Mailbox full: protect your business email first
A mailbox at its storage limit can stop accepting new messages and may also prevent sending. The applicable limit depends on the provider and account. First verify the warning in the real account, then agree how to create space or increase capacity without destroying business records you still need.
Before you start
- Open the provider through a known bookmark, not a payment link inside an unexpected storage-warning email.
- Identify the mailbox owner and anyone responsible for retaining business correspondence.
- Record the displayed usage and quota; your laptop’s free disk space is a different measurement.
What to do
Check which storage is full
Read the account’s own storage view and identify whether the warning concerns the mailbox, shared cloud storage or a local device. Take a private note of the totals and large folders. Do not purchase an upgrade until the provider confirms it applies to the account and limit causing the problem.
Make a retention-safe plan
Ask the owner which correspondence and attachments must remain accessible. Before cleanup, establish whether an approved export or backup can be read and restored if required. An archive folder inside the same mailbox may still use the same quota, so confirm how your provider’s archiving feature actually works.
Choose a controlled next step
The owner or administrator should approve either suitable additional capacity or a precise cleanup of records they no longer need. Review the provider’s instructions for that account type before proceeding. Do not empty whole folders or run automatic cleanup just because the dashboard presents a convenient button.
Test new delivery and recover the conversation
Once the provider shows the account is within limits, authorise one new incoming and outgoing test. Ask important senders to resend messages that bounced while the mailbox was full. Keep a record of the new capacity and a sensible review reminder so the same interruption is less likely to surprise the business.
What to check
- The affected quota has been verified in the genuine provider account.
- Needed correspondence remains accessible after any approved action.
- New mail works in both directions and rejected messages have been followed up.
Sources and further reading
Platform features can change. Check the provider’s current guidance before changing a live service.