To see the size of the Deleted Items folder, click “View Deleted Items Size”. Our Deleted Items folder is not huge, but we should empty it anyway before compacting our data file. Click “Close”.

If you are trying to deal with an oversized Exchange database (.EDB) file and searching for the right solution, then you are at the right place. If the EDB file is growing out of control and reaching its specified volume rapidly; the Server might run out of space. In this blog, we will discuss the ways to handle oversized EDB files of Exchange 2003, 2007, 2010 & 2013 without letting even a single bit of data to skip.

As more and more data gets accumulated, the EDB file automatically grows by size whereas if any of the data is removed or gets deleted the file will not compress, in fact the free space will be taken over by white spaces thereafter. You might be an Exchange administrator, abide by the duty to keep the Server in running mode all the time.

If so, you must be thinking about Server downtime for end users. There are different solutions to tackle with this situation. • Create New Mailbox Database and transfer all data from the older mailbox to the newer Mailbox • Perform Offline Defrag to shrink the EDB file • Move the location of Mailbox Database In the above-mentioned alternates, Mailbox migration procedure is quite complex and involves risks of data loss. A large transaction log will be generated and the entire procedure can take around several days to be accomplished.

However, defrag can be an effective solution to monitor and reduce the EDB file size. The size of the EDB file and the existing white spaces can be determined by executing the commands in EMS (Exchange Management Shell). Once the file size is detected, it can be compressed by executing Eseutil for defragging the mailbox.

Solution# 1: Run Eseutil to Defrag EDB Mailboxes via Exchange Management Shell Pre- requisites If the EDB file keeps growing to large file size abnormally and you wish to shrink the file, there are few pre-requisites that must be fulfilled beforehand. • The database must be dismounted before initiating the defrag procedure. While defragging is in process, users would not be able to access their emails. • During the process, a new file will be created; however, the old file along with the new file as well as the temporary file generated by Eseutil will also exist on system. Enough storage space must exist on drive to enable defragmentation procedure to perform successfully. • In case, enough storage space doesn’t exist on hard drive, different location can be specified while executing Eseutil command.

Defrag Procedure • Launch Exchange Management Shell and then execute the following command to dismount Mailbox database “C: Windows system32>cd D: Mailbox ‘database name’” “D: Mailbox ‘database name’> Dismount-Database ‘database name’” • Run Eseutil for defragging the EDB file “D: Mailbox ’database name’>eseutil /d ‘database name’.edb /t testserver defrag temp.edb” • Next, execute the following command to mount the database: “D: Mailbox ‘database name’> mount- database ‘database name’” Now the database size and the existing white spaces on the selected mailbox database can be examined. Then you can notice that the EDB file is compressed and all the white spaces are removed.

With this, the Eseutil execution is done successfully and you can now run full backup of the database. Note: You must have free disk space that is at least 110 percent the size of the database (EDB file) that you wish to defrag. Solution #2: Move Mailbox Database using Exchange Management Console Exchange Management Console can be used to dismount database and this can be done by selecting the Mailbox, then right click on it and then select Dismount Database option. • Launch Exchange Management Console and then select Mailbox under Organization Configuration • Then select the mailbox that needs to be moved, right click on it and select Move Database Path • In the then appeared Move Database Path window, provide new location for data files and log files. Next, click on Move to continue with the procedure to reduce the file size • A message box will appear alerting that the database must be dismounted temporarily for accomplishing Move database operation. Click on Yes to continue the procedure Important!

The time that the EDB mailbox takes to move to another location solely depends upon the size of mailbox database. Once the operation is accomplished, a task completion information box will appear. Click on Finish to close the wizard. Modify Register Editor Settings- An Alternate Alternatively, you can select to change the size specifications for the database by following the undermentioned procedure. In addition, you can split the EDB file to prevent large data loss situations. • In Register Editor, search for the given path: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurentControlSet Services MSExchangeIS Private-” • If “Database Size Limit in GB” DWORD exists under “Private-[database GUID]” then modify the value to GB (gigabytes). How to get working mac address for stb emulator. If it doesn’t appear then create DWORD “Database Size Limit in GB”, and set storage limit in gigabytes.