Outlook OST File Size Not Reducing After Archiving – Error Resolved

A user’s MS Outlook mailbox would keep on growing as the user keeps on creating and receiving email items. Whenever any user deletes any of these email items, the Outlook Data file’s OST file’s size may not reduce in terms of proportion to that amount of data, which has been deleted. This may result in the Outlook OST File Size Not Reducing After Archiving problem when the OST file does not shrink by a real-time user.

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But the good news is that there are multiple ways by which users can manage their mailboxes and reduce the file size even after Archival. This article will talk about these methods. Before Proceeding to the solution part let us discuss why the Outlook OST files are too large.

Why Outlook OST File Gets Oversized – Know The Reason

Outlook OST file stores the data that the user has generated or received since the Outlook account is activated. This file includes Emails (Its folders), attachments, contacts, tasks, and notes. When the Outlook users forgot to delete the unimportant data. Then the size of the OST file exceeds its limit and it will cause various problems to Outlook users. Also working with the large Oversized OST file is a difficult task. It may affect or slow down the overall performance of the system.

Here are The Issues Faced By Users Due to Oversize OST files

1. The user will get the error message during the synchronization process of the OST file.
2. Problems in opening and loading the .ost file document.
3. Synchronization process failure between the OST file and Microsoft Exchange server.
4. Pauses in Microsoft Outlook Application.

How to Avoid Error: Outlook OST File Size Not Reducing After Archiving

Users can make use of the Mailbox-Cleanup tool for viewing the Outlook mailbox’s size as well as its individual folders. One can also archive those older email items to an archive Outlook Data File (with .pst file extension) and can also empty the Deleted Items folder. Outlook’s mailbox size can be managed by following the below-mentioned methods:

• First and foremost, the user needs to click the File tab
• Then, click Tools
• And after that, Mailbox Cleanup
• Follow any of the below-mentioned steps:

1. For viewing the total mailbox size and the size of any individual folder that is contained inside it, one has to click View-Mailbox-Size
2. For locating older email items,

–    Users can select Find items older than “n (required value)” days
–    And then, enter a no. between 1 & 999
–    And lastly, click Find

•  For locating large email items

–    Users can select Find items larger than n (required value) KB
–     After that, enter a no. between 1 & 9999
–      Now, click Find

• For moving older email items in the mailbox to an archive Outlook-Data-File

–     Click AutoArchive

Also Read- Why OST File is Larger than the Mailbox Size

Note: If this solution does not fix OST file does not shrink after the archive error. You can go for the alternative solution below when OST File does not shrink after archival.

Outlook OST File Size Not Reducing After Archiving?

An offline Outlook OST file is exclusively for the MS Exchange Server account. Shrink the size of offline Outlook Data Files (.ost files) may improve the performance of the user who has deleted multiple email items. This process doesn’t delete any of the email items that are stored on the system where MS Exchange Server runs.

• Firstly, delete any email items that are not required to be kept any longer
• Now, open the Folder-List view
• At Navigation Pane’s bottom side, click the icon of Folder-List
• Or one can also press CTRL+6 for doing the above step
• Right-click Deleted Items folder again in the Navigation Pane
• After that, click Empty Folder
• Now, click the File tab
• And then, click Account Settings
• On the Data-Files tab, click the data file which is needed to be compacted
• And after that, click Settings
• Click Advanced tab
• Then, Outlook-Data-File Settings
• Click Compact Now and in this Outlook-Data-File Settings dialog
• And then OK has to be clicked
• No need for exiting MS Outlook after compacting an offline Outlook’s OST file
• For deleting an item both from the online as well as the offline folder

1. First, select that particular item
2. And then, press DELETE

Done! you can follow these above steps for reducing OST file size and fix Outlook OST file size not reducing after archiving error.

Further Information

If the user is making use of an MS Exchange’s account in its Cached Mode, then, in that case, only the folder that is selected would get cleared from the offline OST file. The email items on the server would get downloaded once again to this offline .ost file on the next synching if the user selects that folder under Folder-Options in Send & Receive Settings for MS Exchange Server’s mail account. While using Cached Exchange Mode, public folders’ favorites aren’t synced by default. If the user chooses to sync public folders, the offline OST file’s size may increase considerably.

Fix Outlook OST File Size Not Reducing After Archiving

Manual techniques to resolve problems Outlook OST file does not shrink after the archive are free, but at the same time, are tricky to execute and someone with any doubts about any technical steps cannot do it with ease and if done wrongly can harm more than benefit.

Data loss can happen if any step goes wrong. This is with almost all manual processes. For that matter, third-party tools by SysTools to split oversized .ost files as better alternatives, where users are not required to be technical geniuses to perform the process when OST File does not shrink, and even novice users can do it with minimum assistance. Even if any users seek any sort of assistance, the support team is always there to help them out.

Conclusion

This article discusses reducing Exchange’s Offline Outlook Data File or the .ost file causing problems such as Outlook OST File Size Not Reducing After Archiving. The manual method steps are also provided for the user to undertake the process of slashing the file size. And still, if the OST file does not shrink after archive, then there are always third-party tools as a rescue technique.