Fix Outlook Express Dbx 2GB Size Limit Problem

Like any email application, Microsoft Outlook Express too has separate folders to store emails. Outlook Express stores emails in special files with .dbx extension. Each of its folders has its own file with .dbx extension. For example, the Inbox folder has a corresponding Inbox.dbx file and so on.

The size of each of these .dbx files is restricted to a 2GB limit. However, this can create problems with Outlook Express sometimes. As people increasingly use emails these days to communicate and share files, it is easy to reach this 2GB limit fast. If you are sending photos, music, video, or program files, it will reach the limit faster.

Once the 2GB limit is reached, you might find it difficult to place any messages in the file. The worst thing is that you won’t be able to delete any emails from this folder to create more space. So what can be done to overcome this situation? There are two possible ways to resolve this issue.

• One method is to delete the corresponding .dbx file and create a new empty one. But upon doing this, you will lose all the messages stored in the file.
• The other option is to use the Outlook repair tool to repair the Outlook Express folder.
• Resolving Outlook Express 2GB size limit problem using the Outlook Repair Tool.

If you don’t have the Outlook Repair tool in your system, you can download it from the Microsoft website. Follow these Outlook Express Help guidelines to fix the issue.

• First, you need to extract messages from the Outlook Express folder to the Windows folder using the Repair tool for Outlook Express.
• After you have extracted all your messages, delete the Inbox.dbx file. Close Outlook Express and re-launch it. When you do this, a fresh Inbox.dbx file will be created that is empty. If you don’t know how to locate the Outlook Express .dbx files, here is how you can find it. Open Outlook Express and click on Tools. Further select Options and then click on Maintenance. Finally click on Storage Folder to locate the .dbx files. 
• In order to get your messages back into your Outlook Express folder, you need to import the messages from the Windows folder to the Outlook Express folder. To do that, simply drag and drop the messages to the Outlook Express folder. While doing this, take care not to drag all files at once as it can cause the 2GB size limit problem again. Instead, do it in parts. Select about half of the messages in the Windows folder and drag them to the Outlook Express folder. Now view these messages in Outlook Express and delete/move the unnecessary ones. Similarly, drag the remaining messages. 

If you need any further assistance, go through the Outlook Express Help menu and get more useful information.