How to Reduce Large Outlook Mailbox Size in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013?
It is very likely to have a large Outlook mailbox since Microsoft Outlook is one such platform that technical as well as nontechnical users laboriously rely on to manage their data, in the form of Emails, Calendar Entries, Task management, note taking and much more. As this data goes into large amounts, we need to reduce the large Outlook mailbox size.
Being such a huge stand-alone application, MS Outlook somehow has some limitations regarding storage and managing huge data. mailbox file is the database file where all this data is store. And even though users have data in huge amounts, mailbox file has their own size limit (20 GB for Outlook 2007 & 2003 and 50 GB for Outlook 2010 & above).
Moving to the methodologies on how to reduce size of PST file, there are multiple manual, as well as automated techniques that we can use to reduce the size of Outlook and get rid of these large Outlook mailbox problems.
Why We Need to Reduce Large Outlook Mailbox Size
An Overlarge Outlook file is no good to users. It can harm both MS Outlook as well as user’s data. The enormous mailbox size can cause several problems like, Outlook crashing, hanging, freezing and even losing all the data.
Here is a listed description of all the harms that a large mailbox file can cause:
- Mailbox File Corruption: The file might get corrupt due to a large Outlook mailbox, which is not a good sign. The Outlook archive mailbox size must be reduced to avoid corruption.
- Data Loss: The most disturbing outcome of an overlarge Outlook file is data loss. A corrupted file due to exceeded data is prone to damage data. In the worst case, the user may lose their all data.
- Degraded Performance: Due to the over-large Outlook data file, Outlook becomes slower to respond, we might have to wait for a couple of minutes to open a single file, or in the worse condition, Outlook might get crashed.
- Less Productivity: A slower Outlook will definitely provide less output, which will ultimately make it less productive.
These all factors make the giant mailbox file a major problem.
How to Reduce Large Outlook Mailbox Size?
There are several methods to get the solution for how to reduce Outlook mailbox size. MS Outlook itself has provided a number of inbuilt methods to reduce the size of Outlook. Other than just selecting messages and deleting them one by one, we can use Mailbox Clean Up, Compact Now, Auto Compact, Archive Old Messages, Delete attached files and so on.
Let’s move forward to analyze all methodologies on how to reduce mailbox size in Outlook 2016 and other versions.
Method 1. Archive the Old Emails in Outlook
As the name suggests, you can archive your old Outlook emails by moving them from the Outlook mailbox to the archive file. Start with opening your MS Outlook.
- Step 1. Firstly, Visit File tab >> Info
- Step 2. Click on Tools option >> Clean Up Old Items
- Step 3. A pop box “Archive” will show up, select Archive this folder and all subfolders option >> choose the file/folder to archive.
- Step 4. Check the option include items with “Do not Auto Archive” checked to archive the files that you do not want to include in automatic archiving.
- Step 5. Lastly, Hit OK
Method 2. Compact Now
This method is one power-pack and is used most often by users to reduce the size of Outlook mailboxes. It is a built-in utility in MS Outlook and also a powerful technique to reduce Outlook mailbox size.
How to reduce mailbox size in Outlook 2016, 2013, and 2010
- Step 1. Firstly, Go to the File tab.
- Step 2. Next, Info >> Account Settings >> then Account Settings again
- Step 3. Go to Data Files >> Settings >> choose the targeted file >> press Compact Now
- Step 4. Lastly, Click OK, and exit.
How to Reduce Outlook Mailbox Size without Deleting in Outlook 2007, 2003?
- Step 1. Firstly, Visit File tab >> Data File Managment
- Step 2. Double click on Data Files >> select targeted file >> Settings >> Compact Now
- Step 3. Lastly, Hit OK, and exit.
Method 3. Mailbox Clean-Up Tool
Try cleaning your heavy Outlook mailbox with the Mailbox Clean Up utility.
- Step 1. Firstly, Click on File tab >> Info
- Step 2. Choose Tools >> Mailbox Cleanup
- Step 3. Lastly, Multiple options can be seen here like View Mailbox Size, Find items older than, Find items larger than, View Deleted Items Size, Empty Deleted Items, View Conflicts Size, and Empty Conflict
You can choose any of these options as you need.
Important Reminders
Keep in mind that manual solutions on how to reduce size of Outlook mailbox are a good way to go. But, its also important to know that these methods to reduce size of Outlook have some limitations as well.
- Time Taking: Manual methods are indeed time taking. Even for a nontechnical user, it takes quite a lot of time to first understand the method and then apply it.
- Data Risk: Any small mistake in between the steps of manual methods might lead users to lose their whole data. There are chances that user might get confused in between, which might be risky.
Method 4. Automated Solutions to Reduce Outlook Mailbox Size
There are two professional tools available that can help us reduce Outlook mailbox size without deleting Outlook files. In the below section, we are going to discuss the process of reducing Outlook mailbox size in detail by using both tools one by one.
(1) Compact the Outlook File
It is an expert solution to deal with extremely large mailbox files. The software covers all the areas where the above manual methods fail to work. Manual methods are the right choice when we have to reduce the size of Outlook mailbox to a really small amount. A very large Outlook mailbox file, say 1TB is hard to get compacted via all the manual methods. In such cases, it is advised to use this trustworthy tool to compact PST file. This software is designed with a user-friendly interface that provides the desired result in a few simple steps, as follows:
Step 1 – Firstly, Download and Run the Software.
2 – “Add File” or “Folder” to reduce the size of the file.
3- Select the required Compression option: “Remove” or “Extract“.
4 – Lastly, click the “Next” button to start file compression and after the process down click on the OK button.
(2) Separate Outlook mailbox Files
If you are looking for a proficient solution on how to reduce Outlook mailbox size without deleting Outlook files, the Split PST Tool is the best way to do it. The software is built with breakthrough algorithms that make it highly capable of reducing Outlook mailboxes of any size within a short period. Also, the tool doesn’t modify or harm any of the user’s data. This tool is easy to use and works quickly in the simple steps given below.
1 – Firstly, Install and run the software into the system.
2 – Secondly, “Add files” / folder(s) and browse “Destination Path” to save resultant files.
3 – Thirdly, Select the desired “Split Option” (split by Size, Date, Year, Folder, Email ID & Category).
4 – Fourthly, Check the Summary of Split Information and click “Next” to proceed.
5 – Lastly, the splitting process has been completed.
Highlighted Features of Automated Tool
- Separate file by Size, Folder, Date, Year, Email ID and Category
- Allow to add single or multiple file/folder(s)
- MS Outlook installation is not require while using the Tool
- Provide CSV of the user’s email ID(s) to split files by multiple emails
- Break Outlook files by size from 1 MB to 1 TB
- The tool supports all editions of MS Outlook
Sum It Up
however, Reducing large Outlook mailbox size is not an exhausting task if done with the perfect planning and making the right choice. moreover, There have been instances where the huge Outlook mailbox is compressed down successfully with basic manual methods. On the other hand, the automated solution for how to reduce Outlook mailbox size is more secure and quick. It is also the best choice when we have to compress a very large Outlook data file.