Maximum database size

Microsoft has recommended a maximum size for an Exchange mailbox database of 2 TB. The current database page size of 32 KB makes the maximum theoretical size of a database at the NTFS file system limit (16 TB–64 KB). To be safe, the absolute limit for an Exchange 2010 or Exchange 2013 database is 16,000 GB, just below the NTFS file system theoretical limit. Few customers are likely to operate databases that approach anywhere near this value in the next decade, especially when they consider just how long it would take to restore such a monster database if that need were to arise.

Allowing for a 2 TB maximum database size seems startling on the surface, but it can be justified by three major technical and operational factors: ...

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