Every mailbox has a storage limit. Once it’s full, new mail can stop arriving and sending may fail. The two ways to clear space are moving mail off the server into a local folder, or deleting emails you no longer need, including anything sitting in Junk and Trash.

Outlook: Move Mail to a Local Folder

Outlook can store messages in a local data file (.pst) on your PC instead of on the mail server. Moving old mail here frees up your server mailbox without deleting anything.

1. Create a local data file

• Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
• On the Data Files tab, click Add
• Choose a location and file name (e.g. “Local Archive”), then click OK
• This appears as its own folder near the bottom of your folder list in Outlook

2. Move emails into it

• Open your Inbox (or Sent Items)
• Select the emails to move — use Ctrl+click for individual messages, or Ctrl+A to select all
• Right-click the selection and choose Move > Other Folder, then select your local data file (or the folder within it)
• Alternatively, drag the selected emails onto the local folder in the folder pane

3. Repeat for Sent Items

Sent mail counts towards your mailbox quota too, so repeat the same steps in the Sent Items folder.

Once mail has been moved, it’s stored on your PC rather than the server, so it no longer counts towards your mailbox limit, but it’s also only accessible from that PC, so it won’t appear on your phone or in Webmail.

Mac Mail: Move Mail to a Local Folder

On a Mac, Apple’s Mail app can store messages “On My Mac” instead of on the server. This frees up your server mailbox without deleting anything.

1. Create an On My Mac mailbox

• Go to Mailbox > New Mailbox
• For Location, choose On My Mac
• Give it a name (e.g. “Local Archive”) and click OK
• This appears in its own On My Mac section in the mailbox sidebar

2. Move emails into it

• Open your Inbox (or Sent)
• Select the emails to move, use Cmd+click for individual messages, or Cmd+A to select all
• Drag the selected emails onto the On My Mac mailbox in the sidebar
• Alternatively, right-click the selection and choose Move to, then select the local mailbox

3. Repeat for Sent

Do the same in the Sent mailbox, as sent mail also counts towards your quota.

Because these accounts use IMAP, mail normally stays synced to the server. Moving messages “On My Mac” takes them off the server and stores them only on that Mac, so, as with Outlook, they won’t show up on your phone or in Webmail afterwards.

Webmail: Delete Emails and Empty Spam

If you use Webmail, the quickest way to free up space is to delete emails you no longer need and empty the Junk and Trash folders since deleted mail still counts towards your quota until those folders are emptied.

1. Delete unwanted emails

• Log in to Webmail at https://yourwebsitename.co.uk/webmail
• Select the messages you want to remove, tick the checkboxes, or sort by size to find the largest emails first
• Click the Delete (bin) icon to move them to Trash

2. Empty the Trash folder

• Right-click Trash in the folder list
• Select Empty Folder (or Compact) to permanently remove the messages and free up the space

3. Clear out Spam/Junk

• Open the Junk or Spam folder
• Delete anything genuine that’s landed there, then select the rest and delete
• Right-click the folder and choose Empty Folder to clear it completely

Spam folders fill up quietly in the background, so it’s worth checking and emptying this folder regularly, even if you’re not close to your limit.

Still Need Help?

If your mailbox is still showing as full after clearing space, or you’d like us to check your quota and increase it if needed, please contact support.