My hotmail account says its full

Donna Blackwell Gates 0 Reputation points
2026-08-17T19:08:23.09+00:00

I just added more storage to my hotmail account and am still not able to receive or send emails. I deleted my PC with Windows 16 because i got a new Macbook Air. Not sure why my hotmail account, that I've had forever is suddenly not working. PLEASE HELP!

Outlook | MacOS | Legacy Outlook for Mac | For home
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  1. Victor1-V 12,935 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-19T07:04:57.0433333+00:00

    Hi Donna,

    I understand that your Hotmail account still reports full storage and cannot send or receive email after you purchased additional space.

    Please note that this is a user-to-user forum, so contributors cannot access your account, subscription, or storage status.

    The Q&A Assist answer provides appropriate initial guidance. Have you had a chance to follow those steps and allow up to 24 hours for the storage change to be applied?

    I would also like to add that the type of storage purchased matters. Please sign in to your Microsoft account’s Services & subscriptions page and confirm that:

    1. The new subscription is active under the same Microsoft account as the affected Hotmail address.
    2. The subscription increases Outlook.com email storage, rather than only OneDrive file storage.

    If the subscription is correct but the account remains blocked after 48 hours, contact Microsoft Support as follows:

    1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support  
    2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Outlook issue" and press Enter.  
    3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears.  
    4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option.  
    5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products".  
    6. For the category, choose "Outlook".  
    7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser".  
    8. Confirm your personal email when prompted - this is the email Microsoft will use to communicate with you during and after the support session.  
    9. Explain your situation clearly: Be concise but provide all the relevant details.    

    I hope Microsoft Support can verify whether the storage purchase was applied to the correct account and subscription.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-17T19:08:36.0966667+00:00

    If more storage was just added, the mailbox and cloud storage status can take time to update across the account. Reported cases in the provided context indicate the new storage can appear within about 2 hours, while send/receive blocks can take 24 hours and in some cases up to 48 hours to clear.

    While waiting, check these items:

    1. Verify storage status in Outlook.com:
      • Open Outlook.com Settings and search for Storage.
      • Check both mailbox usage and what is consuming space.
    2. Check Microsoft cloud storage, not just mailbox storage:
      • If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email even if the mailbox itself is not full.
      • Cloud storage includes OneDrive files, OneDrive Recycle Bin, Outlook.com attachments and inline images, Teams attachments, and more.
    3. Free up space if still over quota:
      • Delete large emails and attachments.
      • Empty Deleted Items because it still counts toward mailbox quota until manually emptied.
      • Empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
      • In Outlook.com, messages sent while storage was full are bounced back to the sender and must be resent after the account is back under quota.
    4. Check for common send issues:
      • Look in Drafts or Outbox for stuck messages.
      • If an attachment is larger than 25 MB, remove it and send a smaller attachment or upload it to OneDrive and send a link instead.
    5. If using Outlook on Mac with the Outlook.com account:
      • Try the same account in Outlook.com on the web first. If web mail also cannot send or receive, the issue is with account storage status rather than the Mac.

    If the storage upgrade still has not taken effect after 24 to 48 hours, use Outlook.com support from the Help menu in Outlook.com and select Still need help? if the self-help steps do not resolve it.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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