Knowledgebase

Your plan's total storage is probably full, even if a number on your screen says otherwise. Less often, one email address has reached its own limit. Either way, contact us if mail has stopped, and we can check the real figure.

These are the usual signs:

• Someone tells you their email to you came back saying your mailbox is full.
• Your mail app shows Mailbox is full / Blocks limit exceeded / Inode limit exceeded.
• You can't send mail or save drafts.
• New mail has stopped arriving.

Why your screen says you have space

There are three different numbers, and they are easy to mix up.

So your mailboxes can add up to far less than your plan, and the plan can still be full, because your website files use the same storage. The email page doesn't count those.

A mailbox limit doesn't add storage either. Even a mailbox set to Unlimited can only use what's left in your plan.

See your real usage

1. Sign in to your EverWeb account page (the Client Area).
2. Go to Services > My Services and click your hosting plan.
3. Click Resource Usage to see Disk Space for the whole plan.
4. Click Email Accounts to see how much each address is using against its limit.

Remember that the plan figure can be up to a day old. For today's number, ask us. We can also tell you how much is website and how much is email, right down to each mailbox.

If one address has reached its limit

If your plan has room but one mailbox is at its limit, raise the limit:

1. In the Client Area, go to Email Accounts as above.
2. Click the pencil icon next to the address.
3. Set a higher Email Quota, or choose Unlimited, and save.
4. Ask someone to send you a test message.

If you see an "exceeding quota" message and can't save the change, don't keep trying. Your plan's storage may be full. Contact us and tell us what the message said.

If your plan's storage is full: empty the Trash

Deleting a message only moves it to Trash, and it keeps using space until the Trash is emptied.

In webmail:

1. Go to yourdomain.com/webmail, using your own domain, and sign in with your full email address and that address's password. You can also use the Webmail link in the Client Area: see How can I check my email online?
2. Right-click the Trash folder on the left (or Control-click on a Mac) and choose Empty.
3. Do the same for Junk.
4. Repeat for each email address on your plan.

In Apple Mail on a Mac: empty the Trash from the Mailbox menu. To have it done automatically, go to Mail > Settings > Accounts, select the account, click Mailbox Behaviors, and choose when to erase deleted and junk messages.

In other mail apps: look for an Empty Trash or Empty Deleted Items option. If you have several computers or phones, check that they aren't set to keep deleted mail on the server.

Trash may not be enough. Junk mail rarely takes much space. Most of it is usually old messages with large attachments, especially in Inbox and Sent, so look there next. Delete what you don't need, then empty the Trash again.

Keep old mail, but take it off the server

You can keep old mail on your computer, where it doesn't use your plan's storage. The folder you move it to matters: a folder that sits under your email address is still on the server.

Before you start: mail you move this way exists only on that one computer. You won't see it on your phone or other devices, and it won't be safe if that computer fails unless you back it up.

In Apple Mail on a Mac:

1. Choose Mailbox > New Mailbox.
2. Set the location to On My Mac, name the folder, and click OK.
3. Drag your old messages into the new folder.
4. Open the new folder and check your messages are there.
5. Empty the Trash for that email address.

Apple's guide has more detail: Back up your mailboxes in Mail.

In other mail apps: look for a local folder, one stored on your computer rather than under your email address. Your app's help pages will show you where it is.

Ask us to check again

When you've finished, tell us. The bars may not change until the next day, but we can see the current number. We'll tell you whether you've cleared enough.

You'll know it has worked when a test message reaches you and you can send mail again.

When a bigger plan makes sense

Clear space first if there's mail you don't need. A bigger plan makes sense if you still end up close to the limit, or you want to keep your mail on the server where every device can see it.

You only pay the price difference for the time left on your current plan. See How can I upgrade my EverWeb + Hosting account?

What the sender sees, and what happens to their email

When your storage or mailbox is full, the sender gets a returned mail message (a bounce) saying your mailbox is full. This means:

• Your server refused the message. It wasn't held anywhere, so it won't turn up later.
• We can't get it back. We may be able to tell you who tried to write to you and when, so tell us if you were expecting something important.
• The sender needs to send it again once your email is working.

If a bounce says something other than "mailbox full", it may be a different problem. Send us the whole returned message.

If there's plenty of room

If we confirm you have room, the cause is something else. These articles cover the most common ones:

• My IP address is blocked: email, publishing or my site won't connect
• How do I change or reset my email password?
• Email settings for Apple Mail, Outlook, Gmail and other apps (IMAP, POP, SMTP)

Related articles

• My hosting is full. What is using my space and how do I clear it? (Error 55)
• How can I add more file space to my email accounts?
• How can I check my email online?
• My domain, my website, my hosting and my email: who does what?