Email storage & archiving
How email storage works, what your limits are, and how to keep your inbox manageable over the long term.
Email accumulates fast. After a few years, a business inbox can hold tens of thousands of messages and gigabytes of attachments. This guide covers how storage works, what your limits are, and how to stay organized.
Quick summary
Each email account has a storage limit set by your platform. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both offer generous storage per user. When you get close to the limit, new emails may stop arriving. Archive, delete, or upgrade storage before that happens.
How email storage works
Every email — including attachments — is stored on your email provider's servers. Your email client (Gmail, Outlook) shows you what's stored there. When you delete a message, it goes to a trash folder for a while, then is permanently deleted.
Storage is measured in gigabytes (GB). Most professional email plans include:
| Platform | Storage per user (entry plan) |
|---|---|
| Google Workspace Business Starter | 30 GB pooled across all Google services |
| Google Workspace Business Standard | 2 TB pooled across all Google services |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | 50 GB mailbox only |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | 50 GB mailbox + 1 TB OneDrive |
Note: Google Workspace pools storage across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. Microsoft 365 counts mailbox and OneDrive separately.
What happens when you run out of space
If your mailbox fills up:
- New incoming emails may be rejected (the sender receives a bounce message)
- You may not be able to send new emails
- You can still log in and read existing messages
This is disruptive — especially if a client is trying to reach you. Monitor your storage usage and address it before it becomes a problem.
How to manage storage
Clean up your inbox
The biggest space users are usually:
- Large attachments — search for emails with attachments over 5 MB
- Old newsletters and marketing emails — unsubscribe and delete
- Spam and junk folders — empty them regularly
- Sent items — these count toward your storage too
In Gmail, search for has:attachment larger:5m to find large attachment emails.
Archive instead of delete
Archiving removes emails from your inbox (so you don't see them every day) but keeps them searchable. This is a good way to keep your inbox manageable without losing old messages.
In Gmail, press E or click the archive button. In Outlook, use Archive from the menu.
Empty the trash
Deleted emails stay in the Trash folder for 30 days (Gmail) or up to 30 days (Outlook) before being permanently removed. Empty the trash manually if you need to reclaim space immediately.
Upgrade your storage
If your team genuinely needs more space, upgrading to a higher plan is usually the simplest solution.
- In Google Workspace, upgrading the plan increases pooled storage for everyone
- In Microsoft 365, additional mailbox storage is available through Exchange Online Archiving
- Storage add-ons can be purchased in both platforms
Email archiving for compliance
Some industries and jurisdictions require businesses to retain email records for a specific number of years. This is different from general storage management — it's a legal requirement.
Both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 offer archiving features for compliance:
- Google Workspace Vault (available on Business Plus and above): retains email, applies legal holds, and allows search for legal and compliance purposes
- Microsoft 365 Exchange Online Archiving and Compliance Center: similar capabilities for Microsoft 365
Check your compliance requirements
If you work in a regulated industry (legal, healthcare, finance, public sector), speak with your compliance advisor about email retention requirements before setting up your archiving policy.
Shared mailboxes and storage
Shared mailboxes in Microsoft 365 include their own storage quota (50 GB for shared mailboxes, expandable). In Google Workspace, email in a shared/collaborative inbox uses the main account's quota.
Common questions
Related guides
- Email security basics
- Storage & quotas in Google Workspace
- Storage & quotas in Microsoft 365
- Email not sending or receiving?
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