Managing Your UW Email Storage Space
IT Connect > Email > UW Email (Deskmail) > Managing Your Email Storage Space
Scope
IMPORTANT: The information on this page is valid for the UW Email (Deskmail) Service only.
This page does not apply to Microsoft Exchange, email services offered by departments (e.g. cs.washington.edu) that are not managed by UW-IT, or UW Windows Live and Google Apps email services. It does not cover storage usage for services such as the UW Web Publishing Service.
- If you read email using any of the Alpine email software programs (Web Alpine, Unix Alpine, PC-Alpine) then you are using the UW Email or "deskmail" system.
- You can determine if you are using UW-IT's UW Email Service by checking the Email Forwarding page of the Manage Your UW NetID Resources site or use the "Change Email" link in the email channel of the MyUW portal. If you are using the UW Email Service (Deskmail) the page will show a checked radio button to the left of "Forward to UW Deskmail".
Getting Back Under the Email Storage Quota
Email Over Quota System and Notices
When your email service storage usage exceeds your allocated storage quota you will receive a warning message via email, with the subject line:
"ALERT: Your UW Email will be shut off unless you act!"
If your email service quota remains over quota for 7 days or your email service usage exceeds your quota by 150%, then email delivery will stop. Email will be returned to sender and you will receive a notice with the Subject:
"YOUR UW EMAIL IS SHUT OFF: Act now!"
When you clear sufficient space, email delivery will resume and the next email message that arrives will trigger an email notice with the subject line:
"Your UW account is back under quota for storage (disk) space!"
Clearing Email Storage Space
- StepsActions
- Determine what is taking up space using the Storage Space Usage viewer. It will display your current storage quota and usage as well as a list of your email folders in descending order by size.
- Open your email software, find and open the largest folders and then sort each folder by size to see the largest messages, usually those with attachments.
- Delete what you can. This process varies depending
on the email software that you use to read mail. Consult
the help for your email software, but most email
software uses one of two methods:
- Mark messages for deletion then expunge them (some software expunges email when you exit the email software).
- or
- Delete messages; then empty the Trash, Deleted Items or Deleted Messages folder.
Then exit your email software and turn off any Smartphone configured to read your email to release the locks on the folders you are clearing so that the quota system can access the folders and update your changes. If folders are locked by email software or a Smartphone application, then changes you make will probably not result in reducing your usage. If your software uses a Trash folder your usage may even rise!
TIP: If you are using Web Alpine use the "Sign out" icon at the upper right to exit email; if you click the "X" at the upper right corner then the Web browser will close but the email connection may persist such that quotas may not update.
- Return to the Storage Space Usage Viewer and click "UPDATE" to force the system to update your storage usage. If you do not see changes in your storage usage then make sure you have emptied the Trash folders and/or expunged messages that you have marked for deletion and exited your email software and turned off your Smartphone to release the locks on folders so that the folders sizes can be updated.
- The next incoming email message should trigger the
delivery of an email notification from help with the
subject line:
"Your UW account is back under quota for storage (disk) space!"
- If this process fails you may need assistance; contact help@uw.edu or call the UW Information Technology Service Center: 206-221-5000 Monday-Friday 8am — 8pm; Sunday 1pm-8pm.
Adjusting Your Email Storage Space or Purchasing More
You can adjust your email storage space to the maximum entitlement or purchase additional storage space online using a link from the Your Usage of UW Email and File Storage Space page or from a link on the Manage Your UW NetID Resources page.
Archiving Email
You may want to create a copy of email folders on your local desktop and then delete them from your email service to save space. Remember that if the personal computer, to which you archive your folder, is not backed up, you risk losing the folders. Some email software (such as Web Alpine) will let you "Export" a copy of your folder. Others (e.g. Thunderbird) will let you create local folders as copies of your server folders.
- Web Alpine — From the "View/Manage folders"
screen, select a folder then, at the top under "More
Actions" choose "Export Email from Folder". This will
download the folder to your desktop computer. You can
later import the folder if you need it. Do not make
changes to the exported folder with an editor as that
may make your copy unreadable by Web Alpine.
TIP: To export your INBOX, first select all the messages; then at the top of the menu select "COPY" and "To Folder". Choose a new unique folder name, for example, "copy-of-inbox". Once that folder has been populated with the contents of your INBOX it can then be highlighted in the list of folders on the "View/Manage folders" screen and exported to your desktop. After you have exported a folder you can then select and delete the messages you have downloaded. Be sure to empty the trash and click "Sign out" so the quota system can update.
- UNIX Alpine, PC-Pine and PC-Alpine — Open any folder, select messages (;) then apply (a) export (e). This will create a desktop folder if you use PC-Pine or PC-Alpine. It will create a folder on the Homer or Dante file system if you use UNIX Alpine. You can then download the copy on Homer or Dante to your desktop using secure file transfer software such as SFTP or WinSCP. Set the download options to "binary" to preserve special characters in the exported email file.
- Desktop email software — This varies by the
desktop email software you are using. Most will let you
create local folders on your desktop. You can then
select messages to drag and drop from the server folders
to the local folders.
TIP: Do NOT drag folders from the server to the desk top; this may destroy both copies!
Getting Help
- How to delete and expunge email: see the help section for your email software or try a Web Search using Google, Bing, or other Web search tool to find help and tips. Your local departmental computer support staff may also be your best resource.
- For information how to contact UW Information Technology, see the Need Help? page.
