Outlook 2010 & 2013 File Size Download

[hlewton]

There is a file on my ISP server waiting to be downloaded to my Outlook 2010 computer. It’s size it 27 MB. It downloads fine on my computer running Outlook 2013. Any ideas how or what I can do to get it to download to my Outlook 2010 computer?

Thanks

[Rudi]

Are the two PC's on different internet connections?
Do other attachments download on your 2010 PC?
If other attachments do download on the 2010 PC, I'd count it as a glitch and simply transfer the file to the 2010 PC with a flash drive. (Less fuss, less hassle)

[Leif]

There is a file on my ISP server...

By 'file' do you mean an email?

File > Options > Advanced > Send/Receive...

Check the Send/Receive Settings in case there is a limit on download size:

x.jpg

[hlewton]

Are the two PC's on different internet connections?
Do other attachments download on your 2010 PC?
If other attachments do download on the 2010 PC, I'd count it as a glitch and simply transfer the file to the 2010 PC with a flash drive. (Less fuss, less hassle)

The PCs are both on the same Internet connection as far as I know since they both come from the same router.
Yes all other attachments have always downloaded.
I think I'm going to have to count it as a glitch but I hate doing that because it has never happened before and I'd like to find a solution but there just may not be one.

Thank you for the help.

[hlewton]

There is a file on my ISP server...

By 'file' do you mean an email?

File > Options > Advanced > Send/Receive...

Check the Send/Receive Settings in case there is a limit on download size:

x.jpg

Yes I do mean an email.

I checked and my options are set exactly as shown in your attachment. Before I delete the email from the ISP's server I may call them to see if they have any ideas.

Thanks for the help.

[hlewton]

OK before I write this off as a glitch I would like to explorer a little further. I just talked to my ISP tech support department. Of course they were about as much help as I expected and tried to pass the buck but maybe they do have a valid question. I did search the Internet and found that there may be a maximum size for attachments of 20 MB for Outlook 2010 but I think the same is true for Outlook 2013 I just have not confirmed that. I found this Registry tweak but not sure it applies to files being received.

Outlook 2010’s and Outlook 2013’s attachment limit

As of Outlook 2010, Outlook has a built-in warning system for attachments that are too big to be sent. Upon attaching a file or multiple files that will make you go over the message size limit, you’ll get an error and Outlook will not allow you to add the attachment(s). This is in order to prevent the message from becoming stuck in the Outbox and to prevent you from needlessly uploading such a large attachment.

When you use an Exchange account, the information about the maximum allowed size is obtained directly from the Exchange server. Contact your Exchange administrator about the possibilities of increasing your sending size limit if needed.

When you are using a POP3, IMAP or Outlook.com account to send your message, then this information can’t be retrieved from the mail server. Instead, Outlook assumes a default maximum combined size of all attachment of 20MB for these mail account types.

The attachment size exceeds the allowable limit.
Attachment size warning in Outlook 2010

Bug for picture attachments
Sadly, this warning is also being given when you add more than 20MB worth of pictures but have the option to “Resize Image Attachments” enabled. This would of course have reduced the attachment size to less than 20MB so the warning should not been shown. Workarounds are to either resize the pictures before attaching them or to increase or disable the limit as indicated below.

Increasing the limit for Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013

Regedit button If your ISP allows for a larger or smaller message size and you want Outlook to match this limit, then you can increase or decrease this limit via a Registry tweak.

If you are connecting to an Exchange server, then you do not need to modify anything as Outlook automatically retrieves the limit from the Exchange server.

To configure the limit, add or modify the following value in the Registry:

Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<version>\Outlook\Preferences
Value name: MaximumAttachmentSize
Value type: REG_DWORD

The value that you need to use is in KB. So if you know the amount of MB supported by your ISP, then you need to multiply that by 1024 to get the value that you need to enter. To allow for an unlimited size, you can set the value to 0.

Examples;
2MB-> 2048
5MB-> 5120
10MB-> 10240
50MB-> 51200

Note 1: Increasing the limit in Outlook does not increase the limit set by your ISP or administrator on the mail server. If their limit is set to 5MB and you send a file larger than that, you’ll still get sending errors about the message being too big. In that case, you can break down the large attachment or use a (secure) file upload service.

Note 2: When setting the limit, you might want to account for the message size and some overhead as well. Typically, deducting about 100KB should do the trick unless you also directly embed pictures in your message or signature.

It appears to me it is changing the size of files to be sent, not received. I can't seem to find anything that specifically mention how to change the size of files being received and again from what I found that limit is 20 MB. Still my 2013 Outlook worked but not the Outlook 2010. So is there a difference between the two versions of Outlook as far as file sizes that can be received and if so is there a similar Registry tweak I could make to fix that? BTW I am using a POP3 server Outlook setup.

[HansV]

I don't know of a way to specify a size limit for incoming e-mails, but in my opinion, one shouldn't send such large attachments anyway; if someone wants to make a very large file available to you, they should upload it to a cloud service such as OneDrive or DropBox, share it and send a link to the uploaded file.

[hlewton]

OK thanks Hans and I agree with you. Actually I don't think the sender has any idea how big the file she sent me was. It was from my daughters phone, only 5 photos, and I am going to tell her to try to find a way to have that phone take smaller photos because at the size they are now she will eat up all the storage she has in a short time.

[HansV]

OneDrive and DropBox have free apps for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone; she could use such an app to upload the photos from her phone.

See for example How do I upload files from my phone or tablet? (for DropBox)

[hlewton]

OK thanks a lot Hans.