Did you get an error message Outlook ‘Mailbox Size Limit Exceeded’ while trying to send/receive emails? This can be very frustrating as you will not be able to send/receive which is the primary purpose of email accounts. So, how to fix this?
We will get right into it, but before that let us see what exactly is this mailbox size limit.
What is Outlook Mailbox Size Limit?
Outlook Mailbox Size limit refers to the maximum amount of storage space allocated to your email account on the server. It is set by your email service provider or organization’s IT department. When you reach this limit, you won’t receive new emails until you free up space. This is done so that each user on the server gets access to fair and equal storage space.
This is different from the Outlook Data File Size Limit which refers to the maximum size of the Outlook data file (OST for offline access, PST for personal data) stored on your local machine.
Now let us discuss what to do when we reach the Outlook Mailbox size limit.
Methods to Fix Outlook ‘Mailbox Size Limit Exceeded’
There are many solutions to fix the ‘Mailbox size limit exceeded’ in Outlook. Different solutions may target the cause of the problem. We have compiled a set of methods using which you can resolve the issue irrespective of the cause.
Method 1: Free up Mailbox Space using the Mailbox Cleanup Tool
You can use the tools option in Outlook to perform several tasks to free up space. Let us see how to use it.
- Open Outlook and go to the File menu.
- Click on Tools, next to the Mailbox Settings in the Info tab.
- Select Mailbox Cleanup. Here you can see different options each performing a different cleaning task.
- Select View Mailbox Size to check the size of the mailbox.
- Click on AutoArchive to archive items.
- Press Empty to delete all the items from the Deleted Folder.
- Click on Delete to remove all conflicting items.
All these tasks will help you reduce and free up space and hence resolve the Outlook ‘Mailbox Size Limit Exceeded’ error.
Method 2: Remove Large Emails
You must delete large emails that may take up a lot of space. To remove large emails follow the steps as shown.
- Open Outlook. Go to the Folder menu.
- Click on the New Search folder.
- In the new popup window scroll down, select the option Large mail, and click on Choose… to select the file size of the mail to filter large mails. Press OK to continue,
- All the large emails will be grouped. You can individually select which emails to delete.
- You can also select the option Delete All to delete all the large emails or Purge to delete the same permanently.
Method 3: Repair Outlook Data File
Although not a direct cause, a corrupt Outlook data file can also affect the mailbox and show the Outlook ‘Mailbox size limit exceeded’ error. This is because.
- Hidden Data Consumption: Corruption can cause inefficiencies within the data file. Unnecessary data or inconsistencies might prevent automatically removing deleted items, even though they appear deleted in Outlook. This can lead to wasted storage space even though your mailbox might not be technically “full” according to server quotas.
- Functionality loss: A corrupt Outlook data file may prevent the proper functioning of the application and tasks like archiving, or deletion may not work which prevents you from freeing space.
This is why repairing the Outlook Data file is important in such cases if corruption is found.
Method A: Use ScanPST to Repair Outlook Data File
You have the option of utilizing a free utility called ScanPST to repair your Outlook Data Files. To use this tool follow the given steps.
- Location the SCANPST.exe file. It may be at the location C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 (varies depending on your Outlook Version)
- Run the application.
- In the new popup window click on Browse and select the Outlook Data File to be scanned.
- Click on Start to begin the scanning process.
- Click on the option Repair to repair any issue found in the file.
Your Outlook data file will be repaired.
Method B: Use Yodot Outlook PST Repair to Fix the Outlook Data File
You can also use the Yodot Outlook PST Repair tool to repair Outlook Data files. It has the feature of searching for your data file in case you are unaware of its location.
In addition, it works in read-only mode, creates a copy of the original file, and works on the copy. This ensures that the original copy is unaffected and can be reused in case of unforeseen situations. Its powerful algorithm is capable of repairing even severely corrupt or even broken Outlook data files.
To use this tool follow the steps as shown.
- Download and Install Yodot Outlook PST Repair.
- You will see 3 options; Open PST File (Select if you know the location of your PST file), Find PST File (Select if you don’t know the location of your PST file), and Select Outlook Profile (Select to repair OST file).
- Click on Browse to select the location where you want to save the repaired copy of the file and press Repair.
Note: It is also possible to increase the Data File Size Limit by configuring the registry. But we do not recommend this as this does not address the cause of the problem and so the problem will repeat in the future. Also, any errors while editing the registry can lead to serious system performance issues.
Conclusion
In this article we have explained how you can manage your Outlook account and resolve the Outlook ‘Mailbox size limit exceeded’ error. It is important to note that archiving and deletion should be performed regularly in the future also so that the problem doesn’t recur.
