How to Fix “Mailbox Exceeded Maximum Number of Corrupted Items” Error In Exchange 2007/2010/2013
Getting error: error this mailbox exceeded the maximum number of corrupted items? To migrate any currently existing email setup from its 1 particular version to some other is quite an intricate task requiring thorough planning, execution expertise, and multiple testing phases for getting it accomplished in a successful way.
Though the professional tools that have seeped into the online market have revolutionized this whole task by making it considerably easier, still there are certain aspects that need manual intervention.
Even a minute, an error can cause corruption or data loss. Moreover, other intricate errors may arise that can possibly obstruct this whole migration procedure.
Error : This mailbox exceeded the maximum number of corrupt or missing items
There appears a very puzzling error, which many users encounter sometimes while MS Exchange migration is in progress. Such an error shows up this message: this mailbox exceeded the maximum number of corrupted items Exchange.
When such type of error appears, it disrupts whole of the ongoing migration procedure. Till the user has any resolve handy, the migration ceases temporarily. This, in turn, affects all user-mailboxes existing on the Exchange server! So, rectification must be the top priority in such scenarios.
Causes of Error: This Mailbox Exceeded the Maximum Number of Corrupted Items Exchange 2007/2010/2013
Before a user attempts to solve the error, it’s important to find out the cause behind such an error emergence in the very first place. That would prevent this error from re-occurring. Following are some of root causes, which can trigger the emergence of such an error.
As it is evident from the error message statement, that if no. of corrupted mailboxes, which are being migrated, would exceed the set limit, then this error appears. So, it is pretty evident that in MS Exchange server, only a limited no. of corrupted mailboxes is allowed to be migrated. So, if this limit is crossed, then the migration pauses midway.
If the MS Exchange server has become corrupted itself, then it needs isolation. Such an error appears in such cases as well. Corrupted mailbox has corrupted mails or corrupted email attachments. Such mailboxes are not allowed to be a part of migration. But, if any issue is there while such mailboxes are being isolated, then the server itself goes kaput, giving rise to this error.
Free Manual Fixes
1. One can increase the corrupted mailboxes’ limit with the help of Power Shell cmdlets. Power Shell would enable the users for executing intricate internal commands, which could change the way by which MS Exchange migration happens.
Following the steps below can help in increasing the set size limitation for corrupt Exchange mailboxes & resolve error: This Mailbox Exceeded the Maximum Number of Corrupted Items Exchange 2007/2010/2013
- Launch Power Shell
- Launch with admin rights
- Type command Get-MoveRequest
- Press Enter
- Mailboxes that fail to migrate get listed
- Execute command Set- Move Request having value 100
2. Identifying corrupted mailbox items and removing those from isolation. The steps are as follows:
- Get GUID of corrupted mailboxes
- One can do this by executing command: Get-mailbox-statistics-identity
- Now, press F1
- Search for the registry entry: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\Private-\Quarantinemailboxes\ e. Change the key that mentions GUID
- Then, restart IIS using command: iisreset
3. Using ESEUTIL to solve error this mailbox exceeded the maximum number of corrupt or missing items
- Use ESEUTIL command with /p switch
- Follow this by Eseutil/d command for defragmenting repaired database
- Finally, check database integrity suing ISInteg command
Note: Executing these methods, having technical knowledge is required. Any follies or mistakes whatsoever in the process can in fact worsen the damage instead of fixing it, and can even lead to permanent loss of data. In that case, user can use the third-party software mentioned in the below section.
Suggested Solution
Though the above manual solutions to resolve error: This Mailbox Exceeded the Maximum Number of Corrupted Items Exchange 2007/2010/2013 are free and might work also in some of the cases, but, they come with their own risks.
If any wrong steps happen, it might end up in causing even more damage than resulting in any sort of repair. So, if you are not very much confident to apply any of these free manual fixes, then it’s better to go for some automated third-party software i.e. Exchange Recovery Software provided by SysTools which recover data from Exchange EDB file without losing any data.
This utility easily repair EDB file from major and minor corruption. It provided dual scan mode option (Quick and Advance scan) which recover & repair Exchange Mailbox with no data loss.
Depending on the level of damaged or corrupted offline/dismounted Exchange database file, you can select the option and export the recovered EDB mailboxes to Live Exchange Server, O365, various standard file formats.
The Ending Note
This article acquainted the readers about MS Exchange server issues, the error that emerges often: This Mailbox Exceeded the Maximum Number of Corrupted Items Exchange 2007/2010/2013, its causes and manual fixes for resolution, which the users can leverage as and when needed. But there always is an element of doubt while anyone goes with such free fixes. The downside in the case of manual methods is the requirement of technical expertise, which is a sort of prerequisite in such cases. So, for users who are not that confident about using any of the technical commands or wish to incorporate some quick, easy, and secure method, then SysTools software would work best.