iCloud Storage Full and Not Receiving Emails? Here’s the Fix
In short: If your iCloud storage is full and not receiving emails, that is the cause. iCloud Mail shares one 5 GB free quota with Photos, backups and Drive, so a full account bounces new mail back to senders. Free up space by emptying Mail Trash and Junk and clearing large attachments, then old photos and backups. If mail still does not arrive after that, toggle iCloud Mail off and on or restart the device. Upgrading to iCloud+ also fixes it.
Why iCloud storage full stops you receiving emails
Every Apple ID gets just 5 GB of free iCloud storage. That one pool is shared across iCloud Mail, Photos, iCloud Drive, Messages and device backups. Because your @icloud.com mail draws from the same 5 GB, a full photo library or an old device backup can leave no room for new messages. When that happens, Apple stops delivering incoming mail, so the sender gets a bounce and you simply stop receiving, with no error in your inbox. Anything you try to send sits in the Outbox until space frees up. Some of the mail that arrived while you were full does land once you clear space, but a lot of it is returned to senders as undeliverable, so it is worth fixing quickly and asking key contacts to resend.
Senior Analyst, Corbett Software
“The trap is that iCloud Mail shares the same 5 GB as your photos and backups, so a full camera roll can quietly stop your email. Clear Trash, Junk and big attachments first, then the mail flows again. If it still does not after you free space, toggle Mail off and on or reboot, since the server can hold the full flag for a while.”
The iCloud storage tiers
The free tier is small and has not changed in years, so many people upgrade rather than clear space every few months. Here are the current iCloud+ plans:
| Plan | Storage | Price per month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 5 GB | Free |
| iCloud+ | 50 GB | $0.99 |
| iCloud+ | 200 GB | $2.99 |
| iCloud+ | 2 TB | $9.99 |
| iCloud+ | 6 TB | $29.99 |
| iCloud+ | 12 TB | $59.99 |
Prices are the US monthly rates and may vary by region. To upgrade, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Manage Account Storage, then Change Storage Plan.
Check what is using your storage
Before you delete anything, see where the space has gone.
- iPhone or iPad: open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Manage Account Storage to see the breakdown.
- Mac: open System Settings, click your name, then iCloud, then Manage.
- Any browser: sign in at iCloud.com and open Account Settings to review usage.
Free up space and start receiving again
Work from the quickest wins down. Mail usually starts flowing again straight away.
- Empty Mail Trash and Junk. Both count toward your storage, so clearing them frees space at once.
- Delete large email attachments. Sort your mail by size or search for big attachments, since a few can outweigh thousands of plain messages.
- Clear old photos and videos. These are usually the biggest users of the 5 GB, so removing what you have backed up elsewhere helps most.
- Delete old device backups. An old iPhone backup you no longer need can free gigabytes.
- Tidy iCloud Drive. Remove large or duplicate files you do not need.
Cleared space or upgraded but still not receiving?
This catches a lot of people out. You free up space or even pay for iCloud+, yet mail still will not arrive. Usually the account is fine and the mail server just needs a nudge, so work through these:
- Toggle iCloud Mail off and on. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then See All, find iCloud Mail, turn it off, wait a moment and turn it back on.
- Restart the device. A simple reboot often lets iCloud reconnect and release the backlog.
- Sign out of iCloud and back in. This refreshes the connection when a toggle and a reboot do not.
- Give the server time. After an upgrade, Apple’s mail server can hold the full flag for a short while before it clears on its own.
- Check your billing. An expired card can quietly cancel your iCloud+ plan and drop you back to 5 GB. Open Settings, your name, then Payment and Shipping to update the card.
If none of that works and the storage clearly shows free space, contact Apple Support and ask them to reset the mailbox, since the flag can occasionally stick on their side.
Keep your emails without paying
Deleting junk is fine, but not mail you may need again. The way to free space and keep every email is to back the mailbox up to your own computer first, then delete it from iCloud. Your storage drops while the emails stay safe offline.
The Corbett iCloud Backup Tool signs in to your account and saves the mailbox to your PC as PST, PDF, MBOX or EML, with attachments and folders kept. It previews the mail first, filters by date or sender so you archive the oldest mail, then a free demo edition runs on every edition of Windows.
Frequently asked questions
Can I receive emails if my iCloud storage is full?
No. When iCloud storage is full, Apple stops delivering new mail and the sender gets a failure notice. Free up space or upgrade to iCloud+, then the mail starts arriving again.
Will I get back emails sent while my iCloud was full?
Some arrive once you clear space, depending on how many came in. The rest are returned to senders as undeliverable, so ask important contacts to resend after you have room.
I upgraded, so why am I still not receiving emails?
The mail server can hold the full flag for a short while after an upgrade. Toggle iCloud Mail off and on, restart the device or sign out and back in. Also check that an expired card has not cancelled your plan.
How do I free up iCloud storage fast?
Empty Mail Trash and Junk, delete large attachments, then clear old photos, videos and unused device backups. Restart Mail so iCloud releases the held messages.
How much does more iCloud storage cost?
iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month for 50 GB, then $2.99 for 200 GB and $9.99 for 2 TB, with 6 TB and 12 TB tiers above that. Billing is monthly only.
How do I keep my iCloud emails before deleting them?
Back the mailbox up to your computer with an iCloud backup tool, saving it as PST, PDF or EML with attachments. Then delete the mail from iCloud to free space without losing anything.