Prepare photos to send by email on Mac

Set a budget for this message

Check your mail service’s limits and, where possible, the recipient’s limits too. There is no universal attachment budget. Include any other files already attached to the message and leave room below the stated maximum. The mail system may process attachments in a way that changes the message’s final size.

A target per photo is not a combined limit. For illustration, eight copies of 600 kB amount to about 4.8 MB of files before mail processing. This calculation helps with planning but does not guarantee that a service will accept the message.

Choose viewing copies or originals

Smaller copies may be sufficient for casual viewing. A ZIP keeps the sources together when someone needs original files. It may remain close to their total size because JPEG, HEIC and PNG are already compressed.

1. Add only the photos you need to PhotoWisp.
2. For smaller images, choose Reduce file size with a target per photo, then inspect Preview and Compare.
3. For source files, choose Group photos together, name the ZIP and create it.
4. Save the copies or archive and check the combined size of everything you plan to attach.
5. Add the saved files to your email and review the attachment list.

Check the recipient’s experience

A ZIP needs extracting before the images can be viewed. It contains the originals with embedded metadata, without PhotoWisp edits. It does not bypass email size limits. If the total is still too large, change the selection or agree on an accepted way to share the files.

If the recipient cannot read HEIC, prepare JPEG copies and check their size too. PhotoWisp processes photos locally and does not send the email; your originals stay intact on the Mac. Open the attached images to check readability, ordering and content before sending the message.