HomeOutlookGuide to Separate PST Files in Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 and 2003

Guide to Separate PST Files in Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 and 2003

How To Separate PST Files: Complete Guide

Microsoft Outlook uses Personal Storage Table (PST) file format to store the mailbox items. These files have some limited size, if the limit exceeds, then the file becomes damaged or corrupted. The Outlook has two types of open proprietary file format ANSI PST and UNICODE PST. Both files have the different size limit that is 2 GB and 20 GB respectively. If the PST files get damaged due to the exceeded size limit or any other issue, then there is a need for splitting. So, In this article, we discussed in detail about how to separate PST files.

In case of Outlook 2013 and above versions, Microsoft has increased the limit of Unicode PST to 50 GB. If the size limit gets exceeded then there is a chance for losing all messages and valuable items from the mail. The Unicode PST file has very fewer chances of getting damaged because of the improved size limit. The best method to avoid the problem is to separate Outlook PST files into smaller pieces. Therefore there is a need to know about the methods to split PST files of Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003. The different methods for this purpose are described below in this write-up.

User Query:

“My Microsoft Outlook mailbox has so many large Personal Storage Table files, and I have some issues with this files at the time when I open my emails. So, I want to know about how to separate Outlook PST data files so that I can get rid of this issue. I would be happy if anyone suggests me some methods.”

Learn to Separate Outlook PST Data Files Manually

The MS Outlook creates Personal Storage Table file or PST files to take the backup of a stored database on the desktop. If the Size of the PST file gets increasing then it will make Outlook fail to perform different tasks. The archive is one of the traditional backup methods, here the copy of an original database is shifted to another file and also it can be accessed when required. Following are the steps to perform the archiving process in Microsoft outlook:

Step 1: First go to “File” and select “Account Information” to separate PST files

Step 2: Select “Cleanup Tools” button and also select “Archive..” from the drop down menu.

Step 3: Select “Archive this folder and all subfolders” from the archive dialog box. And Select one folder that you need to archive.

Step 4: Select “Archive items older than” option. Then you can view a calendar to choose the date. If you choose some date then the archived items will be older than that date.

Step 5: If you are using “Auto Archive” option and you want to add some items that are not included in the procedure, then select “Include items with “Auto Archive” checked”.

Step 6: After the complete archiving process, the user needs to click on “Browse” to save the archived file and click “OK”. Otherwise, the file will be saved on default location.

Step 7: After the process, the archived emails will be not available in the PST file-name

Step 8: Normally, the archived file automatically available in Outlook but here it doesn’t, Then select “File” and choose “Open & Export” from the account information screen and click “Open Outlook Data File”

Step 9: From the new dialog box browse to the location that you have saved the archived PST file, select that file and click “OK” then from the “Archive” option present in left pane shows the all archived emails.

Limitations:

The manual method described above is used to separate PST files. But this procedure has some limitations. The common problems with these methods are listed below:

  • The archived files become not accessible through OWA that is Outlook Web Application
  • This method does not create the copy of the main file, It moves from the original location. So the newly created file becomes the one and only place to access that emails.
  • This method is not beneficial for all users
  • It is troublesome to manage the archived file.
  • The process is too lengthy and time-consuming.

How To Separate PST Files Outlook 2007: Alternate Solution

Microsoft Outlook stores email messages, calendars, contacts, tasks etc. in Personal storage table file formats. The maximum size limit of every version of Outlook is different, i.e in case of Outlook 2002 and below versions the size limit of PST file is two GB then 2003 and above versions support 20 GB and in case of versions 2010 and 2013 the size limit is 50 GB. If the file becomes corrupt due to these size exceeded issues then we can use the different manual as well as automated methods like email archive but due to the limitations listed above, we can use another method which is an alternate method “Split PST” software to overcome the issues. To know more about this tool please read the following listed features:

  • The software separate newly created PST file and also Archive PST file-name
  • It can split emails, calendars, contacts, tasks etc.
  • It does not have any size limitations to split the file.
  • Microsoft Outlook installation is needed to perform the separation

Conclusion

This article gives the idea about how to separate PST files in Outlook. It provides different methods such as manual as well as automated to avoid the issues due to the large size problems in personal Storage Table file. To overcome the limitations of manual methods one can use the third-party tool to make the process easy and perfect.

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