# At what size, roughly, is a single DT database getting too b

**URL:** https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605
**Category:** Tips
**Created:** [April 1, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605 "2010-04-01T19:24:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Sophie](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@Sophie](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Sophie)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605/1 "2010-04-01T19:24:09Z")

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I’m hoping for an actual number e.g.

I have a 1 | 10 | … GB database I use daily with no problems at all  
but at around 2 | 20 | 200 | … GB you are likely pushing the limits  
(… if you have 4G-RAM)

I am considering putting pretty much ALL my stuff (reference docs, notes, powerpoints, emails with attachments, …) into DT and am interested in knowing such limits.

Thanks!

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### Author: ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2010, 7:36am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605/2 "2010-04-02T07:36:20Z")

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The filesize doesn’t matter, only the number of items (not more than 200000 recommended) and total number of words (not more than 300 million recommended) are important.

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### Author: ![Sophie](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@Sophie](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Sophie)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605/3 "2010-04-02T19:27:02Z")

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> [@cgrunenberg](#):
>
> the number of items (not more than 200000 recommended) and total number of words (not more than 300 million recommended) are important.

Great to know, thanks!

Is there any way to get an idea of the current word count of the database?

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### Author: ![korm](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@korm](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/korm)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605/4 "2010-04-02T19:54:39Z")

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File \> Database Properties … \> [name of your database]

Opens the properties display

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### Author: ![alanterra](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@alanterra](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/alanterra)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605/5 "2010-04-15T15:25:04Z")

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> [@cgrunenberg](#):
>
> The filesize doesn’t matter, only the number of items (not more than 200000 recommended) and total number of words (not more than 300 million recommended) are important.

Thank you. For me that reemphasizes the importance of a fact (pointed out somewhere on these forums) that dumping your entire disk into DevonThink is not a good idea. I have a small corner of my disk being managed by DT (indexed, not imported) and that database already has 42,000,000+ words, and it will at least double, maybe quintuple, in size before I’m done.

I’m very happy to know that DT will be able to handle future growth, but it shows the importance of understanding a tool that you are going to rely on.

A

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### Author: ![system](https://devontech-discourse.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/original/2X/4/4e6ff70c96be2eb307a274d890bba8d71ba671b3.png) [@system](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/at-what-size-roughly-is-a-single-dt-database-getting-too-b/9605/6 "2022-01-21T11:08:14Z")

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