and-attachments/410256/3 "2007-07-02T23:07:27Z")
[QUOTE=Mr Bus Guy]
I don’t know why/if this was the problem, but what I was trying to send was a .bmp file. It kept getting hung up.
I went back to Paint, saved it as a .jpg and ta-da.
Mods can close this if they wish.
[/QUOTE]
The .bmp might have been too big. Attachment size will clog up many stops between you and your mail server. When in doubt, send drawings/diagrams/“art” as .gif and photographs/fine art as .jpg. Both do “lossy” compression, which doesn’t matter for most things you’re sending.