Mailbox Information

Note: This page pertains to Mailbox limits and attachment policies. If you were looking for information on how to use Message Center, click here.

If you have a question about using a dedicated email program or NetZero's POP and SMTP settings, click here.

Summary of Mailbox Limits

The term "mailbox" refers to the space (in MB) on NetZero's mail servers assigned to your account. All mail accessible through your Message Center account is stored on NetZero's mail servers. Mail downloaded to your personal computer is removed from Message Center and NetZero's mail servers, freeing up storage space.

Maximum Mailbox Size - NetZero Free members will receive 1 GB of space to store their email. NetZero Platinum members and NetZero MegaMail members receive 2 GB of space, while NetZero MegaMail Plus members get 5 GB. If any member's mailbox gets full they will not be able to receive new mail until they free up space.

Maximum Incoming and Outgoing Message Sizes (Including Attachments) - Free and Platinum NetZero users are able to send and receive individual messages (including attachments) up to 10 MB in size. NetZero MegaMail members can send and receive individual messages (including attachments) up to 20 MB in size, while NetZero MegaMail Plus members can send and receive up to 30 MB.

Email Inactivity Policy - If you are a Free user, your email account will remain active as long as you check your mail at least once every 60 days. If you do not sign in to your Free email account for 60 days, your account will become inactive.

If you were previously a paid member and are now a Free user, your email account will become inactive after one year of no activity. After an additional 30 days if there is still no activity, all e-mails in the account will be deleted.

An inactive account:

1. Will not accept new mail
2. Will have all stored email deleted

NetZero's mail and mailbox size limits

If a message or attachment exceeds the mailbox size of 5 GB for NetZero MegaMail Plus members, 2 GB for NetZero MegaMail members and Platinum users, and 1 GB for Free users, no new messages will delivered until old messages are removed from your mailbox. Click here to sign up for a NetZero HiSpeed or Platinum account to significantly increase the size of your mailbox.

NetZero's attachment limits

Paid users can send email and attachments up to 20 MB when using a dedicated email program such as Outlook Express. Click here to sign up for a NetZero HiSpeed or Platinum account.

What happens when a member tries sending a message or an attachment to another member with a full mailbox?

NetZero will not allow you to send a message or attachment to another member once their mailbox exceeds 5 GB for NetZero MegaMail Plus members, 2 GB for NetZero MegaMail members and Platinum users, and 1 GB for Free users. Email that is sent to such a member will be 'bounced' or returned to the sender with a message explaining that the NetZero member's mailbox is full.The only way to retrieve bounced email is to have the sender resend the mail after the recipient clears space in their mailbox.The following is an example of how a 'bounced email' message would appear to the sender:

How does a Message Center mailbox become too full?

Your mailbox can become full in several ways, but the most common are:

1. Too much unread email is left on the NetZero server. A mailbox may have too much unread mail. To fix this, simply download all your mail to your computer and you will be able to accept messages again. You may have up to 5 GB or more of mail, so please be patient while it downloads, as 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, regularly download your email.
   
   
2. A large email or attachment is taking up space. A mailbox can become too full if a NetZero Member receives or sends a large file and the recipient's Internet Service Provider (ISP) does not accept the email because of its size. Some ISPs limit email to one MB or less and will 'bounce' a large email back to you. Either of these scenarios will take up space in your account until you check your email successfully again.
   
   
3. Saved copies of read email are being saved on the NetZero server. You may have 'leave email on the server' set as a default in your email program. This setting keeps copies of all your mail on the NetZero server, even if you've deleted it from your email reader. Although you cannot see the email, it continues to occupy space that new email could use. Eventually, this 'unseen' email will fill your allotment of MB and your mailbox will not accept any more mail. To check your settings, click here. Select your email program and follow the instructions in red at the top of the page.

What about my NetZero account status?

Having a full mailbox does NOT prevent you from sending email; it only stops you from receiving any new email. It also does NOT prevent you from using the ZeroPort or Platinum Toolbar and connecting to the Internet.

How do I free up my Message Center mailbox?

If you check your email and the volume in your account drops below your mailbox's quota, new email will begin to accumulate in your account once again.

Should your mailbox reach its size limit due to large attachments, corrupt messages or just too many emails, you can use NetZero Message Center to check your NetZero mail on the Internet. Delete any mail causing the download problems, and you will be able to view and download the rest of your mail using your regular email program.

How do I verify that my mailbox is no longer full?

To verify that your mailbox is no longer full, send yourself a message.

• If you are a NetZero MegaMail Plus member and receive the message successfully, you are under the 5 GB limit.
• If you are a NetZero MegaMail member and receive the message successfully, you are under the 2 GB limit.
• If you are a Platinum member and receive the message successfully, you are under the 2 GB limit.
• If you are a Free user and receive the message successfully, you are under the 1 GB limit.

Click here to sign up for a NetZero HiSpeed or Platinum account and receive a bigger mailbox.

Facts and Figures

NetZero email accounts are created to hold 5 GB of messages for NetZero MegaMail Plus members, 2 GB for NetZero Platinum and MegaMail members, and 1 GB of messages for Free users. An email that contains a full page of text is about 5K, which leaves a lot of room for regular email. Pictures and sound files take up considerably more room. A few of these files can quickly fill an email box. NetZero allows emails and attachments up to 30 MB for NetZero MegaMail Plus members, 20 MB for NetZero Platinum and MegaMail members, and 10 MB for Free members. This limit applies to both incoming and outgoing mail.

If a NetZero member attempts to send an email larger than the allowed limit, it will fail. The email will not 'bounce,' because it is stopped before it is sent. Therefore, NetZero members do not have to worry about filling their email accounts with large, unsuccessfully sent emails. But remember, other ISPs may have limits lower than NetZero, and they may bounce any large email 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 email.

Mail Activity

I sign on to NetZero's Free service frequently, but I don't check my NetZero email. Will my email account still be active after 60 days?

If you are a Free user, you must check your NetZero email at least once every 60 days to keep your mailbox active. If you were previously a paid member and are now a Free user, you must check your NetZero email at least once a year to keep your mailbox active. Logging on to NetZero alone will not prevent your email account from becoming inactive.

I use Outlook Express to check my email. Will I lose all my messages if I don't check them in 60 days?

No. Mail that you have already stored on your PC will not be affected by the policy. Only mail you view through our WebMail product will be deleted after 60 days (or 1 year if previously a paid member) of inactivity.

I just got back from a long vacation and noticed that my Free NetZero email account has become inactive. How do I reactivate it?

If your email service becomes inactive, you will be able to reactivate your email service at any time by simply checking your email. Your address book entries will still be available, but old email will have been deleted from your NetZero mailbox. NetZero will not be able to recover email messages once they have been deleted from your mailbox, so please make sure to either download mail to your computer and keep your email service active.

With NetZero MegaMail you get 2GB of storage, enhanced features, and the ability to send and receive messages from non-NetZero email addresses. MegaMail Plus offers even more storage, and expanded sort and delete settings. Click here for more information and a free trial.