What does the Gmail error '452 4.2.2 The email account that you tried to reach is over quota' mean, and how should I handle it?

Summary

The Gmail error '452 4.2.2' indicates the recipient's mailbox is over quota. This is classified as a soft bounce, meaning it's a temporary issue, and the sending server will typically retry delivery. However, if the condition persists, it may eventually result in a permanent failure (hard bounce). While one viewpoint suggests little action is needed, most experts recommend treating soft bounces as temporary failures, implementing temporary suppression, and re-attempting delivery after a period. If delivery continues to fail, permanently suppress the address to avoid impacting sender reputation. Proactive list hygiene, automated bounce management, feedback loops, and segmenting lists are also advised.

Key findings

  • Soft Bounce: The '452 4.2.2' error is a soft bounce indicating a temporary issue (mailbox full).
  • Automatic Retries: The sending server will automatically retry delivery.
  • Eventual Hard Bounce: Persistent issues can escalate to a hard bounce.
  • Recipient Action: The recipient needs to free up space in their mailbox.
  • Reputation at Risk: Repeatedly sending to full mailboxes can harm sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Temporary Suppression: Implement temporary suppression of addresses returning this error.
  • Re-attempt Delivery: After a period, re-attempt delivery to suppressed addresses.
  • Permanent Suppression: If delivery continues to fail, permanently suppress the address.
  • List Hygiene: Practice proactive email list hygiene.
  • Automated Management: Use an automated bounce management system.
  • Feedback Loops: Implement feedback loops to manage bounces effectively.
  • Segmentation: Consider segmenting your list based on bounce history.

What email marketers say
8Marketer opinions

The '452 4.2.2' Gmail error indicates that the recipient's mailbox is over quota. Email marketers recommend treating these as soft bounces, implementing temporary suppression lists, and retrying delivery after a few days. If the error persists after multiple attempts, permanently suppress the address to maintain a healthy sender reputation and improve email deliverability. Segmentation, feedback loops, automated bounce management, and proactive list hygiene are also advised to minimize the recurrence of this error.

Key opinions

  • Soft Bounce: The '452 4.2.2' error is classified as a soft bounce, indicating a temporary issue.
  • Temporary Suppression: Implementing a temporary suppression list is recommended for recipients who return this error.
  • Retry Delivery: After a few days, retry sending to recipients who initially triggered the 'over quota' error.
  • Permanent Suppression: If the error persists after multiple retries, permanently suppress the address.
  • Sender Reputation: Continued sending to full mailboxes can negatively impact your sender reputation.
  • List Hygiene: Managing soft bounces is integral to email list hygiene.
  • Automated Bounce Management: Implementing an automated bounce management system is crucial for effective handling.

Key considerations

  • Retry Mechanism: Implement a retry mechanism with exponential backoff before suppressing users.
  • Segmentation: Consider segmenting your email list to target 'over quota' users less frequently.
  • Feedback Loops: Implement feedback loops to effectively manage bounces and sender reputation.
  • List Maintenance: Proactively maintain your email list to reduce the recurrence of the 'over quota' error.
  • Re-Engagement: Consider re-engagement campaigns for temporarily suppressed users to see if they've cleared their mailbox.
  • Tagging System: Implement a tagging system for soft bounces to monitor their recurrence.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that implementing an automated bounce management system is crucial. It should differentiate between hard and soft bounces and handle each appropriately. Soft bounces, such as 'mailbox full', warrant temporary suppression, followed by re-engagement campaigns to see if the user has cleared up their mailbox.

August 2023 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass advises segmenting your email list to separate users who frequently trigger the 'over quota' error. Target these users less frequently or offer incentives to clean up their inboxes. They recommend cleaning your email list to maintain a positive sending reputation.

August 2024 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus warns that while 'mailbox full' errors don't directly harm sender reputation, a high volume of them indicates poor list hygiene. They recommend a proactive approach to email list maintenance to reduce the recurrence of this error and maintain healthy deliverability rates.

October 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit user recommends implementing a feedback loop to manage bounces effectively. They state that persistent soft bounces should be treated with caution and monitored to avoid damaging your sender reputation. It's suggested that continuous soft bounces from the same email address warrant suppression.

October 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow user suggests implementing a retry mechanism with exponential backoff. If the error persists after several retries over a period of time, the user should be unsubscribed. This ensures you're not repeatedly sending to an account that will never accept mail.

August 2024 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet recommends implementing a temporary suppression list for recipients who return this error. After a few days, retry sending to them. If the error persists, permanently suppress the address. This prevents continued sending to full mailboxes, which can negatively impact your sender reputation.

