I have a former employee's PST file that's a whopping 60GB, dating back to 1999. I'm looking for ways to divide this file into smaller chunks covering specific periods, like 1999-2010 and 2010-2020. Any advice on how to do this?
5 Answers
If you're comfortable with PowerShell, there are ways to split it through scripts too. Just keep in mind that you'll still be utilizing Outlook via COM objects. It tends to circle back to using Outlook either way.
If you're using Outlook (Classic), just go to 'File' -> 'Open & Export' -> 'Import/Export'. Choose 'Export to a file', select 'Outlook Data File (.pst)', and then choose your mailbox's root folder. Here’s where it gets cool: you can click 'Filter...' and specify the date range you want to export. Just add the dates like '1/1/1999 and 12/31/2010'—this will give you everything in that range! Just a heads up, though, this method will keep the entire folder structure, so you might end up with some empty folders if they’re not used.
You can also think about pushing everything back to an Exchange server and exporting by year. It used to be a best practice for Microsoft to archive emails to PSTs by year, which is how I usually do it.
Or, instead of dealing with PSTs, consider moving her emails to an online archive. The bigger a PST file gets, the higher the chances of it becoming corrupted, which can be a real headache!
One simple way to do this is by creating new PST files and dragging emails over to them. It might take a bit of time, but once you're done, managing the smaller files will be way easier. You'll also find it simpler to scan, repair, or back them up afterward!
Exactly! Just taking your time with it is totally worth it in the end!