My Outlook mailbox is full, how do I free up space?
Members of staff are allocated 150mb for their Exchange Mailbox. (To check the size of your mailbox, see the instructions at the end of the page).
It can quickly fill up if you do not manage your emails, especially if you are sending or receiving large attachments. If your mailbox is getting full you will be sent an email message to tell you that your mailbox is approaching the quota. If you do not reduce the size of your mailbox, you will be unable to send email, and you'll receive an email headed "Your mailbox is over its size limit".
What to do if your mailbox is full
-
Reduce the size of your mailbox
Your mailbox is not only your Inbox, but includes all the folders listed under your name.
- Check the following folders and delete everything that you don't
need to keep. Highlight the items to be deleted, then press
SHIFT and Delete together to
permanently delete the items.
- Sent Items folder
- Outbox folder
- Delete everything in your Deleted Items folder. To do this, go to the folder, select the Tools menu and click on Empty Deleted Items.
- Look in the Large Mail folder (located under Search Folders) for emails you can delete. This shows you all large files in any folder in your mailbox, including those with big attachments. If you need to keep attachments, save them to your personal files or to portable media and then delete the email.
- Check your Inbox and any other folders in your
Mailbox, (those listed directly under your name):
- Delete old messages and anything else you don't need to keep.
-
Send a test message
Send a test email to yourself. If you receive your test message and don't get the message saying that your mailbox is full, then this has resolved your problem.
-
Set up Personal Folders
If you need to keep some emails, you can set up personal folders for storing them. Note: these are located on your PC, so you can't access them from any other computer or via online Bellesmail.
Still think you need more space?
Mail messages for faculty and staff are held on the central Exchange servers managed by IT Services. Storage space is not infinite so in order to keep costs down and to simplify administration, a standard quota is applied to all staff. This has been set at a level which is enough for the majority of staff, provided they manage their mailbox as outlined on our web pages.
If the nature of your work frequently requires you to access large volumes of email/attachments on-line and from different locations, you should consider using a laptop instead of a desktop PC. The advantage of a laptop is that you can carry your Personal Folders around with you, so you always have access to the information you need. IT Services will be happy to provide further advice, but you should discuss this with your line manager in the first instance.
In exceptional circumstances, if the quota is not considered sufficient for an individual to carry out their job effectively, an increase may be requested.
Any request for an increased quota must come from the department chair or department manager. This must confirm that, as part of their job, the member of staff in question has to be able to access large volumes of emails on-line from two or more separate locations. It should also indicate why this cannot be achieved by use of Outlook Personal Folders and/or a laptop.
The request must be made in writing to IT Services. Any increase in limit, as well as the duration of the arrangement will be at the discretion of IT Services.
To check the size of your Mailbox
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Open Outlook
-
Single right click on Outlook Today [Mailbox ..] or on Mailbox - your name. Then choose Properties.
- Click on the Folder Size button at the bottom of the screen. This will show you the total size of your mailbox, and the size of your Inbox, Sent Items, etc.
