PST or Personal Storage Table file format is used by POP3 Outlook accounts to store all the mailbox items, such as emails, attachments, contacts, calendars, etc. on the local storage. It is always suggested to keep this data file under the recommended size limit for smooth performance of Outlook. But with time and continuous accumulation of emails and other mail items, the PST file becomes large, leading slow performance of Outlook and other issues. Moreover, a large PST file is highly susceptible to corruption.
If your PST file becomes too large, one of the best options is break it into multiple smaller parts. This not only ensures that the Outlook application works smoothly but also lessens the chances of PST file corruption. Here, we will guide you on how to break (split) a large PST file in to multiple smaller files.
How to Break (Split) a Large PST File?
There is no direct option in the Outlook application for splitting a PST file. But there are various features in the application that you use as workarounds to split large PST file data into multiple files. Let’s see how to do so.
Method 1: Create New PST Files and Move Data into them
A simple workaround is to create a new PST file in Outlook and move items from the primary file into it. This way you can split your large PST file data into multiple files. Here is what to do:
- Launch Windows Outlook on your PC.
- Click on Home and then click on New Items.
- Go to More items > Outlook Data File.
- The Create or Open Outlook Data File wizard will open.
- Select the path (folder) on your system where you want to save the newly created PST file.
- Give the file a name and click on OK. The new PST file will be created and will appear in the left pane in Outlook.
- Now, select the required mailbox items from your primary mailbox and drag and drop them onto the newly created PST file.
Repeat the above steps to move other mailbox items.
Method 2: Use the Archive Feature to Move Mailbox Items
Another workaround is to use the built-in Archive feature in Outlook to split your large PST file data. In this, Outlook moves the mail items from the primary PST file to an archive PST file based on the selected date. Here is what to do:
- Launch Windows Outlook and go to File > Info.
- Next, click on Cleanup Tools and then on Clean Up Old Items.
- It will open the Archive window.
- Select the folders that you want to archive.
- Enter the date against the Archive items older than option.
- Next, select the location where you want to save the archive PST file on your PC.
- Select the Include items with “DO not AutoArchive” checked option.
- Click on OK.
Now, wait for Outlook to archive your mailbox items. This way you can split the data of your PST file into multiple smaller files.
Method 3: Use the Import/Export Wizard
There is another feature in Outlook – Import/Export Wizard – that you can use to split your large PST file data. This feature allows you to to export mailbox items from your PST file to a new file.
Note: You will have to delete the exported items from the primary PST file after splitting the PST file.
Here is how to use this feature to split PST file data:
- Launch the Windows Outlook application.
- Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- The Import and Export wizard will open. Select the Export to a file option and click Next.
- The Export to a File window will open. Select the Outlook Data File (.pst) option and click Next.
- Then, select the mailbox folder to export. Also, select the Include subfolders option. Click Next.
- Browse for the location where you want to save the PST file.
- Click Finish.
Limitations of the above workarounds
The above workarounds to split a large PST file are free. But they have limitations as well.
- You will have to repeat the entire process to split specific data.
- The Archive feature offers you limited options to filter out mailbox data while splitting a PST file.
- These workarounds are not suitable for splitting multiple PST files simultaneously.
An Easy Way – Use a Specialized PST File Splitter Tool
If you want to break (split) a large PST file into multiple smaller ones without following a lengthy process, use a specialized PST file splitter software. Stellar Splitter for Outlook is one such trustworthy software that you can utilize to split your large PST files (even 50 GB or more) by maintain the complete folder structure and data integrity.
Some highlights of this software:
- Break up large PST files into smaller files without any data loss
- User-friendly interface to facilitate a simple PST splitting process
- It can easily split PST files of any size.
- It can split the Outlook PST file by –
- Date
- Size
- Duration
- Mailbox folder (inbox, outbox, sent, etc.)
- Excluding messages from certain Email addresses
Read: How to use Stellar Splitter for Outlook to split large PST files.
Conclusion
Above, we saw some workarounds to break up large PST files. No doubt, they are free to use. But these workarounds are time-consuming and lengthy as it requires to perform a lot steps. The most apt way to break (split) large PST file is by using the specialized PST file splitting software – Stellar Splitter for Outlook. This DIY software is specifically developed to help Outlook users in splitting large PST files into multiple smaller ones in just a few easy to follow steps.