Archive emails with storage almost full

Question

How do I delete archived emails when storage is almost full

Answer 1

Hi @David Klibaner,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

For further assistance, could you provide more detailed information about this situation? I appreciate your understanding and cooperation. 

• Are you using classic Outlook for Windows/Mac, Outlook on the web, or New Outlook?
• When you say archived emails, do you mean the Online Archive mailbox, or emails moved to an “Archive” folder inside your main mailbox?
• What happened when you tried to delete the archive emails? Do you see any error message when trying to delete archived emails, or do they delete but storage doesn’t decrease?
• After deleting archived emails, have you also emptied the Deleted Items folder (including in the archive mailbox)?
• Is this a work or school account managed by your organization, or a personal account (Hotmail, outlook.com, etc.)?

Please understand that my initial response may not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Answer 2

To free space when mailbox storage is almost full, archived or not, items must be permanently deleted so they no longer count toward the quota.

Use these approaches:

1. Clean up large folders in Outlook on the web
   1. Go to Settings > Storage.
   2. Review the breakdown of how much space each folder (including Archive) is using.
   3. For folders that use a lot of space, use the options shown there to permanently delete all items, or only items older than 3, 6, or 12 months.
2. Permanently delete emails (including archived ones)
   1. Delete messages from Archive (or any folder) as usual.
   2. Open the Deleted Items folder and empty it. Items in Deleted Items still count toward the storage quota until this folder is emptied.
   3. To bypass Deleted Items and permanently delete directly, select the messages and press Shift + Delete (Shift+Del).
3. Remove large messages and attachments
   1. Sort by size: at the top of the message list, select Filter > Sort by > Size to find the largest emails.
   2. For messages with attachments you want to keep, select the message and choose Save to OneDrive (if available).
   3. After saving, permanently delete the original email (Shift+Del) so the attachment no longer consumes mailbox space.
4. Delete messages with images or files
   1. Locate the message that contains the file or photo (in Archive, Inbox, Sent Items, etc.) and delete the message.
   2. Go to Deleted Items and delete it again there so it is removed permanently.
5. If storage is still insufficient
   • Move items to an archive mailbox if one is available for the account.
   • If in an organization, ask the IT admin to increase mailbox size or adjust quotas.

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References:

• Mailbox storage limits in Outlook
• Storage limits in Outlook.com
• "Mailbox is full" warning even if the mailbox hasn't reached the storage limit