I am over quota, what can I do?

Simply put: remove files from the IMAP server.

First, if you are using a "trash" folder, empty it.

Second, delete files you do not need. Don't forget to check for old messages---especially messages with attachments---in the "sent items" folder(s).

Note 1: If the files are large, you might not be able to delete them without first disabling the "trash" folder. This is because IMAP will attempt to copy the message to the "trash" folder first.

Note 2: Some e-mail clients do not removed deleted messages from the IMAP server. Instead the messages are marked "Delete". They may be displayed greyed out, or with a line through the message entry. To actually delete the messages, the folder must be "purged" or "expunged." How this is done varies from client to client, so read the documentation. If the client offers an Auto-Purge option, you may want to enable it. (The windows program IMAPSize offers an Expunge option. Webmail auto-purges/expunges.)

Note, if you use more than one IMAP client to read e-mail, those clients may have created their own "trash" and "sent items" folders. Don't forget to check them for unwanted messages. (See Why do I have more than one trash folder?, and Why do I have more than one "Sent" folder? for more information.)

Finally, you can archive old e-mail on your desktop or laptop computer. Outlook has an Auto-archive feature which will move old e-mail to a PST file. You can also use an IMAP archiving program such as IMAPSize.

Last modified: April 11, 2007