Email mailbox is full / it says quota exceeded
Last updated 7th June 2010
Email mailbox full / quota exceeded
If your mailbox becomes full on the server, you will stop receiving new emails. People who email you will usually receive an email telling them that their message was not delivered because your mailbox quota has been exceeded.
It is very simple to resolve this problem.
If you use Webmail to check your email:
Ensure that any emails you don't need anymore are deleted.
Check that any trash is permanently deleted - if you delete an email it just sits in your trash until you confirm you want it gone for good!
Also check your sent items folder as if you are keeping a record of all the emails you send - along with attachments - this can add to the size of your mailbox considerably.
By clearing some "space" in your mailbox, your email will work again.
If you use your computer to check your email (Outlook, Mail etc.):
Ensure that in your email account settings on your computer that you have selected for emails to be removed from the server once retrieved. Once you can read an email on your computer, this means it is saved to your computer. If you still have a copy on the server because you didn't select for it to be removed once retrieved, then it means your mailbox on the server will fill up and fill up, regardless of whether you delete the copy on your computer.
If you don't have this setting turned on, please activate it and then log into your webmail (http://www.yourwebsite.co.uk/webmail and enter the username and password for your account) to clear out all the duplicate messages.
Read more about using Webmail >>
If you select to remove emails from the server once retrieved onto your computer, and then you go on holiday and so aren't using your computer, you will still able to access them in webmail. It's only once they are downloaded to your computer (the next time you check your email from your computer) that they will disappear from webmail.
Remember though: Webmail is the main mailbox for your account - if you delete an email from webmail, it is deleted for good and will not download to your computer when you next check your email there.
You may choose to use slightly advanced settings in Outlook/Mail etc. and choose to remove emails from the server after 5 or 10 days... this way you won't build up a backlog and fill up your online mailbox in webmail, but you will still be able to access recent emails whilst you're out and about.
Storing all your emails online forever:
If you wish to use Webmail and never delete any emails, or you wish to keep a permanent back up of all the emails on your computer by not removing them from the server/webmail, then please contact us about upgrading your hosting so you have more quota.