Managing your mailbox size in Outlook is essential to ensure smooth performance and avoid storage issues. By using the Mailbox Cleanup tool, you can easily view, organize, and archive your emails to keep your mailbox efficient and clutter-free.
Open Mailbox Cleanup:
1. In Outlook, go to File > Tools > Mailbox Cleanup.
2. Options to Manage Mailbox Size:
- View Mailbox Size: Check the total size of your mailbox and individual folders.
- Find Large or Old Items: Locate items older than a specific date or larger than a certain size.
- AutoArchive: Use AutoArchive to move old items to an archive file automatically.
- Deleted Items: View and empty the size of your Deleted Items folder.
- Conflicts Folder: View and delete items in your Conflicts folder.
Best practices to keep your mailbox lean
If your email is stored on a server like Exchange, reaching your mailbox limit can restrict your email functions. For instance, at 90 MB you might get a warning, at 100 MB you might not be able to send emails, and at 110 MB you might not receive emails.
To manage your mailbox size:
- Archive Older Items: Move old emails to an archive file (.pst) that you can access anytime. Outlook can do this automatically or you can do it manually.
- Empty Deleted Items: Regularly clear out your Deleted Items folder.
- Empty Junk Email: Periodically empty your Junk Email folder.
- - Store Attachments Elsewhere: Save attachments to OneDrive, a team site, or your computer to free up space.