ARCHIVED: In Microsoft Outlook 2000 and earlier for Windows, how do I fix an "exceeding limit" or "size limit" error?

An "exceeding mail storage limit" or "over size limit" error indicates that you have exceeded your Exchange server quota. For information on how to check your disk quota, see the Knowledge Base document How do I check my storage space on the Exchange server?

Below is information to help you stay within your Exchange quota.

Check the Deleted Items folder

Any mail you've deleted from your Inbox (or any other folder) is not really gone until you empty the Deleted Items folder:

• To delete individual messages in the Deleted Items folder, select the appropriate message, and click the Delete button (it looks like an "X") on the toolbar.
  
  
• To empty the entire Deleted Items folder, from the Tools menu, select Empty "Deleted Items" Folder.

If you wish, you can set Outlook to automatically delete items in the Deleted Items folder upon exiting Outlook. To do so:

1. Within Outlook, from the Tools menu, select Options... .
   
   
2. Click the Other (in Outlook 97, the General) tab.
   
   
3. In the window that appears, check Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting.

Check for large messages and attachments

Note: If you have an abundance of large messages stored in your mailbox, you should consider moving them to a personal folder file (see directions in next section below).

It is a good idea to go through each folder individually and check for messages with attached files. When you send a message with an attached file, the attachment is saved in your Sent Items folder, along with the message. When you receive a message with an attachment, it is saved in your Inbox (and then saved in the Deleted Items folder after you delete it). If you save the message and attachment to another folder in your Exchange server mailbox, it counts against your quota.

The best way to deal with a buildup of large attachments is to save each attached file locally, then remove it from the original message. If you need to re-send the attached file, open a new message to the recipient, and click the attachment button (it looks like a paper clip). Alternatively, from the Insert menu, you can select File... . Then find the directory in which the file was saved locally, select the file to be attached, and click the OK button.

To check the size of messages and attachments, follow the appropriate directions below.

Outlook 98 and 2000

1. At the top of the Folder List, right-click Outlook Today - [Mailbox - Lastname, Firstname MI] (you'll see your name replacing Lastname, Firstname MI).
   
   
2. Select Properties for "Mailbox - Lastname, Firstname ..." (again, with your name replacing Lastname, Firstname).
   
   
3. Click the Folder Size... button.

Outlook 97

To check the size of messages and attachments in Outlook 97, you need to add the "Size" column to your Inbox view. To do so, follow the directions below:

1. From the View menu, select Show Fields... .
   
   
2. From the Available Fields list, select Size, and click the Add-> button.
   
   
3. Click OK to return to Outlook.
   
   
4. Click the Size column header to sort messages by size.

Move items to a personal folder

A personal folder file is a file that is located on your computer's hard disk (with a .pst extension), not on the server. Personal folder files can contain objects such as other personal folders, messages, forms, and files. You can use personal folder files for saving copies of your email, calendar, contacts, etc., or for moving email off the Exchange server. To move mail to a personal folder file, select the mail messages you wish to move, and drag them to a personal folder in the left pane of Outlook. (To see personal folders in the left pane, you'll have to be using the folder List view; for more information, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: In Outlook, what is the Folder List view, and how do I turn it on or off?)

Any messages you move to a personal folder will be removed from the Exchange server. If you work from more than one computer, you can move items from a personal folder back to your Exchange server mailbox folders; you will then be able to access them when you log into your Exchange account from another computer.

Archive old items

Archiving messages in Outlook saves old messages by date to a personal folder file (.pst file). As messages in Outlook age, AutoArchive places these messages into a personal folder file. For more information, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: In Microsoft Outlook, what is AutoArchive, and how do I use it? To archive items manually in Outlook, select the folder you wish to archive, then from the File menu, select Archive... . This will archive all the messages in that folder, according to the settings you give.

Requesting a quota increase

For information on requesting a quota increase, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: At IU, can I request a quota increase for my Outlook or Exchange email account?