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Emails not arriving in Gmail - quick checks

Updated For Google Workspace

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If an email never reaches your Gmail inbox, check Spam, All Mail, your filters and forwarding, your storage, and whether the sender got a bounce.

  1. Search everywhere. In the Gmail search bar, click Show search options, set the dropdown next to Search to Mail & Spam & Trash, and search for the sender. Also open All Mail. If it is in Spam, see Emails going to spam.
  2. Check filters. Click Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses. Edit or delete any filter that archives or deletes the sender’s mail. Deleted by mistake? See recover deleted emails.
  3. Check forwarding. On the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, make sure forwarding is set to Keep Gmail’s copy in the Inbox.
  4. Check storage. When storage is full, messages sent to you go back to the sender. See Google Workspace storage full.
  5. Check the address. Ask the sender to confirm the exact address they used. One wrong letter sends it elsewhere.
  6. Ask about a bounce. If the sender got a “Delivery Status Notification (Failure)” email, ask them to forward it to you.
  1. Sign in to https://admin.google.com and go to Menu > Reporting > Email Log Search. You need super admin or the Gmail Settings admin privilege to see this menu.
  2. Search by date, sender or recipient. The results show whether the message was delivered, marked as spam or deleted. It covers roughly the past 30 days.
  3. If the email went to a group address, open the group in Google Groups and check Pending under Conversations. Moderation settings can hold messages there. See Group email addresses.

WhatsApp our support team at +60 16-916 3324 with the sender, recipient, time sent and any bounce message.

Common issues

Someone says they sent me an email but I cannot find it. Where do I look?

Search Gmail with Mail & Spam & Trash selected, then check All Mail. A filter may have archived or deleted it.

Why is nobody's email reaching me since yesterday?

Your storage may be full. When it is, messages sent to you go back to the sender. See Google Workspace storage full.

Can my admin see if an email reached our company?

Yes. An admin can use Reporting > Email Log Search in the Admin console to trace messages from the past 30 days.

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