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How to Set Default Exchange Online Mailbox Send and Receive Limits
Question details
The user needs to automatically apply maximum send and receive message size limits (such as 50 MB) to all newly created Exchange Online mailboxes.
- Product
- Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Configuring default message size limits for new mailboxes across a Microsoft 365 tenant to enforce company policies.
- Observed behavior
- Exchange Online lacks a direct graphical setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center for tenant-wide default mailbox size limits, requiring a PowerShell workaround.
Ensure you have Exchange Administrator privileges and have installed the Exchange Online PowerShell V3 module on your system to execute the necessary commands.
Configure Mailbox Plans via Exchange Online PowerShell
Modify the default mailbox plan using PowerShell to ensure all newly provisioned mailboxes automatically inherit your specified send and receive size limits.
Because the Microsoft 365 Admin Center does not offer a global toggle for default mailbox limits, modifying the underlying mailbox plan via Exchange Online PowerShell is the most effective and automated method.
Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the command 'Connect-ExchangeOnline'. Sign in with your Exchange Administrator credentials.
Run the command 'Get-MailboxPlan' to view the plans currently assigned in your tenant. Note the exact Name or Identity of the plan you wish to modify.
Execute the command 'Set-MailboxPlan -Identity "YourMailboxPlanName" -MaxSendSize 50MB -MaxReceiveSize 50MB'. Replace the identity with the specific plan name from the previous step.
Run 'Get-MailboxPlan | Format-List Name, MaxSendSize, MaxReceiveSize' to confirm that your 50 MB limits have been successfully applied to the plan.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why aren't the new 50 MB limits applying to my existing Exchange mailboxes?
Modifying a mailbox plan only establishes the default parameters for mailboxes provisioned after the change is made. To adjust the limits for pre-existing mailboxes, you must run the 'Set-Mailbox' cmdlet individually or via a bulk script.
Can I set different send/receive limits for different groups of users?
Yes. If your tenant utilizes multiple mailbox plans (for instance, based on different Microsoft 365 license types), you can configure unique limits by running the 'Set-MailboxPlan' command specifically for each distinct plan identity.
Is there a GUI option in the Microsoft 365 admin center to change these defaults globally?
Currently, Microsoft does not provide a global graphical setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center or the Exchange admin center to define default send and receive limits for all new mailboxes. The Exchange Online PowerShell module is required for this configuration.
