How to Reduce PST File Size in Outlook: Step-by-Step Guide
In today's digital era, emails have become an important part of our professional and personal lives. If you are a Microsoft Outlook user, then you must have also noticed that after some time, your PST (Personal Storage Table) file size becomes very large. This can reduce the speed of Outlook, and sometimes the risk of corruption also increases.
So let's learn about easy manual methods and the best tools to reduce the size of the Outlook PST file.
Why does the size of the PST file become large?
- Due to thousands of emails and attachments being stored
- Due to not deleting old emails
- Due to not emptying Drafts, Deleted Items, and Junk folders
- Large files and multimedia attachments.
How to reduce PST file size manually
Outlook has some built-in features that help you reduce the PST file:
Step 1: Delete unwanted emails and attachments:
- Open Outlook.
- Look at the folders that are using the most space. Sent Items, Deleted Items, and Junk Email.
- Identify and delete emails with large attachments.
- Empty the Deleted Items folder.
Tip: If you want to keep only emails by removing large attachments, you can delete the attachments.
Step 2: Archive old emails
- In Outlook, go to File > Info > Tools > Clean up old items.
- Select Archive this folder and all subfolders.
- Set the date after which you want to archive emails.
- Give a new name and location to the PST file.
- Click OK.
This will move the old emails to a separate PST and make the existing PST smaller.
Step 3: Use the Compact Now feature:
Even when you delete emails, the size of the PST file does not reduce immediately. For this, Outlook has a Compact feature:
- Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
- Select your PST file in the Data Files tab.
- Go to Settings > Advanced > Outlook Data File Settings.
- Click “Compact Now.”
Wait for the process to complete.
This step removes the empty space in the PST file and makes the file smaller.
Compress PST File with the help of tools
If the manual method seems long or the file is very large, then you can take the help of Outlook PST Compress tools:
DataVare Outlook PST Compact Expert Tool is designed to solve these problems. Let us know in detail what this tool is, how it works, and why it should be used.
What is the DataVare Outlook PST Compact Expert Tool?
This is smart and user-friendly software, which is specially designed to shrink Outlook PST files without any data loss. Its interface is so simple that you can easily use it even if you have little technical knowledge.
Key features of this tool
- Fast and secure processing; compress PST files in just a few clicks, and do so without data corruption.
- Option to compress/remove attachments, which saves space to a great extent.
- Supports both ANSI and Unicode PST files.
- Can also handle password-protected PST files.
- Facility to split large PST files, You can split the file into smaller parts if you want.
- 100% data integrity. Your data, folder structure, and metadata remain completely safe even after compression.
- Supports all major versions of Windows OS. Whether you have Windows 7, 8, 10, or Windows 11, this tool works perfectly.
How to use
- Install the DataVare Outlook PST Compact Expert Tool.
- Add the PST file to the software.
- Choose your preferred options for compressing (such as compressing or removing attachments).
- Set the destination folder and click the “Compact” button.
- Your PST file will be smaller and lighter in no time.
Why choose the DataVare Outlook PST Compact Expert Tool?
- Fast and reliable
- User-friendly
- Works in batches without any data loss
- Supports all versions of Outlook
Note: Before using any third-party tool, make sure to check its trust rating and reviews.
Benefits of reducing PST file size:
- Outlook speed and performance improve
- The risk of corruption and errors reduces
- Backup and transfer become easy
- Storage space is saved
Finally
Reducing the size of the PST file is very important not only for Outlook speed but also for data safety and management. By following the steps mentioned above, you can keep your Outlook fast and organized.
