Each email account has a storage quota that limits how much space it can use. When a mailbox reaches its quota, it can no longer receive new messages. Monitoring and managing email disk usage helps prevent bounced emails and keeps your hosting account's storage in check.
Please note: Screens and options may vary slightly depending on your cPanel version and hosting plan.
When You Would Use This
Check this when you receive quota warnings, when emails are bouncing due to a full mailbox, or as part of regular account maintenance.
Checking Email Disk Usage
- Log in to your cPanel account.
- In the Email section, click Email Accounts.
- The list displays each account's current usage and allocated quota.
Changing a Mailbox Quota
- On the Email Accounts page, click Manage next to the account.
- In the Allocated Storage Space section, enter a new quota in MB, or select Unlimited.
- Click Update Email Settings.
Reducing Mailbox Usage
If a mailbox is approaching its quota, here are some strategies:
- Delete old or large emails — Log into Webmail and sort by size. Remove emails with large attachments that you no longer need.
- Empty the Trash and Junk folders — These count towards the quota. In Roundcube, right-click the folder and select Empty.
- Archive old email locally — Use an email client (Outlook, Thunderbird) to move old messages to local folders on your computer, freeing server space.
- Reduce the sent folder — Sent emails with attachments consume significant space.
Monitoring Overall Disk Usage
Email storage contributes to your account's total disk usage. To see the bigger picture:
- In cPanel, click Disk Usage in the Files section.
- This shows usage broken down by directory, including mail directories.
- The mail directory is typically located at
/home/username/mail/.
Tips
- Set mailbox quotas appropriate to the user's needs. A typical user might need 500MB–2GB. Users handling large attachments may need more.
- Consider setting up a monitoring alert if your hosting plan has limited overall disk space.
- Encourage users to avoid sending large files via email — use a file sharing service or cloud storage link instead.
- IMAP clients sync with the server, so deleting from the client also deletes from the server (after expunging). POP3 clients may download and delete from the server, depending on settings.
What Next?
- Understanding Disk Usage — Monitor your overall account storage.
- Downloading and Restoring Backups — Back up email before bulk deleting.
