Why my .pst file still large after archiving?

Shrinking the Main PST file used by Outlook

• I have a very large PST file in Outlook (about 4 GB). I use Outlook for all of my POP email and I like to keep all of my deleted and sent emails for future reference (I can search them in Google Desktop Search). I REALLY want to shrink my PST file considerably for a variety of reasons related to Outlook performance AND length of time required to backup my "active" PST file. My hope was that "Archiving" the largest components of my email (Deleted and Sent) which make up 90%+ of my emails would solve this but for some reason the PST file barely shrunk (even though that 90% of emails are now all in ARCHIVE PST files which are separate from my Main PST file). Why is the Archive function successfully archiving emails into a separate PST but NOT considerably shrinking the size of the main PST? *** What can I do to resolve this so that I CAN shrink my main PST file which I use actively (given that I have already archived the majority of my emails)? [Note that I am aware one can create separate PSTs and move emails between them BUT I have already Archived the majority of my emails from my Main PST so I can no longer move these away from it]*** Thanks so much for your help! Chris

• Answer:

  Hello bartonsurfer-ga, Outlook slowly compresses the file in the background over time. You can force a compression yourself by following these instructions and then pressing the "compact now" button: SOURCE: http://ask-leo.com/where_is_my_outlook_pst_file_located.html Here are instructions straight from Microsoft (but without pictures): When you delete items from your Personal Folders in Outlook, the .pst file size does not decrease automatically. You must compact the file to reduce the file size. To manually compact your Personal Folders, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click Mail. 3. Click Data Files. 4. Click the .pst file that you want to compress, and then click Settings. 5. Click Compact Now. SOURCE: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/829971 I hope that this answers the question to your complete satisfaction. Please let me know before rating this question if you need any clarification or further assistance. tisme-ga Search Strategy: compact pst files shrink pst files compact pst file shrink pst file