Why Outlook Storage May Still Be Full After Deleting Emails? – Resolved
Receiving the dreaded “Your Outlook mailbox is full” notification can be frustrating especially when you’ve already deleted a bunch of emails. You may think clearing your inbox would instantly free up space, but Outlook storage doesn’t work that simply. If you’re still seeing storage warnings after deleting messages, you’re not alone. This article breaks down the reasons why Outlook storage may still be full after deleting emails and how to solve the issue.
Why Does Outlook Still Show “Storage Full” After Deleting Emails?
When you delete emails in Outlook but still see the “Mailbox is full” message, it usually boils down to how Outlook handles data internally combined with some overlooked folders and storage behaviors. Here’s a deeper look at why this happens:
Deleted Emails Aren’t Actually Removed – When you delete an email, Outlook moves it to the Deleted Items (or Trash) folder, not out of your mailbox. These messages still occupy space until that folder is emptied.
Attachments Take Up the Most Space – Emails with large file attachments are the primary reason mailboxes get full quickly. Even a few dozen emails with images, PDFs, or videos can take up hundreds of megabytes.
Outlook Uses a “Logical Deletion” System – If you’re using Outlook with a PST or OST file (common with POP/IMAP setups), deleted data isn’t immediately removed, it’s marked as deleted and stays in the file until you compact it.
Sent and Junk Emails Get Ignored – Many people clear out the Inbox but forget the Sent and Junk folders. These accumulate rapidly and often include attachments.
Corruption or Sync Errors – Sometimes, Outlook fails to sync deleted items properly with the server or the local data file becomes corrupted.
Solutions to Fix Outlook Storage Full After Deleting Emails
#Empty the Deleted Items (Trash) Folder
Even after deleting emails from the Inbox or other folders, they still reside in the Deleted Items or Trash folder, consuming storage. These must be permanently removed.
How to Do It:
- Log in to your Outlook account.
- Navigate to the Deleted Items or Trash folder.
- Right-click on the folder and select Empty Folder.
- Confirm when prompted to permanently delete all items.
Tip: Enable automatic deletion of Trash items under Outlook settings to keep your mailbox tidy.
#Manage Large Attachments to Free Up Outlook Storage
Attachments are often the largest contributors to mailbox size. Even a few emails with documents, images, or videos can occupy significant storage space. If your mailbox is still full after deleting regular emails, managing attachments is essential.
1) Delete Emails with Large Attachments
If the attachments or emails are no longer necessary, simply delete them to recover space quickly.
- Use the search bar and type: hasattachments:true
- Or go to Search > Size > Very Large
- Select and delete the emails that are no longer needed
- Empty the Deleted Items folder afterward
Tip: Sort your emails by size to identify the biggest space hogs easily.
2) Extract Attachments Without Deleting Emails
If you need the email but not the attachment stored within Outlook, you can extract attachments in bulk and save them elsewhere.
- Open the email with the attachment.
- Right-click the attachment and choose Save All Attachments.
- Save to your computer, cloud storage, or an external drive.
- After saving, delete the email (or remove the attachment manually if needed).
- Empty the Deleted Items folder to finalize the space recovery.
For large volumes of attachments, you can use specialized tools or Outlook add-ins to extract attachments in batches.
#Check and Manage Archived Emails
If you’re someone who uses archiving to manage emails, that’s a great step toward keeping your main mailbox clean. However, archives can also grow over time and may start consuming a significant portion of your Outlook data file storage. To truly resolve the “Outlook storage full” issue, it’s essential to review and maintain your archive regularly.
1) Delete Old and Unnecessary Archived Items
Archiving helps shift emails out of your active mailbox, but over time, even the archive can accumulate emails that are no longer relevant.
- Open your Archive folder in Outlook.
- Browse through emails by date or sender.
- Delete outdated, irrelevant, or duplicated messages.
- Empty the Deleted Items folder afterward to reclaim space.
Regularly cleaning the archive is just as important as managing your Inbox.
2) Backup Archived Emails to a PST File
If you want to preserve your archived emails for future reference but free up space within Outlook, consider backing up your archive to a separate PST file on your local drive or an external device. Follow the steps to backup Outlook emails to Hard Drive –
Steps to Backup Outlook Emails to a Hard Drive:
- Launch Outlook and go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- Select Export to a file and click Next.
- Select Outlook Data File (.pst) > Choose the Archive Folder.
- Browse to the location on your hard drive or external storage device.
- Click Finish to export and save the PST file.
Once backed up, you can delete the archived items from Outlook to reduce your mailbox size significantly.
#Disable Add-ins If Outlook Storage Is Full
- Open Outlook and go to File > Options.
- In the left-hand panel, click Add-ins.
- At the bottom, next to Manage, select COM Add-ins from the dropdown and click Go…
- In the list of add-ins, uncheck any that you suspect are unnecessary or might be causing issues.
- Click OK to apply the changes.
- Restart Outlook and monitor if the storage issue is resolved or improved.
#Check the Outlook Account Storage Quota
If you’ve followed all the steps above emptying deleted items, managing attachments, and disabling add-ins but still receive the “Outlook storage full” warning, it may be time to check your account’s storage limit.
Outlook, especially in Outlook.com and Microsoft 365, operates with storage quotas that limit the amount of data you can store in your account. Even after deleting emails and cleaning up your mailbox, you may reach this storage cap.
How to Check Your Outlook Account Storage Quota:
- Log in to your Outlook account (Outlook.com or Microsoft 365).
- Click on the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner.
- Select View all Outlook settings.
- Go to the General option and click on Storage.
- Alternatively, for Microsoft 365, navigate to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, and then check your account’s Mailbox Size.
- You’ll see a Storage Usage bar, showing how much space is used and how much is remaining.
Tip: If you are close to the storage limit, consider upgrading your account to a higher storage plan, especially if you’re managing a large volume of emails.
#Compact the Outlook Data File
Even after deleting emails and cleaning up your mailbox, Outlook’s data files can still be large and not shrink automatically. To reclaim space, you can compact your PST or OST data file, which helps reduce the file size and recover storage that isn’t freed up by email deletion alone.
How to Compact the Outlook Data File:
- Run Outlook and go to File in the top left corner.
- Choose Account Settings, and then click on Account Settings… from the dropdown.
- In the Account Settings screen, click on the Data Files option.
- Choose the data file you want to compact (usually the one associated with your email account), and double-click on it.
- Under the Outlook Data File Setting screen, click on Advanced option.
- Press the Compact Now tab to start the compacting process.
Tip: Compacting a large data file can take some time depending on the file size, so be patient.
Instantly Fix the Full Storage Issue in Outlook with MacArmy
If you’re looking for a quick and efficient way to free up space in your Outlook account, look no further than the MacArmy PST Converter tool. This utility is designed to help users convert multiple Outlook email messages in bulk, allowing you to export PST files to PDF, MBOX, EML, MSG, VCF, CSV, OLM, Gmail, Thunderbird, Office 365, Outlook.com, etc. instantly without the hassle of manual method.
Conclusion
Facing the Outlook storage full issue can be overwhelming, but it’s important to remember that it’s a common problem with clear solutions. By understanding the root causes and implementing the strategies we’ve discussed such as emptying folders, managing attachments, and compacting your data files you can easily regain control of your mailbox space.
By regularly reviewing and cleaning your mailbox, you can prevent this issue from recurring. If the steps outlined don’t resolve the problem, consider upgrading your storage plan to meet your needs.
With these tips in hand, you’ll be able to keep your Outlook account running smoothly and efficiently, ensuring that you never miss an important email again.
