How to Fix “Quota Exceeded” Errors in MySQL

How do I fix the “quota exceeded” error in MySQL?

“Quota exceeded” means the MySQL user or storage limit defined by the host has been reached, blocking new rows, connections, or queries.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

Why does MySQL say “quota exceeded”?

MySQL triggers this message when a defined limit—disk space, row count, or user resource quota—has been met. New inserts or updates fail until the limit is raised or usage drops.

How do I check user-level quotas?

Run SHOW GRANTS FOR 'shop_app'@'%'; to view MAX_QUERIES_PER_HOUR, MAX_UPDATES_PER_HOUR, MAX_USER_CONNECTIONS, and other limits applied with CREATE/ALTER USER ...WITH.

How can I see disk or tablespace usage?

Use SELECT table_schema AS db, SUM(data_length+index_length) AS bytes_used FROM information_schema.tables GROUP BY db; to compare usage against your hosting plan’s cap.

How do I raise a user quota?

Admins run ALTER USER 'shop_app'@'%' WITH MAX_QUERIES_PER_HOUR 10000 MAX_UPDATES_PER_HOUR 5000;. Non-admins must request the change from the hosting provider.

How can I free space quickly?

DELETE obsolete rows, run OPTIMIZE TABLE Orders;, or move historical data to an archive database.Each action reduces tablespace size and may lift the quota block instantly.

Example cleanup routine

DELETE FROM Orders WHERE order_date < CURDATE() - INTERVAL 2 YEAR; followed by OPTIMIZE TABLE Orders; reclaims space for current workloads.

What if only one table is full?

MyISAM and some shared-hosting engines allocate per-table file quotas.Verify with SHOW TABLE STATUS LIKE 'OrderItems'; and move the table to InnoDB or a larger tablespace.

Best practices to avoid future quota errors

Set up daily mysqldump exports, purge logs with PURGE BINARY LOGS BEFORE NOW() - INTERVAL 7 DAY;, and monitor information_schema.user_summary for approaching limits.

Why How to Fix “Quota Exceeded” Errors in MySQL is important

How to Fix “Quota Exceeded” Errors in MySQL Example Usage


-- Free 2022 historical sales to reclaim space
DELETE FROM Orders WHERE order_date < '2023-01-01';
OPTIMIZE TABLE Orders;

-- Verify quota lifted
INSERT INTO Customers (name,email,created_at) VALUES ('Alice','alice@mail.com',NOW());

How to Fix “Quota Exceeded” Errors in MySQL Syntax


-- Create a user with resource quotas
CREATE USER 'shop_app'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'secret' \
  WITH MAX_QUERIES_PER_HOUR 5000 \
       MAX_UPDATES_PER_HOUR 1000 \
       MAX_CONNECTIONS_PER_HOUR 200 \
       MAX_USER_CONNECTIONS 50;

-- Lift the quota when traffic grows
ALTER USER 'shop_app'@'%' \
  WITH MAX_QUERIES_PER_HOUR 10000 \
       MAX_UPDATES_PER_HOUR 5000;

-- Check disk quota vs. usage
SELECT table_schema AS db,
       ROUND(SUM(data_length+index_length)/1024/1024,2) AS mb_used
FROM information_schema.tables
GROUP BY db;

Common Mistakes

Assuming the error is always about disk space. Quotas can be on connections or queries. Check <code>SHOW GRANTS</code> before deleting data.
Dropping large tables without optimizing. Space isn’t freed until <code>OPTIMIZE TABLE</code> or a tablespace rebuild runs.