All email service providers limit the amount and size of email you can send and receive within a 24 hour period.
If you accidentally exceed these limits, your email account may be temporarily suspended.
The rules are different for each provider:
iCloud
If you’ve got an email address that ends in @me.com, @mac.com, or @icloud.com, you’re using Apple’s iCloud mail service.
- Sending limit for a single email is 100 recipients.
- Sending limit for a 24 hour period is 200 emails.
- Maximum recipients for a 24 hour period is 1,000.
- Attachment size limit for outbound or inbound emails is 20mb.
If You Exceed Limitations – You’ll see an error message and your account will not function for 24 hours.
More information can be found in Apple’s support document – iCloud: Mailbox size and message sending limits.
GMail
This information is for free Gmail accounts that end with @gmail.com.
- Sending limit for a single email is 500 recipients.
- Sending limit for a 24 hour period is 500 emails.
- Attachment size limit is 25mb per email or up to 10GB if that file is uploaded and stored on Google Drive.
- Google do not provide information regarding limits for receiving emails on free accounts.
If You Exceed Limitations – Generally a 24 hour suspension of your free email account.
Google also hosts paid business and education accounts through Google Apps. Check for restrictions on this Google Support page.
If your email address includes your business name it may be using Google Apps. Ask your Web Administrator for information.
Yahoo Mail
This information is for free Yahoo accounts that end with @yahoo.com.
- Sending limit for a single email is 100 recipients.
- Sending limit for a 24 hour period is 500 emails.
- Attachment size limit is 25mb per email. Attachment size is unlimited if the file is uploaded and stored in a Dropbox account.
- Yahoo do not provide information regarding limits for receiving emails on free accounts.
If You Exceed Limitations – Generally a 12 – 24 hour suspension of your free email account.
… And the Others
It’s surprisingly difficult to find accurate, up-to-date information on the email policies for many providers.
Apple, a company renowned for it’s secrecy, is the only one that simply states what their iCloud mail restrictions are.
If you search online, look for the latest information and try to cross-check what you find.
If you have a Web or IT administrator get the information from that resource.
Email Stranger Danger
If you receive a notification from your email provider that you have exceeded your limit… do not click on any links within that email.
Very few of you will exceed your daily limit and an email like this is most likely a phishing scam.
Contact your email provider and inform them about the email.
A Final Word On Sending Large Files
Sending large files is no longer a big deal with free services from companies like WeTransfer.
The only thing that gets emailed to the recipient is the download link for the file. Check out the following posts:
WeTransfer – The Simple Way To Send Movies To Friends From Your Mac
Have a rockin’ Wednesday.
Live in Los Angeles County and need Mac help, training, support, service, repair, or just want some questions answered…
Call me at 310-621-5679. We come to you. That’s as stress-free as it gets.
Please Help! When I receive emails with attachement, from the Apple iCloud server, received into Outlook 2013, the attachments (irrespective of format) will not open, message states corrupted. All was fine until a month ago.
Could you please propose a solution, before I hang myself!!
Many thanks.
Neil.
I would post your question on Apple’s Support Forum. You’re most likely to get the answer from another user who’s faced the same problem. Microsoft’s support for Outlook 2003 ended in 2009, so other users are your best bet – John
Hey There – When I tried to send and receive email from my mac today for our @gmail.com account, it said that I had reached our quota. I have NEVER and will never approach the number of 500 sent emails/24 hours, nor have I sent any large files. The gmail account works fine from my iPhone and others on their PC, who have access to our non-profit’s account (this one) can send and receive fine. Any thoughts?
Hi Lauri – It sounds like Apple Mail may the original location the account was set up on and it may have reached it’s 15GB storage limit for mail on the Gmail system. This is just a wold, shot in the dark, but with looking at. – John