Outlook 0x8004060c Error Code: Everything You Need to Know!

admin | Modified: February 17th, 2025 | Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is a widely preferred service across the world. Whether individuals or organizations, both are highly rely on this service. That’s why for any reason if this service crashes or shows errors like Outlook 0x8004060c. Then it could be a huge issue for those who have critical data in this application and are unable to access it.

This error prompts when users want to send or receive data. This could be quite frustrating when the exchange of data is not possible through this service. In today’s discussion, we are going to learn the answers to related queries i.e. why this error occurs, how to resolve it, what are the preventive measures, and many more. Excited? This informative journey is more interesting than you might even think. So, let’s have a quick overview of this issue.

What is Outlook 0x8004060c Error?

0x8004060c Outlook error occurs due to corruption in OST or PST files. Since MS Outlook saves users’ data locally in these file formats, corruption in these leads to Outlook crashes and showing errors like:

Task ‘Microsoft Exchange Server – Sending’ reported error (0x8004060c): ‘The message store has reached its maximum size. To reduce the amount of data in this message store, select some items that you no longer need, and permanently delete them.’
Task ‘[EMAIL ADDRESS] – Sending and Receiving reported error (0x8004060c): ‘Unknown Error 0x8004060C.’
Task ‘Microsoft Exchange Server – Receiving’ reported error (0x8004060c): ‘Unknown Error 0x8004060c.’

The main cause behind this Outlook 0x8004060c error is the PST file exceeds its size limit. When this happens, users may also see the message: “The message could not be sent” when attempting to send or receive data. Apart from this, there are several reasons behind the same which are listed in the next section.

Why Does the 0x8004060c Outlook Error Occur?

Before moving to the troubleshooting steps, it is necessary to know everyone why this error occurred suddenly. Go through these listed points to know about the same in detail:

Microsoft sets the limit of PST files to store data. This storage restriction depends on your application version i.e.
- Outlook 2002 and earlier: 2GB limit
- Outlook 2003 and 2007: 20GB limit
- Outlook 2010, 2013, and later: 50GB limit

When your PST exceeds its limits, then Outlook fails to perform sending or receiving tasks and shows Outlook 0x8004060c error. However, it is suggested to import Outlook files to Office 365, for more storage, if needed.

The OST or PST file corruption is also one of the reasons for this issue. The file corruption can be due to several scenarios including crashes, improper shutdowns, or disk errors. Moreover, the corrupted data makes it difficult to send or receive by Outlook.
Outlook is not updated or incomplete installation could lead to issues.
Configuration of Outlook profile with multiple email accounts poses server connection issues that can lead to this error.
Sometimes, third-party add-ins are unable Outlook to access or load the content for sending or receiving purposes.

Common Symptoms of the Outlook 0x8004060c Error!

There are several symptoms behind this error which are as follows:

Unable to send or receive emails
Slow performance of Outlook
Unable to access Calendar or Contacts
Error messages on Start-Up (Outlook cannot open the data file)
Sync issues with mail servers

Related Errors:

Not only this 0x8004060c but there are other errors that users faced because of the same reasons:

0x80004005: Prompts because of connection issues or file corruption.
0x8004010F: This issue prompts when the issue is in the PST or OST file.
0x800CCC0F (Outlook is Trying to Retrieve Data from Exchange Server): Unable to connect with the mail server.

How to Fix Outlook 0x8004060c Error?

Now, we have clear insights on why this 0x8004060c occurs, so this is the time to learn the troubleshooting steps to resolve this issue quickly and effortlessly:

Step 1. Archive Emails

In the first step, we learn how to minimize the size of the PST file using these instructions:

Archive Emails: Move unwanted data to archive PST files, which can also help in managing the primary mailbox efficiently.
Delete Unnecessary Emails: Remove or delete unnecessary items from Outlook.
Split PST file: You can also, split PST files, which are large. Split it into some smaller segments to lessen the size of the PST file.
Use AutoArchive: This feature helps automatically archive data older than a specified time. To do so, follow these steps:
- In Outlook, click on File > Info > Tools > Clean up old items > Archive.
- Choose the folder to archive and specify the date range.
- Save the archive to a new file location.

Step 2. Compact the PST File

After deleting or archiving emails, still you need to compact these files to permanently fix this Outlook 0x8004060c error. For the same, follow these instructions:

Go to File > Account Settings > Data Files tab.
Select the PST file > Settings > Compact Now button.

Step 3. Repair the PST File Using the Inbox Repair Tool

The error may be due to a corrupted OST file. Therefore, it is recommended to recreate a .ost file to fix not only the same but Outlook contacts not syncing with Office 365 types of error also. Follow these steps to perform this entire task:

First, close Outlook and go to Control Panel.
Now, go to the dialog box of Mail Setup which consists of the name of the current profile. Click on Show Profile, if you want to choose a different profile and choose the profile name.
Now, click on Properties >> Mail >> E-mail tab >> Exchange account, and finally on the Change button.
Unmark the checkbox of Use Cached Exchange Mode followed by a click on More Settings.
Then, go to Advanced tab >> Offline Folder File Settings >> Disable Offline Use.
As soon as you do that a dialog box will appear, click on Yes to confirm.
Now to proceed further, click Offline Folder File Settings >> OK.
Again a dialog box will appear press Yes.
Mark the box Use Cached Exchange Mode from Cached Exchange Mode Settings and click on OK and then on Next.
Finally, click on the Finish option and then on Close.

Still, if the Outlook 0x8004060c error persists opt for the Scanpst.exe tool to repair the file. However, this service can only handle minor corruption, so if dealing with a high level of corruption, leverage a third-party utility.

Here are the steps to repair PST via this service:

Search scanpst.exe on your system.
Run scanpst.exe and browse to your PST file location.
Click on Start to Scan and repair the file.
Now, follow the prompts to fix the corruption if found.

Step 4. Create a New Outlook Profile

Creating a new Outlook profile can resolve this Outlook 0x8004060c error. For the same, first, take a backup of your data and then follow these guidelines:

Go to Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.
Click on Add to create a new profile and configure it.
Set the new profile as the default.

Step 5. Check Email Server Settings

Verify your sending or receiving server settings if using IMAP or Exchange accounts. Since there may be an issue in misconfiguration that poses this issue.

Step 6. Reinstall or Repair Outlook

If the above-mentioned methods are unable to resolve the Outlook 0x8004060c error then try to reinstall or repair this service by following these steps:

Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
Find Microsoft Office and choose Change.
Select Repair and follow the prompts.

Step 7. Increase the PST Size Limit

Increasing the PST file size is easy, and if you are using an old version of Outlook which offers 50GB of storage, then it is recommended to follow these instructions to enhance storage:

In the Windows search bar type regedit and press Enter.
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<version>\Outlook\PST
Right-click on MaxLargeFileSize and select Modify.
Change the value e.g., from 50GB to 100GB.

Preventing Outlook Error Code 0x8004060c in the Future!

Once you resolve this error, then follow these preventive measures to bypass this issue in the future:

Regularly archive old emails
Keep Outlook and Office updated
Maintain PST file health
Monitor your PST file size
Use the “Compact” feature for PST files
Avoid storing large attachments in PST
Create regular backups of PST files

Bring it All Together!

The Outlook 0x8004060c error occurred due to corrupted or oversized OST or PST files. In the above discussion, we learned all the troubleshooting steps to resolve this 0x8004060c Outlook error in minimum time. Additionally, it is suggested to read and follow the mentioned preventive measures, to avoid this, or other related issues in the future.