452 4.2.2: recipient's mailbox is full
The Gmail or Workspace account you wrote to has run out of storage, so Gmail is deferring your message until the owner frees up space.
- Gmail
- Provider
- Temporary (4xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 452 4.2.2
- Provider
- Gmail and Google Workspace
- Temporary or permanent
- TemporaryThe sending server keeps the message and tries again later.
- Who has to act
- The recipient's side. Their mail admin has to change something; you can tell them.
- What the server says
452 4.2.2 The recipient's inbox is out of storage space.
What it means
A Google account's storage is shared between Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. When the recipient has used all of it, Gmail stops accepting new mail for them and answers with this temporary code. Your server keeps the message and retries; if the owner deletes files or adds storage before the retries run out, the message is delivered. Google's reply suggests pointing the recipient to its help on managing Drive storage. If the account stays full and is also unused, Gmail answers with the permanent 552 5.2.2 instead. Nothing in your own setup causes this.
Common causes
- The recipient's Google storage is used up by mail, Drive files or photos.
- Large attachments have filled the mailbox faster than the owner clears it.
How to fix it
- 01Let your server keep retrying for its normal period; delivery succeeds once space is freed.
- 02Tell the recipient through another channel that their Google storage is full, and point them to Google's help on managing storage.
- 03If the bounce turns permanent (552 5.2.2), stop sending to the address until the owner confirms it is in use again.
Sources
What this page rests on, checked on 20 Oct 2026. The explanation is ours; the reply text is the server's.
- Gmail SMTP errors and codes (Google Workspace Admin Help)knowledge.workspace.google.com
Related codes
- 552 5.2.2Mailbox full and inactive.The recipient's Google account is out of storage and no longer in use, so Gmail rejected your message permanently.
- 452Insufficient system storage.The receiving server is short of storage or has hit a limit, such as the number of recipients in one message, and asks the sender to try again later.
- 5.2.2Mailbox full.The recipient's mailbox has reached its storage quota, so the server will not take more mail until the owner deletes messages or gets more space.
Further reading
All 108 Gmail codesEvery code in the wikiPaste your own bounce