Fix “Exchange OST has reached the maximum size” Problem Free

A large OST file can corrupt without giving any indication. You can lose important databases. OST is the file format of Outlook for Windows. It can store 2G, 20GB, and 50GB databases. An OST file can accommodate emails, notes, messages, contacts, and various other attributes. You can store a large number of emails in an OST file.

Reasons for Increased OST Files

It has various reasons to increase the file size of OST files.
OST files can increase due to duplicate items.
These files can increase in size because of the server issue where items can be saved twice or more than it.
Junk emails can increase the file size.

Table of Contents

Solutions to Fix “Exchange OST Has Reached the Maximum Size” Limit Issue

1. Compact OST File Size

It is a simple process where you delete junk and unused emails from OST files. After that, you delete these items forever from the file. It is a time-consuming process.

For compacting the OST file size, first go to the File menu >> Account Settingsand then select Account Settings
After this, choose the target OST file.
Now, click on these tabs one after another. First Settings >> Advanced >> Outlook Data File settings…
Click on the Compact Now tab and then OK.

The following method solves your problem temporarily. Server errors and human errors often lead to duplicate OST data. Other junked emails also enlarge the size of OST files.

2. Clear the Mailbox

If you don’t find the above method much helpful, you can look for another option to fix the size of OST files. Here are the steps you can follow.

Go to the File menu and move the cursor on Infoand select Cleanup Tools.
On the dropdown menu, choose the mailbox cleanup
After that, hit the “View Mailbox Size”tab to view the size of mailbox.
Provide the date range to locate older emails and delete them to reduce the size of the target OST file.
The options “Find items larger than”, “Empty deleted folders”, “View deleted items size”, and “Empty Conflicts” can reduce the file size.

You can download attachments and delete them from the OST file to reduce the file size to a great extent.

3. Disable the Shared Folder Synchronization

This could be a primary reason why users face file size issue. Shared files collect in your data and increase the size of OST files significantly.

For this, open your Outlook, press the File menu for Account Settings and then again Account Settings.
Select the desired OST file.
In the Settings option, press the Advancedbutton and then select Outlook Data Settings…
Now, uncheck the “Download Shared Folders”option and press OK.
Now, restart Outlook to start the synchronization Wait until the process is over.

It is one of the most popular methods in offices to fix the large size OST file issue. Have you ever tried this method? Go ahead and give it a try.

4. Adjusting “Mail to Keep Offline” Settings

It is one of the best ways to reduce the size of your desired OST files. Here are the steps you can take.

Access your MS Outlook application and locate the File men, then Info, after that Account Settings > Account Settings.
Now, you choose the email account/profileand press the Change
After that, set the “Mail to Keep Offline”

In this method, you can select 3 to 5 years of range. All Outlook data will synchronize as per your direction. You can change the settings as per your requirements often.

5. Size Configuration Using Registry Key

If you don’t want to remove emails and other databases of an OST file to fix the “OST has reached the maximum size” issue, you can change the registry key’s entries and values. It is one of the best alternative methods to select. It significantly reduces the size of OST files. Here are four registry entries that you can edit and set a maximum size for an OST file.

MaxFileSize and WarnFileSize

They refer to the ANSI formatted OST files size limit. It means it works only for limited size OST files that can hold up to 2GB data or until 2000 versions.

MaxLargeFileSize and WarnLargeFileSize

They are for UNICODE format OST files which file size can range up to 50 GB or 20GB, such as Outlook 2007 and 2003, Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2019.

6. Moving OST Data to Archive Folder

In this method, we can transfer unused and old emails and other items to archived folder. In this way, you can store as many emails as you desire.

Access Outlook 2013 version. After that, navigate the File menu, then Clean up Tools and the Archive folder. For Outlook 2016 or 2019, navigate the File menu >> Info >> Tools >> Clean Up Old Items.
Now, hit the “Archive this folder and all subfolders”
Now, select a folderfrom the archive list.
Then, choose the “Archive items older than:”
Press the “Browse”to save the resultant data and hit OK.

This method can reduce the file size significantly. You can apply this method to reduce the file size of unlimited OST files. It significantly reduces the OST file size.

Fixing “OST File Reached its Maximum Size” Issue – The Expert Way

If the above manual method seems not feasible to you, a third-party tool can be the best alternative. The technical market offers a range of applications to choose from. One of the best-selling applications is WholeClear Exchange OST To PST Conversion Tool. It is a professional utility to use by personal and business users. It allows you to export unlimited data of OST files to Outlook PST to reduce the file size effectively

Working Steps of Software-

Download and launch the OST Conversion on your system.
Choose the mail source “select to OST file”
After that, select the appropriate option to filter OST files of your choice and press the “Browse” tool.
After that, “Select the PST File” from the option
Next, select the “Browse” button and press the “Convert Now” tab to complete the process.

This application requires no installation of Outlook and any other apps to export OST data files to Outlook PST. It offers independent conversion of OST2PST. During immigration, it gives enough freedom to select and export only selective OST data to Outloook.

Reasons to Choose the Professional Utility

It is a user-friendly application that requires no technical skills for conversion. A user with basic computer skills can download and run the program.
It is suitable for all Outlook versions including 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2016, and 2019.
During conversion, the application offers complete export of data by migrating emails with their attachments.
It makes the conversion process hassle free.
The tool offers custom conversion by extracting only required folders from OST files.
It is a Windows operating tool to use on your system.
The application offers bunch data conversion to save time and effort.

Summing Up

Overall, you have multiple options to concise a large size OST files. A large OST fie can corrupt or damaged. You can choose any of the given options to reduce the file size.