Every once in a while we need to do some spring cleaning for our mailboxes. We tend to forget that we live in a world full of nonstop emails and the clutter can actually hurt our efficiency. Notwithstanding the fact we are causing added costs in space requirement on our email servers. Below are some instructions that all of us can do to lighten our email load.
1.) Review Inbox to delete any unneeded Emails Received.
2.) Review Sent items to delete any unneeded Emails Sent.
3.) Delete all emails in Junk Folder.
4.) Purge all emails from Deleted Items Folder.
5.) Right click Deleted Items and choose Empty folder.
6.) Archive older emails that you would like to keep.
(Archive instructions are below)
Tips on setting up search folder to look for large emails with attachments:
1.) Click on Folder then click on New Search folder
New search folder window will pop up
2.) Under Organizing Mail choose Large Mail
3.) Click on Choose button and enter 2000 or above ( each 1000 represents 1 MB in size). This will now present to you with a folder on your left hand side with A search folder Larger than 2000KB.
4.) Delete or Archive emails as needed
Archiving email guide lines and tips:
- Once an email is archive, it will remove that email from the mail server.
- That email will no longer be accessible in webmail or on any mobile device.
- To access archive emails you will need outlook and the location of the archive file.
- Archive email files should be store locally on your computer or in a network location if its related to work emails.
Manual Email Archiving Option One:
1.) Creating a Manual Archive file:
2.) Click new Items drop down:
3.) More Items then Outlook Data File
4.) Choose the Name of the Archive you want to create (i.e. Personal or Archive or Archive with Date)
5.) Choose the location where the Outlook Archive will live and then click OK
This will create your Archive File on your left hand navigation pane base on the name you selected. You now can create folder or structure as you desire. This is an empty file, to move any emails manually all you have to do is highlight emails right click and select move to this file. (As a tip you can simply click and drag to this file.)
Option 2: Archiving using the Automatic Archiving tool in outlook:
- Using this method outlook will automatically create the same folder structures currently in place under the archive file you choose to use or create.
- Please be warned that once you choose to Archive, outlook will become unavailable until this process is finish. The only way to stop this is to close outlook but you will have to repeat this process again.
1.) Click the File tab
2.) Click Cleanup Tools.
3.) Click Archive.
4.) Click the Archive this folder and all subfolders option, and then click the folder that you want to archive. Any subfolder of the folder you select is included in this manual archive.
5.) Under Archive items older than, enter a date. If you do not want to use the default file or location, under Archive file, click Browse to specify a new file or location.
6.) Browse to find the file that you want, or enter the file name, then click OK. The destination file location appears in the Archive file box. The Typical locations should be save under Documents or My documents in Windows XP. Do not save your Archive file on the network unless specifically ask to.
7.) Select the Include items with “Do not AutoArchive” checked check box to include any items that might be individually marked to be excluded from automatic archiving.
8.) Once you hit OK, this will start the Archive process, Outlook will be unusable until this process is complete.
Turn Off Auto Archiving:
- By default auto archiving is turn off. This will confirm that it is.
- In outlook click the File Tab.
- Click Options.
- On the Advanced tab, under AutoArchive, Click AutoArchive Settings.
- Clear the Run AutoArchive every n days check box.
Happy email cleanup!
Wah