general | March 28, 2026

What is circular logging in Exchange 2016?

Circular logging is a method of conserving hard disk space in the Microsoft Exchange transactional logging process. It works by overwriting individual log files to keep the transactional log (the set of all log files) from expanding without limit on the hard disk.

Is circular logging recommended?

Important Points to Remember. Without a complete set of transactional log files, it is impossible to recover new data. So, circular logging is not recommended in production environments. While doing backups (incremental as well), enabling circular logging on Exchange database is not recommended.

How do I enable circular logging?

Enable or disable circular logging and why and when you should do…

  1. From the Start menu start Exchange Administrative Center (EAC).
  2. Login with your credentials.
  3. Go to Servers, Database and click the Pencil.
  4. Choose Maintenance and check ‘Enable circular logging’.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Choose ‘Dismount’.
  7. Click Yes.

Does enabling circular logging require a restart?

Enable Exchange 2016 / 2013 Circular Logging from EAC From within the Exchange Admin Center > Servers > Databases > Select your Mailbox DB > Edit > Maintenance > Enable Circular Logging > Save. Then you need to restart the ‘Microsoft Exchange Information Store’ service, (run services.

How do I know if circular logging is enabled in Exchange 2016?

Enable circular logging Exchange 2016 in EAC Log in to Exchange Admin Center (EAC). Go to servers and follow with databases at the top. Click the mailbox database and click the edit icon. Click maintenance in the left panel and check the checkbox Enable circular logging.

How do I know if circular logging is enabled 2010?

Where Do You Find the Enable Circular Logging Setting?

  1. Launch the Exchange Management Console (EMC).
  2. Navigate to Organization Configuration –> Mailbox.
  3. From Database Management, select the appropriate database (DB1).
  4. Seek the Maintenance tab, Enable circular logging is the last checkbox.

How do I check if a circular logging is enabled Exchange 2010?

How do I check if circular logging is enabled in Exchange 2013?

In the EAC, go to Servers > databases. Check or uncheck the Enable circular logging checkbox, and then click save. If a dismount and mount operation are required, a warning message will appear.

How do I clean up my Exchange 2016 database?

The following steps will delete a mailbox database in Exchange Server:

  1. Unmount the mailbox database.
  2. Delete the mailbox database.
  3. Remove the database files.

Can we enable circular logging for a recovery DB?

If circular logging is enabled, the following will be true: You cannot restore the individual databases if circular logging was enabled during the backup operation or is enabled during the recovery operation.

How do I delete a log file in Exchange 2013?

Open up, Explorer. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Logging\Diagnostic. In there you will have to folders, one called DailyPerformanceLogs and the other PerformanceLogsToBeProcessed. You can delete all the log files located in these 2.

Can Exchange logs be deleted?

Clear Exchange logs with PowerShell and get free space on the Exchange Server. These logs are NOT database logs! You can safely delete these logs. In fact, I recommend you to delete them.

Where are the Exchange logs stored?

Message tracking logs are simple CSV files (with a LOG extension) stored on your Exchange server. The default path to their physical location is %ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRolesLogsMessageTracking. The logs have a set naming convention.

What is recovery database?

A recovery database (RDB) is a special kind of mailbox database that allows you to mount and extract data from a restored mailbox database as part of a recovery operation. RDBs allow you to recover data from a backup or copy of a database without disrupting user access to current data.

Can I delete Exchange setup logs?

You can safely delete these logs. In fact, I recommend you to delete them. Logs are great when you need more information and want to have a look into it when you are having issues. Exchange Servers are filling up easily with all these logs.

Can Exchange log files be deleted?

One way that you can keep your email server running at peak efficiency is by deleting old log files you no longer need. If you are using Microsoft Exchange, this is as simple as deleting old logs from the Exchange log directory. Before you can do this, though, you must first stop the Exchange server process.

How do I clean up Exchange database logs?

There are several ways to cleanup Transaction logs in Exchange:

  1. Perform regular backups of your Exchange mailbox databases.
  2. Enable the Circular Logging for your transaction logs.
  3. Move the Exchange database with transaction logs to another large drive.

Can I delete Exchange database logs?

How do I find Exchange SMTP logs?

Exchange SMTP Relay Logs

  1. Connect to the exchange server and launch Exchange Admin Center.
  2. Select mail flow and go to the receive connectors tab.
  3. Open the receive connector and ensure Protocol logging level is set to Verbose.
  4. Repeat these steps for your send connectors if needed.

What are the 3 types of backups?

There are mainly three types of backup: full, differential, and incremental. Let’s dive in to know more about the types of backup, the difference between them and which one would be the best fit for your business.