Check the size of your Outlook Folders (not all versions of Outlook offer this feature WHICH ARE AND ARE NOT SUPPORTED)
Click Tools > Mailbox Cleanup > Click Here to see size of folders
Delete, delete, delete…
- “IN BOX” Delete non-essential and outdated items. Non-essential items should not be stored on the e-mail server.
- “SENT ITEMS” Delete non-essential and outdated items in the "Sent Items" folder.
- “DELETED ITEMS” Empty “Deleted Items” folder on a regular basis. Do not use the Deleted Items folder as a storage bin.
- Right click “Deleted Items” folder > Left click “Empty Deleted Items Folder” OR
- Tools > Empty “Deleted Items” folder > Yes
Sort, sort, sort…
- Use the Organize and Rules Wizard features to easily manage your incoming messages.
- Click Tools > Organize > set your preferences AND/OR
- Right click a specific message > “Create Rule”> Check items you wish to enable > follow prompts
- Sort by date. Delete old or outdated items.
- Click “Received” on the taskbar above your messages. This will sort messages in date or reverse date order
- Sort by Sender. A nice tool for determining what is and isn't important. Delete unimportant messages.
- Click “From” on the taskbar above your messages
- Sort by size. Move or delete large attachments from your e-mail. Note that certain file types are especially large such as PowerPoint, MS Project, and pictures. If these are critical files, they can be saved to your hard drive or other back-up option.
- Right click the taskbar immediately above your messages (contains From, Subject, etc.) > Click “Field Chooser”> Click the “Size” bar > Drag to the taskbar > Click the “Size” item on the taskbar
Save critical messages to hard drive …
but only if you have a way to backup your hard drive or backup the folder to a CD, flash thumb drive, etc.
- Save messages as text files. You can save the text of many messages to a single text document or save them individually. Remember to delete the original message once you have saved the content to a text file.
- Highlight the message(s) you wish to save as a text document > Click “File”> Click “Save As”> Use the “Save In” drop down to select the folder you wish to save to > Enter a name in the “File Name” field > Select “Text Only” in the “Save as type” drop down field > Click “Save”
- Establish Personal Folders in Outlook. You can set up folders that mirror your regular Email folders and move emails that you need to save into those folders.
- Click “File”> “Data File Management”> “Add”> “OK”> Enter the name of the folder and the location where you wish to store the data on your hard drive (preferably a new folder in My Documents, named something like “E-Mail Backup”) > “OK”> “Close”
- An item called “Personal Folders” will appear above the Public Folders in your Outlook Folder List. Create subfolders if you wish by right clicking on “Personal Folders”> “New Folder”> Enter the name of the subfolder > “OK”
- Move Email(s) to the new folder(s) in Personal Folders (drag and drop is an easy way to accomplish this).