Increase maximum size pst-files
How do I increase the maximum file size of an UNICODE pst file? The default size is 20 GB but as far as I know there must be a registry value that allows to increase the maximum up to approximately 4TB.
Yup, you can do this via the registry or via Group Policies. Note that this does not apply to pst-files created in Outlook 97-2002 (ANSI formatted pst-files).
Via the Registry
You need to go to the following location in the registry;
Outlook 2003: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\PST
Outlook 2007: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\PST
Here you must create and set 2 new DWORD values (note that these values are case senstive);
- WarnLargeFileSize
Don’t set this higher than 4090445042 (decimal) or f3cf3cf2 (hexadecimal) - MaxLargeFileSize
Don’t set this higher than 4294967295 (decimal) or ffffffff (hexadecimal)
The first value is how many MB a user can write to a pst-file. The second value is how many MB the system can write to a pst-file. This difference has to be at least 5% since there is more written to a pst-file than just user data.
Via Group Policies
Not comfortable editing the registry? You can then use Group Policies as well even when you are on a home computer. For instructions on how to use Group Policies see this guide.
The settings for adjusting the pst filesize can be found in the section Miscellaneous-> PST Settings. The following 2 settings need to be modified;
- Large PST: Absolute maximum size
Don’t set this higher than 4294967295 - Large PST: Size to disable adding new content
Don’t set this higher than 4090445042
Related Categories; Background info, Configuring, Registry
