What does “message too large” mean?

Message too large indicates size limits exceeded:

What it means:

Your message exceeds the maximum size the receiving server accepts. The limit is set by the recipient's mail provider or administrator.

Common limits:

Many providers: 25MB (Gmail, Outlook). Some corporate servers: 10MB or less. Individual mailbox limits may be lower.

What contributes to size:

Attachments (primary cause). Embedded images. HTML content. Overhead from encoding (base64 adds ~33%).

Typical codes:

552 Message size exceeds limit. 5.3.4 Message too big.

Response:

Reduce attachment size or count. Use file sharing services instead. Compress files before attaching. Consider splitting into multiple messages.

Message too large means the cargo exceeds dock capacity. Reduce the load or find alternative delivery methods.