Are you facing the error ‘Outlook data file has reached the maximum size’ when you open Outlook? Basically, the error is that the data file which is in the form of .pst will store a copy of all your Outlook data like messages, calendar events, emails, and other Outlook items. As and when the number of items increases in your Outlook, the size of the data file also increases. The size of the .pst file increases by as much as 50GB while the recommended size is 20GB for the performance of Outlook to be good and consistent. So when the size exceeds the limit you get an error saying ‘Outlook data file has reached the maximum size’. To solve this error try to remove all the unwanted items from Outlook, delete the emails and attachments that are no longer required, compress the size of the data file, and make some space for the new emails to arrive. In this article, we have a few solutions that you can apply and get rid of the problem. Let us start!
Method 1 – Compress The Outlook .pst Data file
Step 1 – Open the Outlook app
Step 2 – Go to the file tab at the top left corner
Step 3 – In the info tab click on the account settings drop-down then from the list select account settings
Step 4 – In the opened account settings window, go to the data files tab
Step 5 – Click on settings
Step 6 – In the opened Microsoft Exchange tab go to the advanced tab
Step 7 – Click on Outlook Data File Settings… button
Step 8 – Click on compact now button. Now the whitespace present in the .pst datafile will be removed and the space might be reduced
Step 9 – Restart the Outlook and now check if the issue is solved.
Method 2 – Save Attachments In Different Folder
Step 1 – Open the Outlook app and click on your email account on the left side
Step 2 – Click on the filter symbol (a drop down symbol)
Step 3 – In the appeared list, click on size (a tick mark should be present beside it). This will sort the emails based on size
Step 4 – Sort the emails in descending order that is from largest to smallest. You can do this by clicking on the arrow mark beside filter symbol
Step 5 – Open each email and click on the attachments to save it if needed or you can also right click on the attachment and click on save all attachments option. Save the attachments in your local drive
Step 6 – Once saved, go to the email and right click on the attachment and select remove attachment to delete them from email
Step 7 – Also delete the emails that are no longer needed and also delete junk, spam emails if not needed. Once the above steps are performed, there might be some space reduced.
Method 3 – Archive Old Email Items
Step 1 – Open the Outlook app and go to the file tab at the top left corner
Step 2 – By default info tab will be opened. At the right side, click on tools dropdown
Step 3 – From the appeared list, click on Clean up old items
Step 4 – Archive window will open, choose archive this folder and all subfolders by clicking on the radio button beside it
Step 5 – Select the folders and sub folders that you want to archive
Step 6 – Mention the date from when you want to archive the emails in archive items older than field
Step 7 – Click on browse
Step 8 – Choose the location where you want to save the archived items. Give the file name and save as type should be .pst then click on ok
Step 9 – Again in the archive window click on ok. Now the archive process will start and will be saved in the location that you selected.
Note – The archived emails cannot be accessible by Outlook web. But it is accessible by the Outlook app. By archiving the size of the pst file will be reduced. Alternatively, you can also use import/export feature of Outlook to save your emails in your local like a backup and delete those from Outlook.
Method 4 – Increase The Size Limit For .pst Files
Step 1 – Open the run prompt using Windows + R keys together
Step 2 – Type regedit in the run prompt and hit enter
Step 3 – A user account control window will open, click on yes. This will open the registry editor window
Step 4 – Navigate to the following path. The path may vary according to your Outlook version
For Outlook Standard or Home edition
If you have Outlook 2016 version onwards then navigate to the below path
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
If you have Outlook 2013 version then navigate to the below path
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
If you have Outlook 2010 version then navigate to the below path
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
If you have Outlook 2007 version then navigate to the below path
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
For Outlook that is connected to a domain controller in the organization then navigate to the following path
Outlook 2016
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
Outlook 2013
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
Outlook 2010
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
Outlook 2007
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
Step 5 – Check for the PST key on the left. If it is not present then right click on the Outlook folder, click on new and then select key
Step 6 – Name the key as PST
Step 7 – Click on the PST key and then at the right side in the empty space right click and select new
Step 8 – Then click on DWORD (32-bit value)
Step 9 – Name the value as MaxLargeFileSize
Step 10 – Similarly create another value [follow step 7 – step 8] and name it as WarnLargeFileSize
Step 11 – Double click on MaxLargeFileSize and in the value data field enter 51200 for 50GB or for 40GB enter the value 40960 (decimal value)
Step 12 – Click on ok
Step 13 – Double click on WarnLargeFileSize and in the value data field enter the value that must be decimal value and almost 90-95% lower than the value entered for MaxLargeFileSize. Example if MaxLargeFileSize is 51200 then the value of WarnLargeFileSize should be 48640
Step 14 – Then click on ok
Step 15 – Once updated, close the registry window and restart the computer
Step 16 – Open the Outlook and the issue must be solved. The issue may re-appear once the PST reaches the newly set limit.
That’s it! I hope the above provided information is helpful and easy to follow. Let us know which method did you apply and got the issue resolved. Thank you and happy reading!!