Exceeding mailbox storage quotas

Each e‑mail account in cPanel has a storage quota that limits how much disk space it can use. When a mailbox exceeds its quota, new messages may bounce back to senders or fail to deliver.

Symptoms of Exceeding Quotas

• Senders receive a bounce message:

  Mailbox quota exceeded

• You cannot send or receive new messages.

• Webmail shows warnings about storage limits.

• Mail client (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail) may fail to sync.

Resolving Quota Issues

1. Increase the Quota

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Go to Email → Email Accounts.
3. Locate the account → click Manage.
4. Under Storage, increase the quota or set to Unlimited.
5. Click Update Email Settings.

2. Clean Up Mailbox

1. Log in to cPanel → Email Disk Usage.

2. Select the account.

3. Identify folders consuming the most space (Inbox, Sent, Trash, Junk).

4. Use filters to delete:

   • Messages older than 1 year.
   • Messages larger than 30 MB.
   • All messages in Trash/Junk.

5. Click Delete Permanently.

3. Use Mail Client Rules

• Configure Outlook/Thunderbird to auto‑archive old mail.
• Set rules to move large attachments to local folders.
• Regularly empty Trash and Junk folders.

4. Backup and Remove Old Mail

• Export important messages to a local archive (PST for Outlook, MBOX for Thunderbird).
• Delete them from the server to free space.

Note

• Quotas are per account, not per domain.
• Deleting messages is **permanent,**always back up first.
• If you set quota to Unlimited, ensure your hosting plan has enough disk space overall.