Summary: This blog post will show you effective methods to find large attachments in Outlook client and manage it efficiently with our professional steps.

Huge email attachments can lead to an increase in the size of Outlook mailbox. Like, there are videos, ZIPs, high-resolution pictures, photos, presentations, PDFs, and other documents which take valuable space especially when they are sent in emails multiple times.

If your mailbox is running low on memory and you want to clean up Outlook, the first step is to filter emails which contain large files. It has multiple different built-in options that let you search for emails with their attachments in one place. There is a Has Attachments filter, sorts messages by size, & advanced Find feature. Users can create their own Search Folders too.

Also Read: How to Archive Attachments in Outlook?

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Why to Search Large Attachments in Outlook?

There are some key reasons why users need to find large attachments in Outlook.

  • In order to create space by reducing mailbox size
  • Find emails with large files which takes most of the storage
  • Store the important emails or move them into different locations
  • Delete the files which is of no use and taking unnecessary space
  • For sorting out all your old emails and which is not related to work
  • Users wants to migrate or archive Outlook data

One thing to note is that Outlook’s size-based searches usually rely on the total size of messages. Moreover, the fact that your email is large does not mean that a certain file is responsible for its size. Also, there are methods in Outlook depending on whether you are using the classic or new version of Outlook or the web version.

How to Find Large Attachments in Outlook? Try Manual Methods

There are different methods which users can follow to search large emails with attachments. Try these manual steps which are compatible with your version of Outlook.

#1. Sort Emails by Size and Filter Attachments 

You can follow this method to find large attachments in Outlook, and sort them according to their size.

  1. First, launch Outlook in your system
  2. Next, open the mailbox or specific folder of your choice
  3. Then, click the Search or Filter option
  4. After that, choose “Has Attachments” filter option according to the Outlook version you are using
  5. Just, sort the results according to their file size
  6. Set particularly in order with the highest email message first
  7. Here, verify the list from the top to filter out
  8. Now, open any random emails to check if attachments are visible or not

This process is suitable for searching the large email messages quickly without the need to create a specific search folder.

Advantages: This method does not require any complex commands. But, it does not provide a complete list of attachment sizes. It  will show the entire email rather than specific attachments.

#2. Use Outlook Search Feature to Find Large Emails

Follow this method in order to find large attachments in Outlook. In that, there is a search feature to find messages of larger size.

  • Launch Outlook and navigate to the required mailbox
  • Select the Search box located at the top
  • Next, type this size:>10MB in the search box, in order to retrieve emails that exceed 10MB in size
    Hit Enter to get the relevant emails first
  • Now, open those email to check whether attachments are there or not
  • Make a separate list which has large attachments
  • Users can save, delete, or manage email data, if necessary

Note: The search syntax can work differently depending on whether you are using the classic, The New, or the web Outlook. Some of the versions can provide you with the size sorting feature rather than the direct one.

#3. Using Advanced Find in Classic Outlook 

You can use the Advanced Find capability to find large attachments in Outlook.

  1. Start Outlook
  2. Next, press Ctrl + Shift + F shortcut on your keyboard
  3. Choose the folder or mailbox that you wish to search
  4. Click on the More Choices tab
  5. After that, look for Size Criteria option
  6. Set the appropriate size in order to find specific attachments
  7. Here, enter the exact size limit
  8. Just perform your search process and wait till the end
  9. Now, check the list of available emails with the respective attachments

You can find all your messages which are greater than 5 or 10 MB in terms of size. This would be helpful if you want to have better control over the folder or mailbox data.

Remember: The size condition refers to your email message and not any single attachments. For example, a 12 MB email message can hold:

  • A 2 or 9 MB of attachment
  • Approximately 1 MB of message content

Thus, these results will show you the size of the email. But in order to know which email is taking more space, you need to open it manually.

Note: In case your PST file is too large and has numerous emails and other attachments. You can divide it into smaller files for easy data handling. Users can go with SysTools PST Splitter Tool to quickly split PST file into smaller chunks based on certain advanced criteria.

If you regularly need to filter out large emails, then creating a Search Folder can be a more convenient option to search large attachments in Outlook.

  1. Start by opening Outlook
  2. Next, go to Folder section
  3. There you will see New Search Folder, click on it
  4. After that, choose the option for mail containing attachments
  5. Select the appropriate mailbox
  6. Create the Search Folder
  7. Open the new folder
  8. At last, sort or filter the results by size

You can also create a custom Search Folder and set the criteria for messages containing attachments. This approach is useful for users who frequently clean their mailbox or manage large volumes of email.

Find & Extract Large Attachments in Outlook Using Professional Solution

If you have multiple Outlook emails with you and want to locate attachments based on their size. Then, doing each message manually might take time. However, you can go with SysTools Outlook Attachment Extractor tool, which helps you to extract attachments from huge file types such as PST, OST, and BAK. It helps you according to file size, file type, or by folder. Therefore, it will be possible for you to locate and manage large attachments quickly without having to open every email separately.

When to Choose?

  • If you have got hundreds of emails to process
  • Want to search large attachments in Outlook
  • You want to extract attachments in bulk
  • Users wants to save attachments without saving mails
  • When opening individual messages takes too long
  • It is done to take backup, move, or archive email data

Precautionary Steps to Consider:

  • Make sure that you want large attachments or not before deleting
  • Back up important files in a safe location to avoid data loss
  • Also, check Sent Items folder to find large attachments in Outlook
  • Don’t delete attachments related to your work, legal, or project emails
  • In the case of large attachments, one should use our professional solution to save and extract the attachments in bulk at once

Conclusion

Users followed this blog post to know the complete steps on how to find large attachments in Outlook. It will reduce the user’s mailbox storage which is stored way before. If you want to locate attachments, then you can take the help of Outlook’s built-in search feature and filter options. You can also sort your emails by size in order to search large attachments in Outlook. For those that want to extract large Outlook files quickly, you can go with our described solution.