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Storage Space and Quota

Mailbox Quota

All SFU Mail users are given a quota of 5 GB upon account creation. Your mail (all folders, including inbox) and contacts are all a part of this shared space.

Check your account's quota in the Outlook Web App (OWA) by following the instructions below:

  1. Sign into SFU Mail on a web browser at mail.sfu.ca
  2. Click the Gear Icon > Options > General > My Account, then scroll down.
  3. On the bottom right hand side, a bar will labeled Mailbox Usage will indicate your account quota.

If You Are Reaching Your Quota

SFU Employees, Retirees, and Sponsored Accounts

If you have reached or exceeded 88% of your quota, you will normally receive a notification message indicating that your quota has been automatically increased in 1GB increments. If you happen to receive the quota warning message (as described below), your quota will be automatically increased within 24 hours. No action is required on your part. Should you have any questions or wish to request a more substantial quota increase, contact your department's technical support staff or use the IT Services Help Form.

Note: if you are both a student and a staff member, your staff role will take precedence and your quota will be automatically increased.

SFU Students

As you approach the 90th percentile of your quota, you will receive a quota warning message. When you reach your maximum storage limit, you will no longer be able to send or receive email. The quota warning message will contain the following instructions:

You may back up some of your messages and attachments by downloading and saving them locally on your computer, then delete them from your SFU Mail account (be sure to delete them from your Trash folder).  For assistance on backing up or moving your messages and attachments, please use the IT Services Help Form.

Beware of phishing scams!  Some phishing scams may appear to be warning you that your account will be disabled, and will ask you to "verify" your password. SFU will never ask you to confirm your password. Never enter your SFU Computing ID or password on a site you don't trust. To learn more about phishing and how you can protect yourself, see About Phishing Scams.

If you are unsure whether a quota warning or notification message is legitimate, you may also contact your department's technical support staff, or use the IT Services Help Form.