Outlook mail box size on server

Please post Outlook and Exchange versions. Thank you.

My outlook version is 2003 & Exchange is also 2003.

Outlook and Exchange have similar mailbox sizes depending on which size are you looking at. I expect you are using Outlook in cached mode and as a result you have an OST file associated to the Exchange profile.
I expect you are watching at user's mailbox size on Exchange, using System Manager, under Mailboxes (remember to refresh the view). The mailbox associated to the user shows a size that should be very near to the size reported by Outlook.
When I run manual Archiving on big mailboxes I see the size reported on Exchange reducing without any need to wait for the defrag.
Please let me know if:
a. Outlook is cached,
b. You are looking at Exchange's mailbox size exactly as showed above.
Thank you.

See the attached screen shot. User data is much less than server data. Outlook is not in cache mode. When I am looking at the system manager  on exchange server, the mail box size appears to be 4gb as if no maintenance happened.

There's no screen shot attached.

Kindly post the "Deleted Item Retention Period". Thank you.

uploaded now. See attached file.
mailboxsize.docx

deleted item retention period is 1 days & this mail box was resized a month ago so not a mail box retention period for sure.

The 2 pictures have a very low quality. I hardly can read the values. What does Exchange System Manager report as Mailbox size?
Furthermore, it seems that you are looking at the Inbox folder and subfolders only, not at the entire mailbox. Right?

You wrote Outlook is NOT cached. I think it is since you have 2 tabs: local data and server data. This is a typical cached scenario.
If you were NOT cached, you would have 1 tab only since there's no local data.
Please check again if Outlook is cached or not.

exchange system manager report as 4Gb which is what "server data" shows. Local data shows as 1GB.  I am looking at the entire mail box size.

OK. Did you have a chance to check if Outlook is cached or not?

how do I check if its cached?

Have a look at the E-mail Account settings (you have only 1 account right?). Please see the attached pic. Let me know. Thank you.
o-step4.jpg

My outlook does connect to a OST file setup on the local "C" drive.  if this is what tells I am in cache mode then "YES" it in cache mode. How do I update the server data size?

ok , it does show in cache mode.  Still question remains who does exchange be updated with client mail box size?

Create a new Outlook profile in NON cached mode. Check the size. You should find only 1 tab (not 2 tabs: local and server - as previously seen) and it should report about 4GB.
Rerun the maintenance.

BTW: which kind of maintenance are you running?
a. Moving items to an Archive PST file, or
b. Deleting items and emptying the Recycle Bin.
c. None of the above. Please specify.

Thank you.

both a & b.

so once the cache mode is taken off, server mail box size will be updated from the client mail box size ?

No. The server wins. Instead of clearing the cache on actual Outlook profile, I suggest you create a new Outlook profile, set it NOT cached and rerun maintenance.

Are you based in Italy?

North america

so it seems if am not on cache mode, whatever I do changes my mail box size at the server end. which is good. Any down side of not running in cache mode? Would I be slow since ost file is not on the local machine?

Many Thanks

You're welcome.