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Changing the default *.pst and *.ost data file sizes

Slipstick Systems

› Outlook › Configure and Maintain › Changing the default *.pst and *.ost data file sizes

Last reviewed on February 23, 2021     75 Comments

Applies to: Outlook (classic), Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010

Beginning with Outlook 2003, the new Unicode pst/ost format support much larger data files, with the default data file size set to 20 GB (Outlook 2003 or 2007) and 50 GB for Outlook 2010 and up. While this size is more than enough for most people, it can be raised in Outlook 2003/2007, if needed, by setting two registry values. The default file size in Outlook 2010 and up of 50GB is currently the maximum recommended limit for all versions of Outlook. (You can raise it to 100GB if necessary, but it is not recommended.)

Note: At this time, the maximum recommended ost or pst file size is 50GB.

Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\xx.0\Outlook\PST (replacing xx with your version of Outlook: 16 for Outlook 2016, 15 for Outlook 2013, 14 for Outlook 2010, 12 for Outlook 2007, or 11 for Outlook 2003.)

Unicode pst format

For Unicode pst and ost files, create DWORD values of

MaxLargeFileSize
WarnLargeFileSize

Enter a decimal value in MB. For example, 100 GB = 102400 Decimal (a GB to MB or bytes converter is below). Maximum Unicode pst/ost file size is 1TB or 1024 GB.
Add the DWORD to the Registry
For ANSI format pst file, you need to create DWORD values named

MaxFileSize
WarnFileSize

Enter a decimal value in Bytes. For example, 1 GB = 1073741824 Decimal (a MB or bytes converter is below). Note that the maximum file size for ANSI pst is 1.9 GB.

Edit the registry
Administrators can control it using group policy by editing the following key.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\x.0\Outlook\PST

As always, replace xx with your version of Outlook: 16 for Outlook 2016, 15 for Outlook 2013, 14 for Outlook 2010, 12 for Outlook 2007, or 11 for Outlook 2003.

MaxLargeFileSize - this value sets the maximum size of a Unicode pst or ost. In Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013, the default is 50 GB; in Outlook 2003 and 2007, it's 20 GB. Value range (in Hex) is 0x00000001 – 0x0000C800; when entering the value in Decimal, use MB.

WarnLargeFileSize - this value sets the warning level used with Unicode pst/ost files, so you know when the pst or ost is too large. The recommended warning is at 95% of the data file size. When entering the value in Decimal, use MB.

ANSI pst format

MaxFileSize - this value sets the maximum file size for ANSI format pst files. The default is 1.933 GB (2075149312 bytes), with the maximum allowed value of 1.9375 GB (2080392192 bytes). Value range (in Hex) is 0x001F4400 – 0x7C004400. When entering the value in Decimal, use bytes.

WarnFileSize - this value set the warning limit for ANSI format pst files. The default is to warn when the pst reaches 1.816 GB (1950368768 bytes) Value range is 0x00042400 – 0x7C004400. When entering the value in Decimal, use bytes.

Actively using an ANSI pst in Outlook 2016 is not recommended. Import the pst into a new Unicode pst if you need to keep an older PST in Outlook.

Registry Paths

Enter the values under the appropriate key for your version of Outlook:

Outlook 2016:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2013:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2010:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2007:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2003:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\PST

Administrators will set these values using group policy:

Outlook 2016:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2013:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2010:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2007:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\PST

Outlook 2003:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\PST

Restore Default Values

To revert to the defaults, if the pst is larger than the default size, shrink the pst or ost so that its well below 20 GB (Outlook 2003/2007) or 50 GB (Outlook 2010/2013/2016) or below 1.8 GB for ANSI format, then delete the appropriate MAX* and WARN* registry keys for the pst format.

Restart Outlook for the changes to take effect.

Do it for me

If you don't want to edit the registry yourself, you can use the following .reg files to add the Unicode values to the registry. Note: the default (and recommended) pst file size for Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 is 50GB.

