How to Reduce OST File Size without Data Loss?
This blog is all about how to reduce OST file size using simple, safe, and effective methods. If you are one of those facing issues with your large Outlook OST files, then keep reading this blog.
Why It Is Important to Reduce Outlook OST File Size?
Compressing the Outlook OST file size helps you:
- Improve Outlook performance
- Reduce synchronization errors
- Save your disk space
- Avoid your Outlook app crashes and freezing
- Make backups faster and easier
How to Reduce OST File Size? Different Methods
Below are the common and effective methods to reduce Outlook OST file size.
Method 1: Delete Unnecessary Email Messages
Your old, unwanted, and duplicate email messages increase Outlook OST file size. Deleting them helps you to reduce the size.
Step-by-Step
- Open your Outlook application
- Select the unnecessary emails
- Press the Delete button
- Empty the deleted items folder
This method is very simple but may not significantly reduce size of OST emails containing attachments.
Method 2: Clean Up Your Outlook Mailbox
The Outlook application provides a built-in feature to remove redundant emails.
Step-by-Step
- Go to the Home tab
- Click the Clean Up button
- Choose the Clean Up folder or Clean Up Folder & Subfolders
This method helps you to remove duplicate conversations and also helps to reduce OST file size.
Method 3: Archive Old Emails
Archiving moves your old email messages to a separate archive file, reducing file size of Outlook OST file.
Steps:
- Go to the File menu and choose Info
- Click the Tools option and choose Clean Up old items
- Choose a date and location
- Start the archiving process
Archived email messages remain accessible without increasing OST file size.
Method 4: Reduce Outlook Cache Mode Duration
Outlook application allows to limit how much data is stored locally.
Steps:
- Go to the File Menu and choose the Account Settings
- Select your email account
- Click the Change option
- Move the slider to store fewer months
- Click the Next button
- Restart your Outlook application
Method 5: Compact Outlook OST File
Compacting removes the unused white space from Outlook OST file.
Simple Steps:
- Go to the File menu and choose Account Settings
- Click the Data Files
- Select Outlook OST file and click Settings
- Click the Compact Now option
This method is helpful but may not reduce size significantly for heavily loaded Outlook OST files.
Method 6: Remove Large Attachments
Email attachments are the most important contributor to increased file size.
Steps:
- Search your emails with attachments
- Save your attachments to local storage
- Remove attachments from your emails
This method is helpful to keep emails while freeing up storage space.
Method 7: Use 4n6 OST File Compressor: All-in-One and Recommended
Manual methods have limitations and they will take a lot of time. For a fast, reliable, and secure results, it is recommended to use our 4n6 Email Compressor Software. This software is developed to safely reduce Outlook file size without affecting quality and losing important data.
Why Use 4n6 OST Compressor?
- Compress OST files without any data loss and altering content
- Reduce Outlook OST file size significantly in some easy steps
- Maintains structure and integrity while compressing OST file size
- Successfully supports large Outlook OST files
- Comes up with simple graphical user interface for ease
- Supports all the latest and earlier versions of Windows OS
- No file size limitations to reduce OST file size
- No need to install Outlook application to compress OST file size
How 4n6 Software Reduces Size of OST Files?
- Compress inline images embedded in Outlook OST files.
- Remove all attachments from OST emails
- Allows to extract, save, and strip attachments from OST
- Zip and add all attachments
- Create smaller and manageable files
Steps to Reduce OST File Size Quickly and Safely
Important Note: The software does not provide the option to compress OST files and save them back to OST format. You can save compressed Outlook OST files to other formats like PST, EML, MBOX, and more.
- After downloading the program, install it, run it, and click the Open button.
- The software provides you different options, please choose Email Data Files.
- From the given list, choose the Outlook PST / OST files and choose OST file from a folder.
- The software quickly loads the selected OST files on the left panel.
- Click the loaded Outlook OST files and preview them before the compression.
- Now, click the Compress and Save button and choose the required saving.
- Check the loaded OST files and choose the location where you need to save output.
- Keep attachments unchanged or select the required option as per the need.
- Choose the required advanced filters and click the Save button to begin compression.
Comparison: Manual vs Automated 4n6 Software
- Time Consumption: Manual methods to reduce OST file size are time-consuming because users have to perform multiple steps like deleting emails, attachments, and more. 4n6 software completes this task quickly.
- Data Safety: There is always a risk of accidental data loss while manually compress Outlook OST file size. Our software is 100% secure to reduce OST file size.
- Large OST File Support: Manual methods have limitations while dealing with large OST files. While with the help of 4n6 software, you can easily compress large OST files without facing hassle.
- Attachment Compression: Manual methods don’t provide the option to compress OST email attachments which is the main reason of large OST file size. 4n6 software intelligently compress attachments.
- Professional Results: Manual methods offer the limited results and do not guarantee the accurate size reduction. Our tool provides the professional level results by reducing OST files properly and safely.
Final Words
A large OST file can create several issues. While manual methods like deleting emails, compacting, archive, and more help somehow but they have limitations. For a complete, safe, and reliable results, 4n6 OST Compressor is the best solution. This software gives you the guarantee that it will only compress your OST files, the content and other properties remains safe.
