Split Outlook PST File into Smaller Parts - Top 4 Methods

Microsoft Outlook is a widely used Personal Information Manager (PIM) and email application which uses a Personal Storage Table (PST) to store all its mailbox items, such as emails, contacts, calendars, etc. Each Outlook mailbox has certain default size restrictions. 

For example in Outlook 2007 the WarnLargeFileSize is 19 GB and MaxLargeFileSize is 20 GB. Beyond this limit, Microsoft Outlook pops up notifications that filename.PST has reached its maximum size. An unfortunate result of this is Outlook performance degrades and in most cases, users are unable to access their mailbox items.

Thus, it is better to split Outlook PST files into smaller parts to avoid such conditions. But, the question is how to divide large PST files? Well, to answer this question, we have come up with this write-up. Here, we will discuss some easy and cost-effective methods to divide Outlook's PST files.

However, before going to the solution section, let's take a quick glance at reasons for breaking up large PST files:

1. To avoid data loss due to Oversized PST file
2. To enhance Outlook performance
3. To sort the data coherently

Top 4 Manual Techniques to Split Large Outlook PST Files

There is no inbuilt utility provided by Outlook to divide a large PST file. But there are many indirect ways that can help you to manage your oversized PST files. In this section, we will discuss possible manual solutions to split PST files. All users have to do is to follow the guidelines sequentially, to avoid any kind of data loss condition.

#Approach 1: Using Import and Export Option

1. First, launch Outlook application on your computer
2. Click on the File tab and select Account Settings >> Account Setting
3. A new dialog box will appear now, Click on Data Files tab and click on Add
4. ‘Create or Open Outlook Data File’ window will open now. Here, select the file name and the location of PST
5. Hit the OK button and close the Account Setting window
6. Click on File >> Open >> Import
7. Import Export window will open now. Click on Export >> Next
8. Now, select the PST file and click on Next to continue split PST file procedure
9. Expand Folder wizard will open now. Here, click on the folder or sub folder to export from and hit the Next button
10. Browse a destination to save this new PST file and name this file
11. Choose the appropriate option and click on Finish
12. ‘Create password for PST’ window will pop-up. If you want to create a password protected PST then, enter a password otherwise click on the Cancel button
13. A new PST file will be created now, which can be viewed via Outlook

#Approach 2: Utilizing the Move to Folder Feature

1. Open Microsoft Outlook application to begin the process
2. From the primary screen, click on File >> New >> Outlook Data File
3. Doing this will display a new dialog box. From here, select the oversized PST file that needed to be split and click on OK button
4. ‘Create Microsoft Personal Folder’ wizard will pop-up now. Here, type an appropriate name for this new PST file
5. Choose one or more folders to move in this newly created PST file
6. Now, go to the Edit menu and click on the Move to Folder option
7. Move Items wizard will be displayed now. Here, click on the New button
8. Type a name for this folder in ‘Create New Folder’ window
9. From ‘Select where to place the folder’ option, click on the new PST file and hit the OK button
10. Eventually, click on OK to end the process

#Approach 3: Using PST Archiving Method

1. Open Outlook on your local machine
2. Select the PST file from which data will be moved to the new file
3. Then, click on the File tab and select Archive
4. Archive this folder and all sub folders wizard will be displayed now
5. Here, select all the folders that are required to move
6. Archive items older than option will appear and from here, you can select any date from the calendar
7. Browse a location to save this file and name this newly created PST file
8. Finally, click on OK button and a new PST file has been generated at the preferred location

Demerits of Manual Methods

1. High probability of permanent data loss
2. Lengthy and time-consuming procedures
3. Technical expertise required to perform

Try SysTools PST Splitter Software For Quick Results

All manual methods to break up large PST file are free of cost, however, they comprise some serious drawbacks which can make users think twice before using them. Thus, to overcome all the limitations of manual techniques, we recommend users to use a trusted third-party solution i.e., SysTools PST Splitter. 

This is one of the most reliable ways to divide large PST file into smaller parts to avoid the 2 GB PST file corruption issue. This application is completely safe and secure to download and run. Due to its simple and easy-to-understand GUI, every technical (as well as non-technical) user should be able to operate this software without any difficulty. 

The tool comprises many eminent features and some of them are mentioned below:

• Break large PST into smaller parts by Date, Year, Size or Folder
• Supports to split both Active PST file as well as Archive PST file
• Capable to split all PST items: Emails, Contacts, Calendars etc.
• Divide both UNICODE and ANSI PST without file size restriction
• Outlook application installation not required to break PST file

The Final Verdict

Splitting Outlook PST files is an essential procedure to avoid PST file corruption. However, breaking up large PST files that comprise our crucial information is not a risk-free task. Thus, to perform this operation successfully, we have tried to compile all the possible manual solutions for the same. In the event manual methods do not work, or the user does not have sufficient technical knowledge to execute them, they can opt the mentioned third-party tool. This software will split PST files easily without any data loss.