Managing Outlook Mail

This document will assist you in managing your Exchange email storage space.  Exchange stores all of your data (messages, attachments, appointments, contacts, etc) on the server instead of downloading it to your system.  This allows you to see the same mail from any computer you log into.  Every e-mail user at UTSA has a limited amount of space on the Exchange server, and this limit can be easily reached unless you take steps to manage your mail.  When holidays approach and you will be away from your mail for some time, it is doubly important to clean your mailbox.  To assist you in this matter, we've provided some very easy steps below to ensure that you do not miss any important mail.

Deleted Items

Delete e-mail that you no longer need.  However, when you delete an item using an Exchange client such as Outlook, the item is not removed from the server, but placed in the Deleted Items folder. This means that the item is still using up part of your quota. It is recommended that you frequently empty your Deleted Items folder.  Right-click on the Deleted Items folder and choose to Empty Deleted Items.

Sent Items

Email that you have sent out is also stored in your mailbox, so periodically remove or archive Sent Items to manage your mailbox space usage.

You can open the Sent Items folder just like you open the Inbox.  Delete any emails that you've sent out that you will not want to keep.  Follow the previous instructions on emptying your Deleted Items folder to permanently remove the emails.

Follow the instructions on Archiving below to store sent emails you wish to save on your local system.  It's recommended that you check your Sent Items on a monthly basis, however you may wish to check this folder more often if you frequently send and receive emails.

Archiving

The most effective way to manage your Exchange mailbox quota is by regularly archiving your data. Archiving saves space by moving your messages from the server into an archive file on your computer. This archive file, and the data it contains, will only be accessible from the computer it is stored on. It is important that you regularly back up your archive file so you do not lose the data it contains.

Each Exchange client handles archiving differently. Some can be configured to automatically archive items of a certain age; others must have their archive process run manually. For more information about manually archiving features of your Exchange client in Outlook, go to Archiving Exchange Server Data in Outlook.

Quotas

All Exchange accounts are given 100 MB of storage space. This storage limit is also known as your quota. When you have filled this quota, you will be unable to receive messages or create appointments. As you approach your quota, you will receive warning messages from the server reminding you to clean out your mailbox. You can avoid quota problems by archiving your old messages.

To check your quota usage by looking at the folder size in Outlook go to Checking Folder Size of an Exchange Account with Outlook.

Attachments

Attachments in emails can easily cause you to go over your quota limit, from simple graphics files to large documents or more.  You can easily reduce the size of your mailbox by removing these attachments.  For more information on how to save and remove attachments in your mailbox, go to Managing Attachments in Outlook.