If you’re wondering “why isn’t my gmail account receiving emails?” don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone. There are a few possible reasons for this problem, and most of the time it’s a simple fix.
One of the reasons your gmail may not be receiving emails could be due to an outdated web browser. if you are using an older version of chrome or firefox, try updating to the latest version and see if that fixes the problem. another possibility is that your email filters accidentally delete incoming messages.
8 basic troubleshooting methods to try
1. google not working?
google servers can stop working for maintenance or unexpected problems, although it is rare. check the google workspace status to see if gmail has recently been down or is currently down.
Your email client may not have been handled correctly if google’s servers are temporarily unavailable. we recommend asking the sender to resend it to you in such cases.
2. send yourself a test email
Sending an email is a great way to troubleshoot any issues you may have. send one email from your gmail account and one from a different email service like yahoo or outlook. if you can receive emails from your computer, the problem is probably with the other party.
3. check your spam folder
If you’re expecting an email from Google, be sure to check your spam folder. Google’s automatic spam filter may have detected the email and moved it to this location. You can usually find the spam folder in the left corner of your screen when you open gmail.
If your antivirus software has an email filtering feature, the expected email may also be in the junk folder.
4. check your recycle bin
If you’re expecting an email but can’t find it, check your junk folder. you may have accidentally deleted it or clicked the wrong button. this is a common problem with antivirus software that removes emails it considers to be viruses.
5. search all mail
the all mail option is on the left side of the screen. shows all your email related to your account.
If you can’t find the email you want in your trash or spam folder, the All Mail tab may have it. this is where you can also store your archived emails. you can archive an email just by swiping left or right.
6. check for recent google app updates
It is important to keep your gmail app up to date to avoid potential sync issues or other issues that could lead to email data loss. you can update the app via app store or google play store.
7. try another browser
If you still can’t find your email, try a different web browser. gmail only supports four browsers. however, any of them should work.
You can access your gmail account in the following browsers:
- google chrome
- mozilla firefox
- safari
- microsoft edge
javascript and cookies must be enabled for these browsers to work properly.
8. log out of your account
If you’re having trouble seeing all your gmail messages on your device, try signing out and back in or force syncing with google’s servers.
check your email account storage
your gmail account has a storage limit and you will stop receiving messages once you reach this limit. To check your available storage space, open Google Drive. your gmail storage space will be displayed on the right side of your screen (15gb by default for all users).
To free up storage space and still receive messages, delete files from Google Drive or emails from Trash.
gmail does not automatically delete emails that are placed in the trash. Google will retain these emails for 30 calendar days before deleting them. this can take up space and leave the email in the trash forever.
check your email filter settings
Filtering your email is a must, especially if spam emails from bots or advertisers start coming in. the email you expect to receive may have been filtered.
Gmail configuration is very limited. it is better to use your computer instead. You can also open gmail from your phone’s browser app if you don’t have a computer.
make sure to check the “show desktop edition” option in your browser application.
You can access this information from your computer:
- open your gmail account.
- click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
- click the “see all” button settings”.
- go to “filters & blocked addresses”
- unblock or remove filters from the email address you do not want to receive emails.
prompts senders to resend their email if they have unblocked or filtered it. the email should be sent to your gmail account without any problem.
turn off email forwarding
For users who have recently switched to another email client, email forwarding can be a useful option. this allows you to have emails sent to your old email address forwarded to your new one. this will remove any errors and your email will not receive anything new.
skip to step 3 if you are still using the gmail settings from the previous method.
- To access your settings, open gmail and click the gear icon.
- Click the “see all settings” button.
- go to the forward/imap popup”.
- before updating your gmail, please disable the forwarding option and save all changes.
If your forwarding option was disabled by mistake, you will need to ask the sender to resend it. that should solve your problem.
have an admin check the google console
This step is most applicable to users who have an email account with a business subscription or a google workspace. this is an option for users whose email does not end in “@gmail.com”.
Your admins can go to admin.google.com to find your email address. they can keep track of all the emails that google sends you, even if they don’t reach your account.
if the email cannot be found on google’s servers, then the problem is with your sender.