Outlook 2016, 2019, Outlook 365
30GB pst/ost - 29.5GB warning

Outlook 2013
30GB pst/ost - 29.5GB warning

Outlook 2010
30GB pst/ost - 29.5GB warning

Outlook 2007
50GB pst/ost - 49.5GB warning 30GB pst/ost - 29.5GB warning

Outlook 2003
50GB pst/ost - 49.5GB warning 30GB pst/ost - 29.5GB warning

More Information

How to configure the size limit for both (.pst) and (.ost) files in Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, and in Outlook 2003 (MSKB)

Changing the default *.pst and *.ost data file sizes was last modified: February 23rd, 2021 by Diane Poremsky
Post Views: 60

Related Posts:

  • How to Determine if a PST is using ANSI or Unicode Format
  • Disable the Unsafe Hyperlink Warning when Opening Attachments
  • Changing the Default Data File
  • Set an End Date on Recurring Appointments

About Diane Poremsky

A Microsoft Outlook Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 1999, Diane is the author of several books, including Outlook 2013 Absolute Beginners Book. She also created video training CDs and online training classes for Microsoft Outlook. You can find her helping people online in Outlook Forums as well as in the Microsoft Answers and TechNet forums.

Comments

  1. gerhard says

    December 18, 2023 at 5:36 am

    works for me! win11/ outlook 2021

    Reply
  2. Chris says

    February 13, 2023 at 4:47 am

    Thanks,

    It works well and helped me to handle very large user mailbox.

    Chris.

    Reply
  3. Tariq Rafeeqi says

    June 15, 2020 at 12:58 am

    OUTLOOK CAPACITY: is there a way I can get more capacity for outlook 2016. I have reached limit of 50gb. Why does MS not allow us to purchase more capacity? I am not in IT so do not know much but I am reading on google. that people can increase capacity to even 100gb going into registry. Is this true? If so then how can i get this done; I can pay for someone to do this s I do not even know what is registry. Thanks, Tariq

    Reply
  4. SP5QWA says

    February 22, 2020 at 5:23 am

    Hi on my windows 10 and outloock 2007 not working :(

    Reply
  5. Daniel says

    December 6, 2019 at 1:26 am

    Bonjour,
    Je suis sur Gmail avec une offre à 100 Go et ma boite commence a grandir rapidement. Cependant j'utilise Outlook 2019 pour ma messagerie et la taille du fichier ost est désormais de 57 Go. je commence a voir des pbs.
    Mes questions est donc celle-ci :
    - Puis-je vraiment augmenter à 100Go la taille dans le registre? ça ne vas pas poser de soucis d'utilisation?
    - Peut-on dans Outlook limiter la synchro IMAP genre que les xxx derniers mails afin de ne pas augmenter la taille de ce fichier si rapidement?

    Je vous remercie d'avance de toutes les réponses que vous me fournirez.

    >>
    Hello
    I'm on Gmail with a 100GB offer and my box is starting to grow fast. However I use Outlook 2019 for my email and the size of the ost file is now 57GB. I'm starting to see pbs.
    So my questions are this:
    - Can I really increase the size in the registry to 100GB? it's not going to cause any usage concerns?
    - Can we in Outlook limit the iMAP sync kind that the last xxx mails so as not to increase the size of this file so quickly?

    Thank you in advance for all the answers you will give me.
    >>

    Reply
  6. Ian says

    January 14, 2019 at 4:06 pm

    Hi - Don't know if I'll get an answer, but here it goes...

    We have Office 365. We are running Office 2013 64-bit installed on machines, cached.

    While we have increased the mailbox size in O365 for a particulare end user to 100GB, unfortunately his application while cached is restricting him to 50GB.

    I did the DWord value for 32-bit and it did not work. Does it make sense to change this to a QWord value, and if so do I make it the same decimal format as I would for the DWord?

    many thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      January 14, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      Changing it to a QWORD wont help. When the data files are over 50GB, Outlook is buggy and Microsoft now says the max limit is 50GB for 2010 and up. I've set 2010 to 60GB so we could empty deleted and clean up folder, so it can go higher but is not recommended. Does the user need the entire mailbox synced? Using the sync slider would reduce the size of the data file even though the mailbox is larger.

