Gmail sending limits explained

Current sending limits

Limits apply per rolling 24-hour period, not per calendar day. Google may temporarily lower limits for new accounts.

What counts towards the limit?

• Each individual recipient counts as one email, even if sent via BCC.
• Emails sent from Gmail's web interface, mobile app, SMTP, or third-party tools (including mail merge) all count.
• Bounced emails and emails to invalid addresses still count.

What happens if you exceed the limit?

If you send more than your daily limit, Gmail will:

1. Block further sending attempts for the rest of the 24-hour period.
2. Show an error message: "You have reached a limit for sending mail" or similar.
3. Queue unsent emails (in some clients) or reject them outright.

Your account is not permanently suspended, but repeated violations may trigger additional restrictions or a temporary account suspension.

How mail merge tools handle limits

Mail merge tools (including MailMerge) do not bypass Gmail's sending limits. If you attempt to send more than 500 or 2,000 emails in one campaign, the tool will either:

• Warn you before starting and allow you to schedule the remainder for the next day, or
• Stop sending when the limit is reached and notify you.

Best practice: For campaigns larger than your daily limit, split them across multiple days or upgrade to Google Workspace.

Tips to avoid hitting the limit

• Send smaller batches (e.g., 200–300 per day) to leave room for regular emails.
• Use Google Workspace if you regularly send bulk emails.
• Clean your contact list: remove invalid or bounced addresses.
• Space out campaigns rather than sending everything at once.

Related guides

• What is mail merge?
• How to do a mail merge in Gmail
• Mail merge from Google Sheets to Gmail
• UK GDPR and PECR for bulk email