Yahoo to cut free email storage from 1TB to 20GB by August 2026, forcing users to upgrade or delete emails. Users express frustration over the drastic downgrade.
Yahoo Inc. has announced a 20-gigabyte storage limit for free email accounts, effective Aug. 27, 2026. This marks a significant downgrade from its previous offering of up to 1 terabyte (TB) of free storage.
In an advisory to its users, Yahoo said: “If your storage is full after Aug. 27, you won’t be able to send or receive emails.”
The company, established in January 1994 and offering free email since October 1997 after acquiring RocketMail, is urging users to either upgrade for more storage or free up space.
Yahoo said it would notify free email users who exceeded the 20GB limit and advise them to delete old messages, especially those with large attachments, or upgrade to a paid subscription.
Paid plans offered by Yahoo include 100GB for $1.99 a month, 200GB for $5 a month and 1TB for $9.99 a month. Yahoo Mail Plus, the paid subscription, also provides ad-free accounts.
Subscribers have voiced complaints about the storage reduction, calling it a massive downgrade.
Yahoo said its subscribers would receive direct email alerts with further details about the changes and notifications if their accounts are over storage limits.
“We’re also providing a reasonable grace period after those above-limit notifications, so you’ll have time to review your inbox and make any needed adjustments,” the company said.
Yahoo said it also plans to launch new tools and options to help subscribers manage their storage.