      Reply
  7. Vijendra says

    June 15, 2018 at 3:13 am

    I m using windows 7 -64 bit and office 2010
    My outlook PST size almost 35 GB.
    I facing issue in the outlook when i one mail move to another folder my outlook is not responding and hang.

    Please help....

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      June 15, 2018 at 6:03 pm

      Does it recover on its own?
      Have you compacted the pst file? It could be close to 7GB of 'white space' left from deleted messages.
      How many messages are in the folder you are moving from? that can cause outlook to be slow.

      Reply
      • Vijendra says

        August 21, 2018 at 12:06 am

        Thank for your quick response.
        I have already compact pst file and create new outlook profile but still outlook slow. and no any folder in the outlook. Only Inbox, draft, sent items, junk mail folder in the outlook.

  8. Michael Cole says

    May 29, 2018 at 8:23 am

    Hello, for the Do it for me do you have any for office 2016. You stop at 2013. Is there any warning for 2016 that you have available that you can share..

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 29, 2018 at 3:48 pm

      Sorry about that - I thought I had one linked to the page. I’ll update it. Thanks for letting me know..

      As far as warnings, it’s safe to use - but with the ost size now at 50gb by default, it not needed by a lot of people.

      Reply
  9. Adam Shamam says

    December 24, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    VERY helpful. THANK YOU. Please keep this site open. I've been increasing all of my friend's and family's outlook PST file's max size to 50GB!

    Reply
  10. Patrick says

    December 2, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    Hi Diane. Great discussions going on here. My exact situation is this:

    I'm running Windows 8.1 64-bit with Outlook 2007 and it's pulling from my Office 365 email with a 50GB max. I've hit a limit it seems as Outlook will not work for me, which led me down a path ending me here with I hope the best solution.

    My .ost file size is currently at 19,494,XXX so 20GB. My .pst file size is far less around 1,900 which I thought was strange, but that's what they are.

    In my Registry, I do not see HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice12.0OutlookPST or HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftOffice12.0OutlookPST in order to increase the value from 20GB > 50GB. So, what are my options? Set up a new key of the above? Stuck!!

    I want to move forward, but don't want to screw something up. I really appreciate any help you have for me.

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      December 3, 2016 at 12:29 am

      The key does not exist by default - if you need to raise the limit, you'll need to add the keys/values. Run the 2007 do it for me reg file to add the keys.

      Exchange only uses ost - the pst is from something else. Depending on which version of Outlook created it, it might max out at 1.9 GB.

      Reply
  11. Edgar says

    August 24, 2016 at 11:22 pm

    How does the "Do it for me" link work?

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      August 25, 2016 at 1:03 am

      you download the reg file (change the name from .txt if using chrome) then double click to run... but the default for Outlook 2013 is now 50 GB, so it would reduce the data file size. If you need to raise it, run the reg file to set the keys then edit the value in the registry.

      Reply
  12. kimberly says

    August 9, 2016 at 12:17 pm

    MS says this key needs to go into

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\PST

    Whats the difference?

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      August 10, 2016 at 1:31 am

      policies keys are used by administrators in group polices but anyone can use them.

      Reply
  13. Dave White says

    June 7, 2016 at 11:51 pm

    The PST directory of "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\PST" does not exist. Do I create it ?

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      June 8, 2016 at 12:59 am

      Yes, if it doesn't exist, you need to create it.

      Reply
  14. AbAb says

    March 16, 2016 at 7:04 am

    Hi,

    In the .REG examples its says "50GB pst/ost - 95GB warning" - this is wrong - you actually mean: 100GB pst/ost, 95GB warning

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      March 16, 2016 at 7:44 am

      Thanks for catching that. I've updated the text and the reg files to the recommended data file size for those versions, which is 50GB max size.

      Reply
  15. Prashant J says

    January 29, 2016 at 12:59 pm

    My PST file on outlook 2007 just touched 20 gb and now I am unable to download or send any emails. The message says my PST file size is 20 gb and I need to permantly delete some files by pressing " Shift & Delete " keys togather, I am unable to delete the files. I saw your writeup but unable to increase the pst file size t0 30 GB or 50 GB.
    Help me guide how to use the " Do it for me " feature which will automatically update the registry to 30 or 50 GB. I do not know how to do it.

