Voicemail Capacity and Limitations

Every mailbox in Cloud Voice comes with built-in limits on how many messages it holds and how long each recording can be. A mailbox is the storage that collects voicemail for one extension. This page explains those default limits, what happens when a mailbox fills up, and where to change the settings.

Note

Two separate limits apply to each mailbox: the number of messages it can hold and the length of any one message. They are controlled by two different settings, covered under Change the limits below.

Default limits per mailbox

Each mailbox can store up to 100 messages, and any single message can run no longer than 10 minutes. These limits apply per extension, not across the whole phone system.

When a mailbox reaches 100 messages, Cloud Voice makes room for new voicemail by removing the oldest recordings first.

Caution

The automatic cleanup deletes the oldest messages permanently, and deleted voicemail cannot be recovered. If a mailbox is near the 100-message cap, an important old message can be dropped as soon as a new one arrives. Listen to and save anything important before the mailbox fills, or raise the retention limit (see below).

There is no time-based expiration on stored voicemail. A message stays on the phone system (the PBX, or Private Branch Exchange, that runs your extensions) for as long as you keep it: it is removed only when someone deletes it manually or when the 100-message cap pushes it out.

Change the limits

You can raise or lower these defaults per extension to match how each mailbox is used:

• To change how many messages a mailbox retains before old ones are cleared, see Auto Cleanup Voicemail Messages.
• To change the maximum (and minimum) length allowed for a recorded message, see Limit Voicemail Message Length.

Tip

For mailboxes that receive a lot of voicemail, set up auto cleanup so the system trims old messages on a schedule you choose instead of only when the mailbox is full. That keeps storage predictable and reduces the chance of losing a message you still needed.