Gmail sending limits: how many emails can you send per day?
500 recipients per day on a free Gmail account, and 2,000 per day on Google Workspace. The limit counts recipients rather than messages, and it runs on a rolling 24-hour window rather than resetting at midnight.
| Account type | Limit | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Free Gmail (@gmail.com) | 500 recipients | per rolling 24 hours |
| Google Workspace (paid) | 2,000 recipients | per rolling 24 hours |
| Workspace trial accounts | 500 recipients | per rolling 24 hours |
| Recipients per single message | 500 addresses | across To, Cc and Bcc |
The limit counts recipients, not emails
This is the part that catches people out. One message sent to 200 people consumes 200 of your daily allowance, not one. A 400-person list sent twice in a day will exceed a free account’s quota even though you only pressed send twice.
Bcc does not get you around it
Bcc recipients count individually, and a single message is capped at 500 addresses across To, Cc and Bcc combined. Bcc also removes any personalisation and looks like bulk mail to spam filters, so it tends to land worse than sending individually addressed copies.
How to send a large list safely
- Check your remaining allowance before you start, not after.
- Send individually addressed copies rather than one Bcc blast.
- Split anything above your daily cap across consecutive days.
- Remove bounced and unsubscribed addresses before the next send.
Mailroom enforces these limits for you
It detects whether your account is free or Workspace, shows the remaining quota before you send, and refuses a send that would exceed it — so you never trip the block. It sends individually addressed, personalised copies through your own Gmail, and it is free with the full 500/day allowance rather than the 50/day that most free mail-merge tools cap you at. Try it free or read the step-by-step guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many emails can I send from Gmail per day?
500 recipients per day from a free @gmail.com account, and 2,000 per day from a paid Google Workspace account. The count is per recipient, not per message: one email sent to 100 people uses 100 of your allowance.
Is the Gmail limit per day or per 24 hours?
It is a rolling 24-hour window, not a calendar day. Sending 500 emails at 2pm does not reset your allowance at midnight — it frees up gradually from 2pm the following day.
What happens if I exceed the Gmail sending limit?
Gmail temporarily blocks further sending and returns a 'You have reached a limit for sending mail' error. Access usually restores within 24 hours. Repeatedly hitting the limit, especially with high bounce rates, can trigger longer restrictions on the account.
Does Bcc raise the Gmail sending limit?
No. Bcc recipients count individually toward the same allowance, and a single message is capped at 500 addresses across To, Cc and Bcc combined. Bcc also strips personalisation, so every recipient gets identical text. No tool can raise this limit — it is set by Google.
Do these limits apply to the Gmail API?
Yes. Sending through the Gmail API counts against the same per-account quota as sending from the Gmail interface. An app cannot raise your limit — it can only help you stay inside it.
How do I send more than 500 emails a day from Gmail?
Either upgrade to Google Workspace for the 2,000/day allowance, split the list across consecutive days, or use a dedicated bulk-email service with its own sending infrastructure. Splitting across days keeps your own sender reputation, which is usually the better trade for lists in the low thousands.
Will sending bulk email from Gmail get my account banned?
Not if you stay within the limits and your recipients have a legitimate reason to hear from you. Accounts get restricted for sending unsolicited mail to purchased or scraped lists, which produces high bounce and complaint rates. That is a list-quality problem, not a volume problem.