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      January 29, 2016 at 1:50 pm

      Those are registry files - close outlook, then double click on the link and either run or save to the hard drive and then run it. Some browsers will open the reg as a text file when you click it - in this case, right click on the link and choose Save link as or Save target as - download then double click to run. Restart outlook.

      Reply
  16. Jordan says

    December 16, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    I ran the Outlook 2010 "do it for me", as I was having mail issues due to a large .ost file.

    Now, Outlook 2010 won't even open. First error message says the .ost file has reached maximum size. When I click ok, Outlook closes and the error box says, "Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opened".

    And I was dumb and didn't backup the registry first....

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      December 17, 2015 at 11:53 am

      The default is no key - so go to the path in the registry and delete the entries where the name contains filesize. That will fix part of the problem.

      How big is your ost? Is this an exchange ost?

      Reply
      • Jordan says

        December 21, 2015 at 1:13 pm

        Yes, it is an Exchange ost.

        It's 47.5GB, which I was planning to start archiving...but now I can't get back into Outlook.

      • Diane Poremsky says

        February 28, 2016 at 12:41 am

        It should be able to open an ost that size - but raising the limit by 10gb should get you in unless the ost is correct - then just delete it, or just delete it and let outlook sync.

  17. Aufinger says

    August 18, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    "it can be raised in Outlook 2003/2007" but what about 2010/2013? And why would one want to lower the 2010/2013 to 30GB?

    I have a 2013 user that has an Exchange mailbox slightly larger that 50GB and he wants to cache all of his data. What are the implications of raising the 2013 limit to say 75GB?

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      August 18, 2015 at 1:29 pm

      You can raise it in any of the versions - it might be a little slower or less stable but should be ok. 50GB is what they feel is the maximum most stable size.

      Reply
    • Aufinger says

      August 18, 2015 at 4:25 pm

      Do you have experience with raising the ost size limit in 2013? What kind of instability might one expect?

      Is the suggestion to lower the default included here because it might help in performance? I am still curious as to why one would want to lower the default.

      Reply
      • Diane Poremsky says

        August 18, 2015 at 11:46 pm

        I've set the key in the pst but gave up trying to push it over 50 GB to test it. My current Exchange mailbox quota is 50GB and older messages are archived into an online archive so it never gets about 4 GB.

        The usual reasons for lowering the default is you have limited drive space and want to limit the pst size. Or the admin matches the max .ost size with the quota. Otherwise, there really isn't a reason to change it.

  18. ehansberry says

    April 7, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    Glad this site exists. I really think MS is wrong in their article at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/832925

    I tried that but you cannot even set a 50GB file size based on their instructions. It would be the number 53,687,091,200 (sans commas of course) which won't fit in a DWORD32 registry key. Their article makes it sound like you have to set the size in bytes, but Diane's reg file seems to have set it in MB, so 102,400 is 100GB.

    I am doing a large export from a business Gmail account that is over 50GB, so I'll know in a few hours if Diane's registry key worked. I have Outlook 2010 and did restart Outlook after importing the file.

    Reply
  19. Falgun Patel says

    January 14, 2015 at 10:42 am

    Don't even bother Running the registry as most people have said it is not working for them!

    Reply
    • Don'twannacreateanaccount says

      February 3, 2015 at 12:52 pm

      That's because you probably have Outlook 2013, which is now on version 15. The reg editor file is still looking for version 14.
      Download the file, right click on it, Edit, and where it says "14.0" write "15.0" instead. Save it, close the notepad and run the reg editor file again. Registry should be updated in the right place now.

      Reply
  20. Jonathan Martinez says

    November 6, 2014 at 12:26 pm

    how come the DO IT FOR ME is not working, i used to use it a lot and now is not available

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      November 6, 2014 at 11:12 pm

      Does the link not work for you or do you mean that you install the do it for me, but the pst or ost file size isn't increasing?

