Mailbox Full: Email Archiving Process

Classic Outlook:

All employees have 49.50 GB of email storage available to them in outlook. Once your mailbox is close to 80% full you will receive email warnings asking you to erase unwanted emails. The system may also ask you to archive your emails. The IT Department will archive for you. When IT archives IT will need the following done before starting this process:

1. Delete all unnecessary emails. Once finished, right-click on your deleted items and select Empty Folder.
2. Search emails by file size. You can have 100,000 emails in your inbox and not go over your storage limit. Attachments are the culprit when it comes to filling up a mailbox. To do this, scroll down until you see a folder labeled Search Folders. Right-click on that folder and select new search. Scroll down and select Large mail then click ok. Your emails will be sorted by file size. Anything over 3 or 4mb should be deleted or saved off into a folder. You can open an email, right-click on an attachment, and Save Attachment. Once finished, you can then right-click on the attachment and remove it from the email without deleting the email. Do this for as many emails as possible.
3. Start Archiving: Open Outlook, click File on the top left > Tools > Cleanup old items… > Select your email address towards the top, select the date you want to archive items older than, then click ok. It will throw you back into your inbox and you can see it start archiving emails towards the bottom right of outlook. This may take 15-60 minutes typically, longer the more emails you have. Screenshot below:
   
   1. Determine a time frame which you would like all emails archived. For example, any emails prior to 12/31/2020. This will remove all emails from your inbox, and sub folders.
   2. Archive specific folders. You can send IT a list of all the specific folders you wish to have archived.
   3. Archive your sent items. Sent items also take up space, you can have IT archive specific sent item dates.

New Outlook:

1. Delete all unnecessary emails. Once finished, right-click on your deleted items and select Empty Folder.
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3. Search emails by file size. You can have 100,000 emails in your inbox and not go over your storage limit. Attachments are the culprit when it comes to filling up a mailbox. To do this, click on the upward and downward arrow icon and sort by size. I would delete any email that has an attachment over 4mbs as long as you don't need the email. 
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5. Start Archiving: Open Outlook, click the Setting icon in the top right > Accounts > Storage > Select Select the folder you want to empty and pick what time period works best for you delete anything older than 3, 6, and 12 months. This will take around 60 minutes to complete and may take longer depending on how many emails you have in that folder. 
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