How to Configure Message Size Limits for a Mailbox or a Mail-Enabled Public Folder

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Console and the Exchange Management Shell to configure message size limits for a mailbox-enabled user or a mail-enabled public folder.

Keep in mind that there are other settings in an Exchange organization that determine the maximum message size a mailbox can send and receive (for example, the maximum message size configured on a Hub Transport server). To learn more about the message size restrictions in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, including their scope and the order of precedence, see Managing Message Size Limits.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Exchange Recipient Administrator role

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Procedure

Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

To use the Exchange Management Console to configure message size limits for a mailbox user or a mail-enabled public folder

  1. Start the Exchange Management Console.

  2. For mailboxes, perform the following steps:

    1. In the console tree, expand Recipient Configuration, and then click Mailbox.

    2. In the result pane, select the mailbox for which you want to configure message size limits.

    3. In the action pane, under the mailbox name, click Properties.

    4. In <Mailbox User> Properties, click the Mail Flow Settings tab.

    5. Proceed to Step 4.

  3. For mail-enabled public folders, perform the following steps:

    1. In the console tree, click Toolbox.

    2. In the result pane, click Public Folder Management Console, and then, in the action pane, click Open Tool. The Public Folder Management Console appears in a separate Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

    3. In the console tree, expand Default Public Folders, and then click the public folder that you want to configure. If the public folder you want to configure is a top-level public folder, then click Default Public Folders.

    4. In the result pane, select the public folder for which you want to configure message size limits.

    5. In the action pane, under the public folder name, click Properties.

    6. In <Public Folder> Properties, click the Mail Flow Settings tab.

    7. Proceed to Step 4.

  4. Select Message Size Restrictions from the list of mail flow settings, and then click Properties.

  5. In the Message Size Restrictions dialog box, use the following fields to configure message size restrictions for this mailbox:

    • Sending Message Size   Select the Maximum message size (in KB) check box to configure a sending message size restriction for this mailbox user. Use the text box to type the maximum message size in kilobytes (KB) that the mailbox user is allowed to send. The value range is from 0 KB through 2,097,151 KB.

      If the mailbox user attempts to send a message that is larger than the size specified, a descriptive error message is displayed, and the send operation is stopped.

    • Receiving Message Size   Select the Maximum message size (in KB) check box to configure a receiving message size restriction for this mailbox user. Use the text box to type the maximum message size in kilobytes (KB) that the mailbox user is allowed to receive. The value range is from 0 KB through 2,097,151 KB.

      If a sender attempts to send a message to this recipient that is larger than the size specified, the message is returned to the sender with a descriptive error message.

  6. Click OK to return to Mail Flow Settings tab.

  7. Click OK.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure message size limits for a mailbox user

  • To set both the sending and receiving message sizes for the mailbox of user John Smith to 10 megabyte (MB), run the following command:

    Set-Mailbox -Identity "John Smith" -MaxSendSize 10mb -MaxReceiveSize 10mb
    

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see the Set-Mailbox reference topic.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure message size limits for a mail-enabled public folder

  • To set both the sending and receiving message sizes for the mail-enabled public folder Accounting Department to 10 megabytes (MB), run the following command:

    Set-MailPublicFolder -Identity "\Accounting Department" -MaxSendSize 10mb -MaxReceiveSize 10mb
    

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see the Set-MailPublicFolder reference topic.

Exchange 2007 RTM

In the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of Exchange 2007, mail-enabled public folders are not displayed in the Exchange Management Console. You can only use the Exchange Management Shell to configure message size limits for these recipients.

To use the Exchange Management Console to configure message size limits for a mailbox user

  1. Start the Exchange Management Console.

  2. In the console tree, expand Recipient Configuration, and then click Mailbox.

  3. In the result pane, select the mailbox for which you want to configure message size limits.

  4. In the action pane, under the mailbox name, click Properties.

  5. In <Mailbox User> Properties, click the Mail Flow Settings tab.

  6. Select Message Size Restrictions from the list of mail flow settings, and then click Properties.

  7. In the Message Size Restrictions dialog box, use the following fields to configure message size restrictions for this mailbox:

    • Sending Message Size   Select the Maximum message size (in KB) check box to configure a sending message size restriction for this mailbox user. Use the text box to type the maximum message size in kilobytes (KB) that the mailbox user is allowed to send. The value range is from 0 KB through 2,097,151 KB.

      If the mailbox user attempts to send a message that is larger than the size specified, a descriptive error message is displayed, and the send operation is stopped.

    • Receiving Message Size   Select the Maximum message size (in KB) check box to configure a receiving message size restriction for this mailbox user. Use the text box to type the maximum message size in kilobytes (KB) that the mailbox user is allowed to receive. The value range is from 0 KB through 2,097,151 KB.

      If a sender attempts to send a message to this recipient that is larger than the size specified, the message is returned to the sender with a descriptive error message.

  8. Click OK to return to Mail Flow Settings tab.

  9. Click OK.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure message size limits for a mailbox user

  • To set both the sending and receiving message sizes for the mailbox of user John Smith to 10 megabyte (MB), run the following command:

    Set-Mailbox -Identity "John Smith" -MaxSendSize 10mb -MaxReceiveSize 10mb
    

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see the Set-Mailbox (RTM) reference topic.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure message size limits for a mail-enabled public folder

  • To set both the sending and receiving message sizes for the mail-enabled public folder Accounting Department to 10 megabyte (MB), run the following command:

    Set-MailPublicFolder -Identity "\Accounting Department" -MaxSendSize 10mb -MaxReceiveSize 10mb
    

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see the Set-MailPublicFolder (RTM) reference topic.

For More Information

For more information about managing message size restrictions in Exchange 2007, see Managing Message Size Limits.

For more information about managing mailboxes, see Managing User Mailboxes.

For more information about configuring mail-enabled public folders, see How to View or Configure the Settings of Mail-Enabled Public Folders.

To learn more about mailboxes, see Understanding Recipients.