      Reply
  21. Felix says

    November 5, 2014 at 7:45 am

    Dear Diane,

    according to the Microsoft Knowledge Base the maximum valid setting for MaxLargeFileSize in Outlook 2010 and 2013 is 0x0000C800 - which translates to 51200 MBytes (50 GByte).

    https://support.microsoft.com/kb/832925/en-us

    However you offer .reg files that set this value to 100 GByte.

    Unless the information in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is wrong this setting should be ignored because it exceeds the Valid Data Range for MaxLargeFileSize.

    Can you (or maybe someone else) confirm that Outlook 2013 (or 2010) actually do support files significantly larger than 50 GByte?

    Kind Regards

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      November 5, 2014 at 8:24 am

      I will double-check. I asked about this KB before and was told it would be corrected. Its possible they decided the max should be 50gb because its less stable when larger, but it's more likely the kb is wrong. The default is 50GB and the max should be 1TB, but the optimal max size is 50GB.

      AS an FYI, the Office 2013 GPO has the max value at 4TB (4294967295 MB) for Outlook 2013.

      Reply
      • Diane Poremsky says

        November 10, 2014 at 6:23 pm

        Ok.. due to a bug, 50GB is currently the supported maximum. (Outlook support followed up and said you can go higher than 50 but it's buggy.)

  22. Fabio says

    July 1, 2014 at 9:35 am

    Thank you very much for your help, I'm a computer technician and was looking for this solution for a long time, it really helped me a lot.

    Reply
  23. gcsimpson says

    May 22, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    I feel like a do-do, but you say the above instructions are for PST and OST; however, everything seems to deal with PST,

    "Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\xx.0\Outlook\PST "

    I've even gone to the Microsoft site to save you the trouble of an answer but they have the same thing you have . . . only PST

    I could just use your macro, but I'm trying to learn, here. Do I change PST to OST or does PST set the values for both types of files.

    Ever thankful

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 22, 2014 at 3:14 pm

      There is only one key - it applies to both ost and pst.

      Reply
  24. gcsimpson says

    May 22, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    Thank you so much. I'll go to work on it.

    Reply
  25. gcsimpson says

    May 22, 2014 at 1:13 pm

    Thanks.

    I assume there is a generic setting in the registry for maximum file size and then when I create the key, I am overriding it for outlook files? could you direct me to the location in the registry where the generic maximum file size is currently set. Sorry for being so curious, but I like to have some minimum understanding of what I am doing and how it all works together.

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 22, 2014 at 2:36 pm

      The generic/default setting is baked in the outlook files, either in outlook.exe or one of the dll files. The reg key overrides the default.

      Pretty much all of outlook's default options are in the files, the reg keys are created only when you change the defaults.

      Reply
  26. gcsimpson says

    May 21, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    I am using windows 8 and outlook 2013 installed from disk. All outlook activities are taking place in an Ourtlook.com OST account. Yesterday a popup said I had reached max file size. Tried to follow yours and microsoft's regedit suggestions,,, but I don't have the key

    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftOffice15.0Outlook

    only goes as high as

    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoft

    and under that it only has SystemCertificates and Windows subkeys

    I suppose I could create the necessary subkeys but before I do, I'm wondering ...where is the registry key that is setting my current limit?

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 21, 2014 at 11:32 pm

      If the key doesn't exist, you need to create it. Outlook only adds keys if you change the default value.

      Reply
  27. George says

    May 21, 2014 at 11:37 am

    I am trying to enlarge my maximum file size for my outlook ost file but my windows 8 registry doesn't have the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook

    it only goes to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft

    surely there is some place that a max file size is kept, since outlook has told me I have exceeded it.

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 21, 2014 at 1:23 pm

      If the key doesn't exist, you need to add it. (Outlook doesn't add keys to the registry for default values.)
      Administrator will use the Policies key, end users can use either policies or
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\PST

      Reply
  28. R. A. Mitchell says

    May 10, 2014 at 10:51 pm

    Thanks Diane;

    I'll keep looking into this and let you know if anything turns up. I doubt that it makes any difference, but both machines are ASUS brand notebook computers. I'll be linking the new machine to my online mail accounts soon and confirm that Outlook is behaving properly.

