Why Are There Groups of Options for “Attachments” and “File Size”? How Can I Keep My E-Mail Attachments in Outlook-Compatible PST Files?
A description of the options in Outlook Import Wizard in the “Attachments” and “File Size” option groups that apply to attachment EML files during import, as well as how they can be used on imported files to reduce PST file size.
Use the “Options” button on the second page of the wizard to view additional settings for Outlook Import Wizard. We will be looking at the settings for “Attachments” and “File Size“, which can be used as filters to limit the size of files that are transferred, thus serving to reduce PST file size, or block attachments from being migrated over.
- Using the settings for “Attachments“, users can control the process of importing attachments; the message and attachment EML and MSG files are where the information to be imported is stored. By default, the “Attachments” option is set to “Import ALL eml files“, in other words, to import to the PST file every incoming e-mail file. If the option is set to “Skip eml files containing attachments“, after migration to MS Outlook attachments will be absent: when importing, the program will block attachments and as a result, you will not have imported attachments in Outlook. The opposite is possible as well: that for message migration to Outlook attachments must be present, offering a way to block emails that contain only text.
- It is possible to use the “File Size” option to limit the size of the imported file. By default, the filter is set to “Unlimited“, meaning that there is no limit as to the size of files that will be processed by the converter. Using the option “Skip files greater than (Mb)“, you can set the maximum file size in megabytes, and the program will block emails with a size greater than the given value. E-mails with a size less than the given value will be imported, regardless of whether or not they have an associated attachment, allowing you to keep all of these messages and attachments in Outlook.
The “Attachments” and “File Size” options allow excluding a message if it has a large email attachment, allowing you to create a compact PST file. Filtering out messages with attachments also serves to protect Outlook from advertising e-mails and spam, which can often cause problems if they contain an unsafe attachment inside. Thanks to the system of filters in Outlook Import Wizard, when you import your mail into Outlook attachments (either their presence or absence) can be used as a criterion for splitting messages into groups.