# MP3 compression **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2000, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028 "2000-01-11T05:42:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/1 "2000-01-11T05:42:00Z")
Hello Teeming Millions! I hope someone can help me… I want to send my sister an MP3 file I have, over e-mail. My Hotmail account only allows me to send files of up to 1MB as an attachment. I know MP3’s are already compressed, hence the small file size compared to a WAV file. But is there anyway to compress it further? I tried WinZip already and I think it shrunk the file a lousy 52 bytes! = ) Maybe I should just send it via FTP… Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/2 "2000-01-11T06:37:00Z")
Use WinRAR [www.winrar.com](http://www.winrar.com) to cut up the mp3 into several 1 MB chunks. You’ll have to send each one. Your sister will need WinRAR to put the chunks back together. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/3 "2000-01-11T06:40:00Z")
Sorry, the URL should be [www.rarsoft.com](http://www.rarsoft.com) ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/4 "2000-01-11T06:42:00Z")
You need to break it up into smaller files and email them individually. Most of the better shareware sites have mounds of utilities that can do this, most of them free for a trial period. Try here to start : [http://download.cnet.com/downloads/?tag=st.cn.ft.dl](http://download.cnet.com/downloads/?tag=st.cn.ft.dl) ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/5 "2000-01-11T06:43:00Z")
Sorry bout the simul-post Cheif crunch. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/6 "2000-01-11T07:39:00Z")
Thank you fellas! I’m sure this will do the trick… and as a bonus I get to hear the end of my sister’s damn whining! Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/7 "2000-01-11T09:52:00Z")
Or you could just use your ISP’s email. They usually don’t have such imposing limits. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/8 "2000-01-11T20:11:00Z")
Or I guess you could just send the file over ICQ, if you and you sister have it. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-compression/6028/9 "2000-01-11T20:27:00Z")
Yeah ChiefCrunch, I wanted to send it over ICQ, but she doesn’t have it… She’s not sure if her boss would be too keen on having it installed on her work computer.