    Reply
  29. R.A. Mitchell says

    May 10, 2014 at 10:18 pm

    Thanks for your prompt response. Yes, I was using the same Outlook 2003 program on my Windows 8 machine, it's also good to know there shouldn't be any problem. The other Outlook registry key entries were a bit different on the Windows 8 machine when compared to my Windows 7 laptop, don't know what that's all about but the new machine's Outlook program is not yet set up to link with my online accounts.

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 10, 2014 at 10:40 pm

      The registry entries should be the same between Windows versions.

      Reply
  30. R. A. Mitchell says

    May 10, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    I was able to upgrade my Outlook 2003 to 100 GB using the "Do it for me" link, it even created a PST registry key where none existed before (this was on a Windows 7 laptop). I tried to do the same on my new Windows 8 machine (also a laptop) but I had to create a PST key before anything happened. My question is why did I have to create that key and did this mess up my registry? Your response will be greatly appreciated.

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 10, 2014 at 10:01 pm

      The 'do it for me' file didn't do it? Are you using Outlook 2003 on the Win8 machine?

      BTW, no it won't mess up the registry.

      Reply
  31. Timothy says

    February 20, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    I created a new pst file called Outlook 2007 so I remember this is the larger one. Your next instructions are beyond my limited skill set :( Which is the easiest ways to move the data into the new pst file? Is there a reference (step by step kind of thing) you could recommend that I could use as a guide to help me do this move? If not, would you be able to provide some more specific instructions on how to do this move? I don't know what I would do if I lost my email data!

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      February 20, 2014 at 4:36 pm

      I have an article here - https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/convert-ansi-pst-to-unicode-pst/ - if you don't have custom views, import the contents of the old pst, its the easiest.

      Reply
  32. Timothy says

    February 20, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    Sorry Diane, took me some time to figure out where to look for the pst file. I made a screen shot of the warning, the registry, and the file size:

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/l4bna9rhbvq8sm4/Screenshot%202014-02-20%2012.46.43.png

    Hopefully you can help!

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      February 20, 2014 at 3:46 pm

      Thanks! The file size is 1.9 GB, that means its the old ANSI format. The file size key is for Unicode pst files. I would go to file, account Settings, Data file and click Add. Create a new data file and set it as default. Then either move calendar, contacts, tasks, and email to the new pst or close the old pst and import it into the new pst. (If you are using Rules, you may need to export them first).

      Reply
  33. Timothy says

    February 20, 2014 at 1:27 am

    Diane,

    I am using Office 2007 on a Windows 7 machine. I used your "do it for me" option to increase the file size to 100GB with a 95 GB warning. I am still getting the warning that my Outlook.pst has reached its maximum size. I checked the registry and the values have been set properly by your "do it for me" option. I have restarted my computer. Why am I still getting this warning?

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      February 20, 2014 at 1:32 am

      How big is the pst file?

      Reply
  34. Troy Gibson says

    January 23, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    i just changed the registry key under one of my users in the office. we are on a domain and have an in-house exchange server running exchange 2010 sp2. the user that i changed the registry key is using office 2010 and when i go to file on the top left corner, the data file size is still 20 gigs. is there a reason why this is happening? it seems the register edit isn't working. he used to use 2003 in the beginning and has upgrade to 2007 and then 2010..

    thanks in advance

    Reply
  35. Hector Frohm says

    December 28, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    Hello Diane,
    Thank you for your article. However, just like the other posts on limiting ost file size, it doesn't indicate what Outlook will do when the maximum file size is reached...
    When the PST size is not limited, but the OST file size is... What happens when the OST limit is reached ? I know Outlook will try to compact, but if the PST size is 20GB and the OST limit is set to 5GB.. will outlook decide to only cache the most recent 5GB worth of e-mails and make a call to the Exchange server if displaying an older e-mail is required ? Or will it just stop receiving new e-mails ?
    Thanks !!
    Hector

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      December 29, 2013 at 10:36 am

      Outlook will stop receiving email if the ost is too large. If you use filters or Outlook 2013's Sync slider, the size applies only to the ost size, not the mailbox size, so mail arrives but won't sync to outlook. You should receive a notification that the ost is nearly full.

