452 4.2.2: Mailbox Full (Temporary)
The 452 4.2.2 soft bounce means the recipient mailbox is over quota right now. Learn when to retry and when to treat the address as inactive.
Published · Last verified · Maintained by TamingDNS
452
4.2.2
Mailbox Full (Temporary)
Very Common
🔢 Enhanced Status Code Breakdown: 4.2.2
| Component | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 | Temporary failure (Soft bounce) |
| Subject | 2 | Mailbox status |
| Detail | 2 | Mailbox Full (Temporary) |
Per RFC 3463 Enhanced Mail System Status Codes. Class (X) = severity, Subject (Y) = category, Detail (Z) = specific condition.
💬 What This Error Means
The recipient's inbox is currently full. It's like a physical mailbox that's stuffed so tight the postman can't fit any more in. This is a temporary situation that should resolve once the person deletes some old messages.
Common Causes
- The person hasn't checked their mail in a while and their storage has hit its limit
- The account has a very small storage allowance
How to Fix This
- Wait a day or two and your server will try sending it again automatically
- If you can, send them a quick text or message to let them know their inbox is full
- If this persists for more than a week, they might have stopped using this email account
📚 Official Documentation
Google returns 452 4.2.2 for over-quota mailboxes, which your server will retry automatically.
📖 Google Workspace / Gmail documentation → Browse all Google Workspace / Gmail error codes →📋 Real-World Example Messages
These are real bounce message formats you might receive. Paste yours into the Bounce Decoder for instant analysis.
452 4.2.2 The email account that you tried to reach is over quota. Please direct the recipient to https://support.google.com/mail/?p=OverQuota
🔗 Related Error Codes
Got a bounce message to decode?
Paste your full NDR email, SMTP error line, or mail log fragment to get an instant plain-English diagnosis.
Open the Bounce Decoder →