OL2001: Personal Folders File Cannot Exceed 2 Gigabytes in Size (303652)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 2001 for Mac
This article was previously published under Q303652

SYMPTOMS

When you add information to a personal folders (.pst) file that is larger than 2 gigabytes (GB) in size, you may receive the following error message:
The file could not be added to the folder. The action could not be completed.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur because the .pst file should not exceed 2 GB in size when you use a .pst file in Outlook 2001 for Mac.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior and store more information in a .pst file, create an additional .pst file.

For more information about how to create a .pst file, click Microsoft Outlook Help from the Help menu in Outlook 2001 for Mac. In the Text field, type create a personal folders file, click Search, and then click Create a Personal Folders file.

MORE INFORMATION

When you add more than 2 GB of data to a .pst file using either Outlook 2001 for Mac or the Microsoft Windows version of Outlook, the .pst file can become unstable or unusable. You can partially recover the data in the .pst file with the PST/OST Crop tool. This tool only runs on a Microsoft Windows computer.

IMPORTANT: The PST/OST Crop tool attempts to recover data from the oversized .pst file by removing items from the file to reduce its size to under 2 GB. This process involves some data loss in order to reduce the file to the required size.

How to Move the Oversized Personal Folders File to a Windows Computer

You must copy the .pst file must to a Windows computer to recover data from an oversized .pst file before you can use the PST/OST Crop tool because the tool only runs on Microsoft Windows. You should install a version of Microsoft Outlook on the Windows computer.

This procedure requires that you have access to network resources that allow you to copy files between the Apple Macintosh and Windows platforms. Typically, in a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Microsoft Windows 2000 server environment, this involves the use of Service for Macintosh (SFM). You may need to consult your network administrator for assistance with this phase of the recovery process.

How to Rename the Personal Folders File

The Personal folder that you created on an Apple Macintosh computer does not have a file extension. To work with the file on the Windows platform, add a .pst file extension to the file name. For additional information about how to add the .pst extension to the Macintosh Personal Folders (.pst) file, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

294647 OL2001: PST File Does Not Append .PST Extension to File Name

How to Recover the Personal Folders File

After you rename the .pst file on the Macintosh computer, connect to the compatible network resource, copy the file to a network directory location, and then, if necessary, copy the file to the Windows computer where the PST/OST Crop tool is installed. Run the PST/OST Crop tool, click the .pst file that you copied from the Macintosh computer, and then follow the directions that are provided with the PST/OST Crop tool. Open the .pst file with the version of Outlook that is installed on the Windows computer to test it. If the .pst file opens in the Windows version of Outlook, it should open in Outlook 2001 for Mac.

NOTEs:
  • You may need to run the PST/OST Crop tool more than once to reach a size that allows the file to open.
  • The affected .pst must be created using Outlook 2001 in order for scanpst.exe or the .pst truncation tool to work.
  • A .pst created with Outlook 8.x will not be able to utilize the tools outlined in this article, even if Outlook 2001 was used to open the affected .pst.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:5/1/2003
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb KB303652
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