Email storage size is zero

David Stringham 0 Reputation points
2026-07-27T14:45:48.21+00:00

I have been unable to send emails for weeks now. Every time I try Outlook says that the inbox is full. This wasn't unsurprising. I've hit the limit before. So naturally I tried deleting emails. I deleted a lot of emails, but when I would check my storage usage(which works on desktop only), Outlook shows me 0/0 B. My account must be broken, and it might be too much to ask to fix a free account, but I've had this account since the 2000s. Do I just need to pony up the $2/month?

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. Manoel Barros 21,470 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-07-29T01:42:20.11+00:00

    Thanks!

    Does the issue occur in Outlook Mobile?

    Deleting emails doesn't free up much space, as they take up very little room—except for emails with large attachments.

    You can delete files from your OneDrive that you no longer use. Be careful, though, as these files might be synced with your computer (folders like Desktop, Documents, and Pictures are usually synced, so only delete them if they are truly unnecessary).

    You should also empty the Recycle Bin, as it counts toward your storage usage.

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  2. David Stringham 0 Reputation points
    2026-07-28T18:14:17.3233333+00:00

    No, I've checked OneDrive. I've used about 4.6 / 5 GB. There is no OST file because I have not used the desktop app in years. This happens with Outlook.com, eM Client, and Thunderbird. I get a "Mailbox full" message.

    I checked my storage again, and Outllok now shows 14.9 GB / 15 GB. I'll try deleting more emails.

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  3. Manoel Barros 21,470 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-07-27T16:05:08.8433333+00:00

    Hi!

    Outlook might be referring to OneDrive. Check if your storage is full. Go to https://onedrive.live.com/ > Sign in with your account > Check the bottom-left corner to see if the storage is full.


    If storage is fine, Outlook might be referring to the mailbox.

    You need to compress the OST file. See the article below:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/reduce-the-size-of-your-mailbox-and-outlook-data-files-pst-and-ost-e4c6a4f1-d39c-47dc-a4fa-abe96dc8c7ef

    • First, see Reduce mailbox size, if that doesn't work, expand and see Reduce the size of a data file....

    You can also delete the OST file. Close Outlook > Press Windows + R > type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook > Delete the OST file with your email name. When you delete an OST file, open Outlook and a new OST file will be created.

    • If you want to keep this OST file, simply rename it to anything, such as your_email_backup.ost.

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