What Is the Maximum Email Address Length? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Email, Messaging, & Video Calls > Email 109 109 people found this article helpful

What Is the Maximum Email Address Length?

There's an upper limit on the number of characters in an email address

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 25, 2020 Tweet Share Email TARIK KIZILKAYA / Getty Images Tweet Share Email Email Yahoo! Mail Gmail In early email systems, several email formats were tried. Only one survived, though, and that's the familiar [email protected] (with TLD being the top-level domain such as .com, .org, .net, and .gov) format used today. The maximum length of an email address based on this format is 254 characters, although that wasn't always the case.

Character Limitations in an Email Address

Every email address consists of two parts. The username comes before the @ sign, and the domain name follows it. In "[email protected]," the username is "person" and the domain name is "company.com." The total length of an email address in the original standard was 320 characters. The standard limited the username to 64 characters and the domain name to 255 characters. (If you're doing the math, that adds up to 319. The final character is the @ symbol in between.) This 320-character limit is different from the 254 figure because the current standard limits the total length of an email address to 256 characters, including punctuation. Some addresses, however, use angle brackets (<>), which take up two characters, leaving the maximum number of characters used in an email address at 254. So, when creating a new email address, limit your username to 64 or fewer characters, and the total number of characters to 254. Just remember that the shorter the email address is, the easier it is for people to remember. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Guess a Surprising Number of Email Addresses DNS Servers: What Are They and Why Are They Used? What Is a Top-Level Domain? (TLD Definition) What Is a Registry Value? Everything You Need to Know About Email Addresses How to Use the Excel MID Function Parts of an Email Address and the Characters You Can Use in Them 10 Best Free Email Accounts for 2022 How to Email a Text What Was Yahoo People Search? How to Load Images in a Message in Evolution What Is a File Extension & Why Are They Important? Are Email Addresses Case Sensitive? 8 Free Ways to Find Someone Online How to Find Someone's Email Address How to Create a New Outlook.com Email Account Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies