How to Reduce OST File Size Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013?

What is the Maximum OST file Size for MS Outlook?

Here are some Outlook versions and their relatable size limit:

How do OST Files get Oversized?

Outlook is the safe and most popular personal information manager application that allows users to send and receive emails. Moreover, the more you manage information, your Outlook mailbox can expand itself. The fact is that large mailboxes can take longer to open and search.

Offline Data File(.ost) contains all the data you have created or received while accessing your Outlook profile. It includes all emails from different folders, attachments, calendars, tasks, contacts, journals, notes, hidden items, public folders, etc. When you forget to delete unimportant data, it gets stuck in your work. As a result, the Outlook data file has reached the maximum size.

What is the Need to Reduce OST File Size?

Some of the specific reasons for users to split the large OST file are as follows:

• If you can not open or load your .ost file document.
• Unable to add data to the existing exchange .ost file.
• Error messages during the synchronizing process.
• Unfortunately, the shutdown of Outlook has posed an issue.
• Fixing the synchronization issues between OST and MS Exchange Server.

Easy Tricks to Compact Size of OST Files in Outlook

To reduce the Outlook Data Files(.ost) size, follow the step-by-step guide of the below-mentioned solutions. There are no chances of data loss, and the process is 100% safe and secure. We have provided different manual ways and an alternative professional tool to make the splitting task quick and easy. Let’s begin with the manual methods first.

Method 1: Reduce OST File Size by Compacting OST File

Outlook offers an option to compact (.ost) and (.pst) files. Follow the steps below:

1. Delete the items you don’t want to keep and empty the Deleted Items folder.
2. Click the File tab >> Opt for the Account Settings and select Account Settings from the drop-down list.
3. Under the Data Files tab, choose the OST data file that you need to compact.
   
4. Click Settings >> Advanced >> Outlook Data File Settings.
   
5. A tab pops up on your screen: click the Compact Now button >> OK.
   

Finally, it will compress the OST file to an extent and may resolve your big file issue temporarily.

Method 2: Empty Up Your Outlook Mailbox folder

This method will fix your issue for a long time; only the requirement is to select the clean-up mailbox option. The steps are as follows:

1. Start Outlook and click on the File >> Info.
   
2. Here, click Cleanup Tools beside Mailbox Cleanup.
   
3. Click the View Mailbox Size button to view your current mailbox size stored in the local OST file.
   
4. Next, manually enter the number of days to find your older emails.
5. Opt for the Delete button to reduce the OST file and mailbox size on the server.
6. Furthermore, you can also perform the following:
   
   • Find the more oversized items or empty deleted items folder
   • Preview the deleted item's size
   • View Conflicts Size or Empty Conflicts
   • Archive older items instead of deleting them. ( Go to File >> Options >> Advanced >> Auto-Archive Settings.)
   • Transfer Mailbox items from OST to PST

Reduce OST File Size Outlook Using Automated Tool

SysInfo OST Splitter Software is an efficient and safe utility to reduce Outlook OST file size. It splits OST files into smaller files while maintaining proper data integrity. The software splits OST file size into multiple parts based on Date, Size, Year, Folder, Sender Email ID, Category, etc. This top-notch expert solution has no file size limitations and is compatible with all the versions of Windows OS. It has some exclusive and reliable features, such as:

• Split Oversized OST into one or more files & save them in PST format without any data lapse.
• Provides an option to make the resultant file password-protected.
• Also, it has the option to create a single file or a separate PST file as required.

Step By Step Guide to Reduce the Size of the Outlook Data File (.ost)

1. Start the OST Splitter Tool as an administrator on your system.
   
2. Click the Add Files button to browse the OST files for splitting
   
3. Preview the added OST files and click the Next button.
   
4. Check the folders and opt for the split option as Size, Date, Sender, and Folder.
   
5. Further, enter the OST file size in MB or GB or define it manually.
   
6. Check the other additional filters and features as per the selected criteria for splitting.
   
7. Press the Choose button to select the destination path for the resultant folder.
   
8. Subsequently, click Split to reduce the size of the oversized OST file.
   
9. After completing the process, click OK in the pop-up tab on the screen.
   

Conclusion

This article discussed the solution to reduce OST file size using the best methods. We learned the need to reduce Outlook OST file size. However, if you cannot fix the oversized OST file size issue manually. Opt for the professional tool, as it will efficiently split OST files as required within seconds. Moreover, it is platform-independent and has no restrictions