You have sent the maximum number of messages in a 24-hour period
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This solution article will provide information to users who are experiencing an error indicating that they have exceeded the maximum number of messages that could be sent in a 24 hours period and are unable to send any more emails.
Symptoms:
Users will encounter the below message when trying to send an mail in Windows Live Hotmail:
"You have sent the maximum number of messages in a 24-hour period"
Why does Hotmail limit how much mail I can send in a day?
The limits are used as a deterrent to spammers and are part of helping to reduce the amount of spam you receive in your Inbox.
What's the send mail limit?
The send mail limit depends on your reputation within Hotmail. The system needs a few days to build your reputation. So, there are more stricter limitations on new accounts or accounts that have engaged in activity that is representative of abusers sending spam.
If you are a new user, a low sending quota is a temporary restriction and is upgraded to the 300 limit (previously it was 250 - changed in Sep '09 update) as soon as the user establishes credibility in the system.
If you are an established user, recent account activity may have sent us a false alert. Create a post here to contact an agent and have the sending limits corrected.
Note: Recipients is different from emails - 1 email with 5 recipients counts as 5 emails, not 1.
What do I do when I hit the limit?
First, you should save your current message as a draft. Your next step will depend on your limit. If you hit the limit of 300 recipients/day and want to be able to send more mail, you should upgrade to a paid account. Our Hotmail Plus and MSN Premium users, both of which are paid accounts, are eligible for a higher sending limit.
To upgrade your account to Windows Live Hotmail Plus, you can go to http://www.gowindowslive.com/hotmailplus/en-us/default.aspx
To upgrade your account to MSN Premium, you can go to http://get.msn.com/?prod=premium&tb=FeaturesTab
Once you have signed up for either of these services, please create a post here and a moderator can confirm that your sending limits have been upgraded.
If you hit a limit lower than 300 recipients/day, you should just continue using Hotmail regularly. Legitimate usage of your account will lead to your limit increasing to 300 recipients/day in a few days.
I don't want to wait for a few days for the system to realize I'm a legitimate user. What can I do to prove that now?
Hotmail is continuously working on improving our systems to distinguish between legitimate users and spammers as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the current version of the system takes a few days to make the determination. In the future, we will provide steps that you can take immediately to establish your legitimacy.