March 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from DigitalMarketer highlights that managing soft bounces, like the 'over quota' error, is an integral part of email list hygiene. They propose a system of tagging soft bounces and implementing a suppression rule after a predefined number of occurrences. This keeps the email list healthy and improves deliverability.

March 2022 - DigitalMarketer
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that this error falls under 'soft bounces' and recommends treating these differently than hard bounces. They suggest a suppression period for soft bounces with a retry later on. If it still fails after a few tries, it may be better to remove them from the list entirely.

July 2024 - Email On Acid

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

The Gmail error '452 4.2.2' indicates the recipient's mailbox is full or has exceeded their storage quota. Experts classify this as a soft bounce, meaning it's a temporary issue, and the sending server will likely retry delivery. Hard bounces, on the other hand, signify permanent delivery failures. While some suggest little action is needed since it's a recipient issue, best practices involve treating soft bounces as temporary failures, re-attempting delivery, and removing the address if it continues to fail to avoid impacting sender reputation.

Key opinions

  • Soft Bounce: The '452 4.2.2' error signifies a soft bounce, a temporary issue.
  • Recipient Issue: The error indicates a problem with the recipient's mailbox, not the sender's email.
  • Automatic Retries: The sending server will likely retry delivery automatically.
  • Hard Bounce Contrast: Hard bounces represent permanent delivery failures.

Key considerations

  • Re-attempt Delivery: Re-attempt delivery for soft bounces.
  • Removal on Failure: Remove the address if delivery consistently fails after multiple attempts.
  • Reputation Impact: Failure to manage bounces can negatively impact sender reputation.
  • Action Optional: One perspective suggests no action is necessary, as the problem resolves itself when the recipient clears their inbox.
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource.com explains that a soft bounce is a temporary issue, and a hard bounce is a permanent issue. Treat soft bounces as temporary failures, re-attempt delivery, and remove if delivery continues to fail. The 'over quota' error is considered a soft bounce.

November 2023 - Spamresource.com
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains the hard bounce is when Gmail thinks the user isn't coming back and isn't going to clean out their account. The soft bounce is when Google thinks they may come clean out their account. But, it really is exactly what it says on the label: the user has too much in their Google account and Google won't allow them to go over their quota. This kind of bounce doesn't affect reputation or anything, so if you have the capacity, you don't need to really do anything.

December 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that bounce messages are status notifications of a delivery attempt. Soft bounces mean that the message wasn't delivered but the server will try again, whereas hard bounces mean that the server won't try again. You should try to identify what the problem is and remove the bad addresses from your list to avoid damaging your reputation.

March 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the soft bounce error means the recipient’s mailbox is full or they’ve hit their Google storage quota and has nothing to do with the sender's mail. Either the deferral will get escalated to a hard bounce, or the recipient will clean up some junk and it’ll start being delivered again. There is nothing the sender needs to do either way.

July 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

The Gmail error '452 4.2.2' signifies that the recipient's mailbox is over quota. Technical documentation consistently defines this as a temporary failure ('Mailbox Full') indicating that the recipient has exceeded their storage limit. The sending server will automatically retry delivery. However, if the condition persists and redelivery attempts fail repeatedly, the issue may eventually escalate to a permanent failure or a hard bounce.

Key findings

  • Mailbox Over Quota: The '452 4.2.2' error indicates that the recipient's Gmail account is over quota.
  • Temporary Failure: The error is considered a temporary failure, with the recipient needing to free up space.
  • Automatic Redelivery: The sending server will typically retry delivery automatically.
  • RFC Standard: RFC 3463 defines the 4.2.2 status code as 'Mailbox Full'.

Key considerations

  • Eventual Hard Bounce: If the mailbox remains full, the error may eventually lead to a hard bounce or permanent failure.
  • Redelivery Attempts: The number of redelivery attempts may vary depending on the sending system.
  • Recipient Action: The recipient must take action by freeing up space in their account to receive new emails.
Technical article

Documentation from Exim Wiki describes the 4.2.2 error as a temporary failure indicating that the recipient's mailbox is full. The system will likely attempt to redeliver the message later. If the condition persists, it may eventually result in a permanent failure.

January 2024 - Exim Wiki
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that a 4.2.2 NDR means the mailbox on the receiving side is full. The email server will try to deliver the message again for a while. If the user doesn't free up space, the message will eventually be returned as undeliverable (a hard bounce).

June 2021 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from RFC 3463 defines the 4.2.2 status code as 'Mailbox Full'. It indicates that the recipient's mailbox has exceeded its storage limit. The sender may attempt redelivery, but repeated failures indicate a permanent issue.

February 2024 - RFC Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains that the '452 4.2.2' error specifically indicates that the recipient's Gmail account is over quota. The recipient needs to free up space in their account to receive new emails. The error is temporary, and the sending server will typically retry delivery.

December 2022 - Google Support