How To Fix Gmail Not Sending Emails

Although Gmail is one of the most reliable email platforms, a common problem you might experience is your emails not being sent. However, this is a temporary and fixable problem with multiple causes. This article will explain more about this glitch and how you can fix it.

8 Fixes for Gmail Not Sending Emails

Most of the time, when Gmail fails to send emails, the root of the problem could be within your device or the app. Below are eight possible methods you can try to get normal service resumed:

1. Remove Your Browser Cache Files

Every time you visit a new site, your browser keeps data related to it to reduce the load time the next time you revisit. Be that as it may, cached data can get corrupted over time if you fail to clear it regularly. If your Gmail fails to send emails, you can try to remove your cached data to see if this will fix the issue:

Clearing Browser Cache on Google Chrome

1. Navigate to the top right corner and tap the “Three vertical dots” menu.
   
2. Scroll and hit the “Settings” option at the bottom.
   
3. When the setting page loads, move to the left side pane and select the “Privacy and security” option.
   
4. Once open, tap “Third-party cookies.”
   
5. On the third-party cookies page, you want to clear the cache relating to the Gmail app. Scroll and
   tap the “See all site data and permission” option. This will display all sites with cached data.
   
6. Locate google.com from the options or use the search bar in the top right corner to locate it faster. When you find it, tap it to display all cached data relating to Google apps.
   
7. Look for Gmail and tap the “Delete” icon toward the right of the row. Hit the “Clear” button on the dialogue box to confirm.
   
   

Clearing Browser Cache on Firefox

1. Tap the “More options” menu in the top right corner and select the “Settings” option.
   
2. Select “Privacy and settings” and navigate to the “Cookies site data” section and tap it.
   
3. Go to the bottom of the page and hit “Delete browsing history.”
   
4. Tap “delete” on the dialogue box to confirm. This clears all your browsing cached data.
   

2.  Check if Your Browser Is the Problem

Apart from accumulating cached data, your browser could host other glitches that can prevent your emails from being sent. For instance, if you’re using an outdated browser, incompatibility with the updated operating system could cause the browser to malfunction.

Try using another browser to rule this out as the cause of your Gmail failing to send emails. If you use Chrome, try Firefox or Microsoft Edge. If the email goes through, the problem lies with your browser. In this case, uninstall and then reinstall it.

3.  Confirm if Gmail Servers Are Working

Like other Google services, it’s common for Gmail servers to go down occasionally because of technical glitches. When this happens, the email system can’t access Domain Name System (DNS) records containing the recipients’ email addresses. As a result, the outgoing emails will bounce back.

Also, when the servers are down, it’ll be impossible to authenticate your outgoing emails to ensure you’re authorized to use Gmail. When this happens, Gmail will queue your sent emails waiting for verification. If the servers remain down for an extended period, the emails won’t be sent.

To verify whether Gmail servers are down, load Google Workspace’s status page on your browser. Look for Gmail from the list of all Google services and check to the right of the row if it’s marked green. If it’s marked red instead, the servers are down and you’ll have to wait until Google attends to the issue.

4.  Log Out and Log In to Fix Bug Issues

Sometimes, Gmail might develop bugs related to your current login session, such as a token session issue, which might cause some features to malfunction. Logging out and logging in again can help resolve the issue. Follow these steps if you’re using a PC:

1. In the top right corner, tap your “Profile” picture.
   
2. Hit the “Sign out” button. If you have several Gmail accounts, tap “Sign out of all accounts.”
   
3. Load the Gmail sign-in page and enter your email and password. Check whether your outgoing emails are now going through.
   

5.  Ensure Your Internet Connection Is Strong and Stable

When you have a weak or no internet connection, your device won’t be able to communicate with Gmail servers. As a result, there will be data transmission disruption or loss of data packets, leading to delivery or timeout errors.

To confirm if your internet is the problem, run a speed test on a free website such as TestMy.net or fast.com. If it’s slow, try restarting your Wi-Fi connection by unplugging it from the power source. Reconnect after one minute and rerun the speed test. If the speed improves, try resending your email. If it fails to work, contact your service provider.

6. Check the Size of Your Email

Although Gmail allows you to attach more than one file, the overall size of the email shouldn’t exceed 25 MB. