Yahoo Mail Storage Limit: From Unlimited to 20 GB (2026)

How much Yahoo Mail storage do you get for free? Yahoo once promised unlimited email storage, then 1 TB, and now gives free users 20 GB. This guide covers that history, today’s Yahoo Mail storage limit, and how to free up space before your inbox fills.

Quick answer: Free Yahoo Mail accounts get 20 GB of storage since mid-2025, down from 1 TB. Yahoo Mail Plus gives 200 GB. When your mailbox is full you can no longer send or receive email, so delete large attachments and old newsletters, empty the Trash, or upgrade.

Yahoo Mail storage history

Yahoo Mail has changed its storage offer many times since it began.

• 1997: Yahoo bought RocketMail, one of the world’s first webmail services, and relaunched it as Yahoo Mail with a humble 2 MB of space, later raised to 1 GB.
• 2007: As Yahoo Mail approached its 10th anniversary, it announced unlimited free email storage for everyone, rolling out from May 2007. Yahoo said it already received more inbound mail every 10 minutes than the entire capacity it once had for all accounts.
• 2013: A redesign replaced “unlimited” with a fixed 1 TB of free storage.
• 2025: Yahoo cut free storage from 1 TB to 20 GB, rolling out from July 2025, and reduced Yahoo Mail Plus from 5 TB to 200 GB.

The 2007 webmail storage race

Back in 2007 free email services fought hard to keep users. Gmail had just dropped its invite-only rule and offered a then-huge 2 GB that kept growing, Indian service Rediffmail announced unlimited email storage space, and Windows Live Mail was renamed Windows Live Hotmail so users would recognise the brand. Unlimited storage gave Yahoo Mail users something to brag about.

Yahoo Mail storage limit in 2026

• Free Yahoo Mail: 20 GB.
• Yahoo Mail Plus (paid): 200 GB, plus ad-free mail and other extras.

To see how much space you are using, open Yahoo Mail on the web and check the storage meter in your settings. Yahoo warns you as you get close to the limit.

How to free up Yahoo Mail storage

1. Find big emails: search for emails with attachments and delete the largest ones you no longer need. Save important files to your computer or cloud storage first.
2. Clear newsletters and promotions: unsubscribe from mailing lists and bulk-delete old messages from those senders.
3. Empty Trash and Spam: deleted mail still counts until these folders are emptied.
4. Archive locally: use an email app to download old mail to your computer. Our guide to Yahoo Mail forwarding and POP access explains what is free.
5. Keep the account active: sign in regularly so Yahoo does not close it. See how Yahoo deletes inactive accounts.

Alternatives with more free space

Gmail gives 15 GB free, shared with Google Drive and Google Photos, and Outlook.com also offers free storage for email. Compare the limits before moving, because none of the big free services offer unlimited email storage today.

FAQ

Is Yahoo Mail storage still unlimited?

No. Unlimited storage ended in 2013 when Yahoo moved to 1 TB, and free accounts now get 20 GB.

What happens when Yahoo Mail storage is full?

You cannot send or receive new email until you delete messages or upgrade.

How much storage does Yahoo Mail Plus give?

Yahoo Mail Plus gives 200 GB of storage.

When did Yahoo Mail start?

Yahoo Mail launched in 1997 after Yahoo acquired RocketMail.