MS Outlook stores all of its data -- including emails, attachments, contacts, tasks, journal and calendar -- in a single file.  This data file is called a Personal Folders file and is saved as personal.pst.  Over time, this personal.pst file can fill up with received email messages and attachments.  Eventually, this file can become so large that MS Outlook will crash frequently, or worse yet, crash and corrupt the data contained within this .pst file.

To combat this problem, we recommends that you Backup and Archive the information stored in your .pst file(s). 

Backing up MS Outlook .PST files

When the MS Outlook Personal Folders Backup screen appears, click on the Save Backup button to back up any open .pst files.  The time for this process to complete will vary according to the size and number of .pst files to be backed up, but should only take a few minutes.

You may also backup your .pst file without waiting for the MS Outlook Personal Folders Backup prompt.  From the File menu within MS Outlook, select the Backup...  option.  When the MS Outlook Personal Folders Backup screen appears, click the Save Backup button.  Exit MS Outlook to begin the backup process.

Archiving MS Outlook Email

Performing weekly backups ensures that you have a copy of your data, but it does not decrease the overall size of your .pst file.  To reduce the size of your .pst file, you will need to archive old email.  Archiving copies old email messages and attachments to an Archive.pst file and then removes the data from the main .pst file, decreasing its overall size.  This will optimize MS Outlook's performance while still allowing you to access email messages and folders you need on a daily basis. 

Items moved to the Archive.pst file are still accessible -- to view them, open MS Outlook, go to the File menu, select Open, then MS Outlook Data File.  Select your Archive.pst file, then click OK.  The email folders you archived will now be listed in the Folder List on the left side of the MS Outlook window.  If you don't see the Folder List, click the View menu and select Folder List.

How frequently you need to archive your email in MS Outlook will depend largely on the amount of email and email attachments you receive.  If you are a heavy MS Outlook user that frequently receives large email attachments, you should consider archiving your email once a quarter.  If you rarely receive large email attachments, or frequently delete unnecessary email messages, you may only need to archive your email at the end of every academic year. 

Regardless of your usage patterns, your MS Outlook performance will begin to suffer if your .pst file grows larger than 500 MB.  To check the size of your .pst file from within MS Outlook:

Click the File menu, then select Data File Management. 

Click the Open Folder button.

You should see a window with all of your .pst files and their sizes.  If the MS Outlook.pst file is larger than 500,000 KB, you should archive your email.

There are two different ways in which you can archive your MS Outlook email; either option will work properly, but the choice of one over the other is dependent on how much control over the Archive process you wish to have. 

Option 1: Manual Archive Procedure (required if you imported email from Eudora)
The manual Archive option requires you to create an Archive.pst file and manually move the messages and/or folders that you no longer need in your main .pst file.  This option gives you more control over the Archive process, allowing you to selectively pick folders and messages to archive, regardless of date. 

Option 2: AutoArchive
MS Outlook's AutoArchive wizard archives mail by date.  Specify a date and the AutoArchive folder will archive all email received before that date.  This option is faster and easier than the manual archive procedure and preserves your current MS Outlook email folder structure.  However, it does not provide the same level of control and flexibility as a manual archive.

Due to the manner in which MS Outlook imports mail and address items, you will not be able to run the AutoArchive wizard on any email messages or contacts that were imported from email programs other than MS Outlook.  If you are attempting to archive items that were imported from Eudora or MS Outlook Express, use the manual archive procedure.

Option # 1 : Manual Archive Procedure

Before beginning the Archive process, always back up your main .pst file using the instructions here.

To start the archive process, you will need to create an Archive.pst file:

Open MS Outlook. 

Click the File menu, click New, then choose MS Outlook Data File.

Select Personal Folders File (.pst) and click OK.

Type archive.pst in the File name field and click OK. 

Type Personal Folder Archive in the Name field and click OK.

You should now see Personal Folder Archive in your Folder List.  If MS Outlook is not configured to show the Folder List, click on the View menu then click Folder List.

You can now move email messages out of your main .pst file into the Archive folder.  If you wish to move entire mail folders, left-click on the folder you wish to move and drag it into the Archive folder.  If you wish to move only certain messages to the Archive folder, first make a folder within Archive to hold the messages, then drag the messages out of the main Personal Folder into the Archive folder. 

Compacting
Once you have moved all of the email folders and messages that you wish to archive, you need to "Compact" your main .pst file.  This step is important, as MS Outlook does not automatically shrink the .pst file when you archive data.  For example, if you archived out 100 MB of email from a 500 MB MS Outlook.pst file, the MS Outlook.pst file will not shrink to 400 MB until you compact the .pst file.  This process may take between 5 and 30 minutes to complete, depending on the size of your MS Outlook.pst file.  To compact your .pst file:

Click on the File menu, then click Data File Management.... 

Select the Personal Folders (not Personal Folder Archive) and then click the Settings...  button.

Click the Compact Now button to compact the mailbox. 

This step can take some time depending on the size of your mailbox, and will take even more time if you attempt to use MS Outlook during the compact process.
 

Option # 2 : Using MS Outlook's AutoArchive wizard

To start the AutoArchive wizard:

Click the File menu and select Archive.... 

Select the folders you wish to archive, then select a date for which old items should be archived.  All email older than this date will be archived.

If you wish to have the AutoArchive wizard archive all folders in the Personal Folder File, click Personal Folders and make sure the option to Archive this folder and all subfolders is selected. 

Click OK to archive your selected folders and subfolders.

The archive process may take as long as 30 minutes.  Please refrain from using MS Outlook while the archive is in progress.  You can monitor the archive status in the lower right corner of the screen (i.e., "Archiving Deleted Items to D:\Documents and Settings...").

Compacting
Once you have moved all of the email folders and messages that you wish to archive, you need to "Compact" your main .pst file.  This step is important, as MS Outlook does not automatically shrink the .pst file when you archive data.  For example, if you archived out 100 MB of email from a 500 MB MS Outlook.pst file, the MS Outlook.pst file will not shrink to 400 MB until you compact the .pst file.  This process may take between 5 and 30 minutes to complete, depending on the size of your MS Outlook.pst file.  To compact your .pst file:

Click on the File menu, then click Data File Management.... 

Select the Personal Folders (not Personal Folder Archive) and then click the Settings...  button.

Click the Compact Now button to compact the mailbox. 

This step can take some time depending on the size of your mailbox, and will take even more time if you attempt to use MS Outlook during the compact process.