      Reply
  36. Mark Pavey says

    May 24, 2013 at 9:45 pm

    Sorry i've never done any of this register editing before. If possible, could you tell me step-by-step how to run the '100 GB Key'? Do i need to install some program that handles the registry edits, such as 'Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00'? Basically, i have no idea where to put that key. PS. sorry for posting this a 2nd time, just realized i did not 'reply' to your posting so perhaps you were not notified.

    Reply
  37. Mark Pavey says

    May 24, 2013 at 9:16 pm

    Hi Diane - wow, thanks for very fast reply! Sorry i've never done any of this register editing before. If possible, could you tell me step-by-step how to run the '100 GB Key'? Do i need to install some program that handles the registry edits, such as 'Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00'? Basically, i have no idea where to put below!

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\PST]
    "MaxLargeFileSize"=dword:00019000
    "WarnLargeFileSize"=dword:00017c00

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 24, 2013 at 9:43 pm

      1. Right click on https://www.slipstick.com/config/reg/2010_large_pst_100gb.reg and choose Save Target as (in IE) or Save Link as (Firefox).
      2. Save the file. If the file name is saved with .txt extension, remove the .txt after file is downloaded.
      3. Double click on the reg file and say Yes or Ok when prompted. Close and restart Outlook.

      Reply
  38. Mark Pavey says

    May 24, 2013 at 8:48 pm

    Hi Diane - thanks for this very useful article. Unfortunately for me within the Registry Editor --> hkey_current_user --> software --> policies --> Microsoft i then only have 2 folders (SystemCertificates and Windows). There is no 'office' folder. Do you know why and what the fix is? Im on XP, and just installed MS Office 2010. Any help would be very greatly appreciated (i've got 180gb of email to transfer over from Outlook Express and it always crashes at 50GB due to this limit when i try to import!!).

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 24, 2013 at 8:51 pm

      If the path does not exist, you need to create it. Or run the 100 GB key.

      Outlook doesn't create the default keys until you change them - but in the case of policies, they are not created until group policy is applied.

      Reply
  39. George says

    May 8, 2013 at 5:59 am

    I am using Outlook 2007. I have set up two emails/data files. The default is Exchange (ost), and the other is a Pop email account (pst). My pst email data keeps reverting to the ost default file without me doing anything, thus dumping all my personal emails into my exchange email inbox. Very annoying. any idea why this is happening?

    Reply
    • Diane Poremsky says

      May 8, 2013 at 2:56 pm

      Go to Tools, account settings - select the POP account then Change Settings button at the bottom of the screen. Is the pst selected? Is the pst on your local drive? If the pst is not available, outlook will use the ost, which is available.

      Reply
  40. Paarass says

    February 1, 2012 at 3:26 am

    I have problem that my mail box data file size limit is not increasing from 1.8 gb, whereas my need is atleat 20 gb.
    i have read the MSKB article 2months ago and do as directed but in vain, also read many other articles on online blogs (as above) but still my mailbox stop send/receive at 1.8GB. and I have to delete some email, that i wish to keep.
    I will be grateful if anyone help me.
    recently after reading this article, I have deleted the MaxFileSize and WarnFileSize and only keep the MaxLargeFileSize and WarnLargeFileSize with values set for 50GB. but still after restarting the MS Outlook, its stuck on 1.8 gb limit.

    Waiting for some help from you people. thanks, Paarass (paaras@gmail.com)

    Reply
    • prasanth says

      January 10, 2017 at 6:28 am

      HI David here,

      is there any option to reduce the outlook GB from 50 to 30 GB and pay for only 30 GB?

      Reply
      • Diane Poremsky says

        January 12, 2017 at 8:09 pm

        If you have outlook 2013 or 2016, you can use the sync slider to limit how much is downloaded...

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