When you delete the mails from the mailbox, you certainly ensure some free space on, yet you receive the warning message stating Outlook mailbox is full. This happens because, when you create an Outlook profile on the Exchange server, the administrator allocates a default mailbox size. When it exceeds the size limit, you will encounter the warning that the Outlook mailbox is full. Sometimes, you receive warning messages after deleting some of the emails.
Why Is My Mailbox Still Full After Deleting?
A few reasons behind Outlook mailbox displaying full would be:
| Causes for Outlook Mailbox full | Solution to Fix Outlook Mailbox Full |
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1. Mails that were deleted may not be taking so much space and deleting such emails doesn’t add up to storage space. |
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2. Trash or Delete folders not being emptied. All the data stored in the mailbox contribute to the storage space. Therefore, deleting the emails from inbox and storing them in the delete folder or archive folder doesn’t do any good in freeing up the space. |
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3. If you are working on OST files, it consumes more space than PST files. In such cases, it is recommended to convert OST to PST files to free up mailbox storage space. |
If you keep facing the error after deleting the data from the Outlook mailbox, try these 4 simple solutions given in the next section.
Solutions to Fix Outlook Mailbox Full After Deleting
Here are a few methods described to resolve the issue Outlook mailbox is full. It is also recommended to take a backup of your important data.
Method 1: Delete Large Emails to Free Up the Mailbox Storage
This is the best way to delete unwanted large emails to free up the mailbox space follow the steps given below to easily resolve the Outlook mailbox full after deleting or archiving.
1: Launch Microsoft Outlook and go to Folder option>> New Search Folder option on the left corner of the toolbar.
2: Scroll a bit down à go to Organizing mail and select Large mail. Choose the size of the file to delete under the Customize Search Folders. Click OK.
3: Emails larger than the specified size will be displayed on the left side of the window.
Now you can select the unimportant files and delete them in one go. What if the emails are important and you lose them? Do not worry! in such a situation, you can easily recover deleted emails from Outlook.
Method 2: Empty the Delete Folder or Trash Folder
Another method to free up storage space in the Outlook mailbox is to clear or empty the delete folder. When data is deleted from the mailbox, it is temporarily stored in a deleted folder. Therefore, you can manage the storage space of the mailbox by deleting items from the delete folder permanently.
Important Note: If you have configured Outlook on Exchange, Outlook.com, or Office 365 account, Outlook displays the Deleted Items folder. However, if you are looking for Gmail or any other email account, the folder is named Trash.
Follow the steps given below to delete items from the delete folder permanently to stop the Outlook mailbox from getting full.
1 – Open Outlook, go to Delete Items >> Right Click and select Empty Folder.
2 – When prompted, Confirm.
You can try deleting the item permanently when you delete items from the folder. To do so, configure the settings to automate this process.
1 – Go to File >> Options >> Advanced.
2 – Click on Outlook Start and Exit >> Empty the Deleted Items folder when exiting the checkbox.
3 – Scroll down to the others field and click the Prompt for confirmation before permanently deleting items.
When you confirm, all the items from the delete folder are deleted, and create enough storage in the mailbox. Thus, the warning message Outlook mailbox is full after deleting can be fixed. If this method also didn’t help you fix the error, you can try cleaning up the mailbox.
Method 3: Clean up the Mailbox Using Cleanup Tool
You can make use of the mailbox cleanup tool to clear the older emails stored in Outlook. The mailbox Cleanup option verifies the size of the mailbox size and filters the older emails than a specific date. Also, it can find emails based on the size of Archive mail items, view Deleted Items folder size, and empty or delete Deleted Items and Junk folders. Follow the steps below to use Mailbox Cleanup:
1: Navigate to File >> Tools >> select Mailbox Cleanup.
2: You can select emails to clean based either on the days or the size of the files. Once you provide the specification, click on Find Select the messages to delete from the list and clear the Mailbox.
3: You can also make use of the AutoArchive option to move old emails to an archive (.pst) automatically. This can free up the mailbox storage and fix the error message.
Method 4: Fix Outlook Mailbox Full Issue by Converting OST File to PST
If you are working offline or using the default Cached Exchange Mode, you can convert OST to PST or split oversized OST files into small PST-based files to manage space in the mailbox. By converting OST to PST, you not only free up the mailbox storage space but also reduce the corruption in OST files. It also makes access to the mailboxes easy.
When you convert an OST file to a PST file, the attachments link dynamically, allowing users to access them directly from the email without any hassle.
Steps to convert OST to PST using SFWare OST to PST Converter
Download and Install SFWare OST to PST conversion software on your computer. Launch the application.
1: On the Main screen- Two options Open OST file and Find OST file are displayed
Open OST file: select this option to repair inaccessible, corrupt, or damaged Outlook OST file.
Find OST file: select this option when you’re not aware of the OST file location. The tool will automatically find the OST file.
2: Click on Browse to store the converted OST file.
3: The software will start the conversion and will generate a healthy PST file that is ready to use.
Now, you have converted the large OST file into a PST file, and it contains all your Outlook items that were in the OST file. By importing this PST file into your Outlook, you can successfully access all Outlook attributes.
Conclusions:
When Outlook Mailbox is full, you will not be able to send or receive any mail. To stop this from happening, make sure to keep your mailbox storage space free. If you still encounter the warning message mailbox full after deleting everything, follow the methods explained in the article and fix the error.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why does Outlook keep saying my mailbox is full?
A few reasons behind Outlook displaying a mailbox full are undeleted old mail that is consuming space from mailbox storage, working in offline mode, and also due to corruption in Outlook data files. Sometimes even after deleting or arching the emails, you end up encountering the warning message. This is because deleted or archived messages will still exist in the storage space which makes mailbox storage full.
Do deleted emails take up space in Outlook?
Yes, deleted emails if not permanently deleted from the mailbox take up space in Outlook. You can easily free up the space by emptying the delete or archiving folder as described in the write-up.
How do I stop my Outlook mailbox from being full?
You can stop Outlook mailbox full of warning messages by deleting large-size emails or old emails that are unimportant. Emptying the archive folder or deleting the folder also helps in fixing the problem. If you are working on OST, the best option is to convert OST to PST. By converting you can fix any Ost/ PST corruption and OST large file size issues.
Does converting OST to PST reduce Outlook mailbox space?
Yes, absolutely. When you convert an OST file to PST, you can split large OST files into smaller, more manageable files, reducing the space they occupy in the mailbox. You can also easily access PST files from anywhere, anytime, without complications. Additionally, PST files are more reliable than OST files. If they become corrupted or damaged, you can repair them easily using various tools, making PST files a more resilient option for data storage.
