Back to the Index page Mailbox Cap Information

NetZero's Mailbox Size Limit
What Happens When a Mailbox is Capped?
How does a Mailbox Become too Full?
What About my NetZero Account Status?
How do I Uncap My Mailbox?
How do I Verify if a Cap has been Lifted from My Mailbox?
Facts and Figures


NetZero's Mailbox Size Limit

NetZero allows e-mail and attachments of up to 3MB. This applies to incoming and outgoing mail. If the total e-mail in the mailbox exceeds 5MB, the mailbox will be capped.



What Happens when a Mailbox is Capped? NetZero sends an e-mail notifying the member of the cap. The NetZero Member will not receive any new e-mail until his/her mailbox contains less than the 5 MB quota. E-mail that is sent to a capped member will be "bounced" or returned to the sender with a message, which explains that the NetZero Member's mailbox is full. The only way to retrieve bounced e-mail is to have the sender resend it after the cap has been lifted. Following is an example of how a "bounced e-mail" message would appear to the sender:

Subject: failure notice
Date: 9 Nov 1999 23:44:40 -0000
From: MAILER-DAEMON@mail6.wlv.netzero.net
To: yourfriend@otherisp.com

Hi. This is the NetZero mail server.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following address. This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

<memberid@netzero.net>:
Account mailbox is full.


No new e-mail accepted.

--- Below this line is a copy of the message.


Back to top



How does a Mailbox Become too Full?

  1. Too much unread e-mail is left on the server. A member's mailbox may have too much unread mail. Simply let your e-mail program download all of your mail and NetZero will lift the cap. You have 5 MG of mail or more in your box so please be patient while it downloads. It may take a considerable amount of time to download a large file or attachment (e.g., a sound or video file). To avoid this problem, download your e-mail regularly.

  2. A large e-mail or attachment is taking up space. A mailbox can become too full if a NetZero Member receives a large file or sends a large file to a friend and their friend's Internet Service Provider (ISP) does not accept the e-mail because of its size. Some ISPs limit e-mail to one MB or less and will "bounce" a large e-mail back to you. Either of these scenarios will take up space in your account until you check your e-mail successfully again. If you have problems deleting a large e-mail, send an e-mail to unblockmyemailhelp@netzero.net and indicate the e-mail where things seem to get stuck. A technical support analyst will help resolve the problem by deleting the troublesome e-mail.

  3. Saved copies of read e-mail are being saved on the server. You may have "leave e-mail on the server" set as a default in your e-mail program. This setting overrides your deletion and still keeps a copy on the server. Although you cannot see the e-mail, it continues to occupy space that a new e-mail could be using. Eventually, your "unseen" e-mail will fill your allotment of 5 MB and NetZero will cap your mailbox. To check your settings, click here. Select your e-mail program and follow the instructions in red at the top of the page.
Back to top



What About my NetZero Account Status?

The mail cap does NOT prevent you from sending e-mail, it stops you from receiving any new e-mail. The mail cap does NOT prevent you from using the ZeroPort and connecting to the Internet.

Back to top



How do I Uncap My Mailbox?

If, in the normal course of events, you check your e-mail and the volume of e-mail in your account drops below the 5 MB quota, NetZero will automatically lift the cap. New e-mail will begin to accumulate in your account once again.

The notification e-mail that a NetZero Member receives when his or her account is capped contains a "delete code."

If you are saving a copy of e-mails that you can no longer see, have too much e-mail to read or just want a fresh start, you can simply Reply to the mail cap notice with "delete" in the subject line. (Nothing else may appear in the subject line.)

Once an e-mail to "delete" is received from a capped member, NetZero deploys a three-step E-mail Deletion Program to clear the capped mailbox. If you still need help with uncapping your mailbox, send an e-mail to unblockmyemailhelp@netzero.net.

Back to top



How do I Verify if a Cap has been Lifted from My Mailbox?

To verify if the cap has been lifted, send yourself a message.

Back to top



Facts and Figures

NetZero e-mail accounts are created to hold 5 MB. An e-mail that contains a full page of text is about 5K, which leaves a lot of room for regular e-mail. Pictures and sound files take up considerably more room. A few of these files can fill an e-mail box quickly. NetZero allows e-mails and attachments up to 3 MB. This limit applies to incoming and outgoing mail. For this reason, a single e-mail from a friend will not fill up your e-mail box.

If a NetZero member attempts to send an e-mail larger than 3 MB, it will fail. The e-mail will not "bounce," because it is stopped before it is sent. Therefore, NetZero members do not have to worry about filling their e-mail accounts with large, unsuccessfully sent e-mails. But remember, other ISPs may have limits less than NetZero. They may bounce any large e-mail files back to your account, filling it to the NetZero limit very quickly. We recommend that you ask your friends what their ISP's limit is before sending them a large e-mail.


Back to top