I can't remember when I got my first email address, but in the late 1990s I signed up for Hotmail; it was a game changer. I liked that I could access my messages from any computer, and could check it when I had free time at work. Over the years Hotmail changed to Outlook.com, but it still functions the same way
Now I have email addresses scattered all over cyberspace (in addition to Outlook there's Yahoo for blogging and multiple Gmails, each for a specific purpose). Even though Outlook has a lot of detractors, I still consider it my 'main' address.
A couple of weeks ago I received a notification that I was running out of space on the Outlook system. I ignored the information until earlier in the week, when a red notification bar showed up at the top of the screen. It said that I had exceeded my limit and could either delete some of my data or pay for more storage.
I think Microsoft made the whole deleting part so difficult that most people would give up and pay. However, I was determined to get my data under the magic limit. After trying a couple of things with no luck I turned to the internet to see if other people had any answers. It took me about ten minutes to find the information I needed. It turns out that all the messages in my Sent folder counted against the limit!
Other than looking for random messages I needed to reference, the Sent folder had been untouched for years, and I set about cleaning it up. The biggest offender was photo attachments. Before I bought an Apple desktop a couple of years ago, the process of moving photos from my iPhone to my PC-based desktop computer was laborious. I could never find the cable to connect the two and usually ended up emailing them to myself so I could download to the desktop. Then I could save them, or upload to the blog or another website like Facebook Marketplace.
As I started deleting all those images I didn't need anymore from my email the storage amount started going down. After I got through all the photos I kept going, deleting other messages I didn't need-messages from volunteer organizations, my responsibility as a neighborhood trustee at the old house, and previous jobs.
When I was done, the red notification bar was replaced by a blue one, which suggested I might want to consider paying for more storage. I gladly closed that and moved on.
I am doing the same with my gmail folder having received a similar message. I also have a hotmail and a yahoo email I better have a look. Very tiresome process
ReplyDeleteI figured out the last time I managed my emails was in 2014. I hope that now I don't have to deal with the issue again for a very long time.
DeleteGood on you for decluttering the digital. Those images really can suck up a lot and even more so if the images are raw. Very, very cool that you don't need to pay more. I love it!
ReplyDeleteSaving money is always a positive in my book!
DeleteThank you so much for this post. I need to check my Outlook too. Yikes! I haven't cleaned that sent file in forever.
ReplyDeleteNow we'll both have lean and mean Outlooks :-)
DeleteI have outlook on my PC. I download everything from all of my emails. I've lost a couple of emails because I didn't use them enough.
ReplyDeleteI used to use Outlook for my calendar back when I had a PC, but never bothered with the other functionality.
DeleteYep ... every so often you need to empty the "Sent" folder; also the "Delete" folder. You may think that when you delete an email it is deleted. Wrong, it just moves to the Delete folder which also needs to be emptied. Don't forget your "Archives" folder. Do you have emails there that you no longer need? Also check the in-tray on your printer. Have you printed emails there that now need to be shredded? Also all the paper files and folders with your printed messages.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Great tips.
DeleteI forgot all about outlook but had to do the same thing with gmail and even yahoo.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a common situation.
DeleteI remember my first email address was with AOL. I still remember how thrilling it was to hear that "You've got mail!" chime in every time I opened my computer! I had Outlook where I worked. I had a zillion folders where I kept all my important emails but would clean them out regularly! Now I just have my gmail account.
ReplyDeleteBack in AOL days we used a small ISP that supplied us with an email address.
DeleteJeanette, I remember those first aol days also and how exciting it was to hear "You've got mail!" Now my aol email gets so much junk, I can't keep it cleaned out. Nowadays, I would love to hear it say, "Your inbox is empty!"
DeleteKathy thanks for sharing this info. It encourages me to get my old AOL email cleaned out.
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of service
DeleteLooked at my sent folder... thousands going back YEARS... deleted them all!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how much of our life is conducted online?
DeleteNow I must go check my accounts. Hubby said my computer is slow because it is overloaded with things I should delete.
ReplyDeleteMy next task will be to look at the folders on my hard drive :-)
DeleteWell now I need to take a closer look!
ReplyDeleteAnother item to add to your To Do list :-)
DeleteGood thing you were able to find an answer. I keep my pics in a file folder and always keep my email accounts down to a minimum, cleanig out spam, sent, fyi and draft folders weekly.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and follow your lead and clean things out regularly.
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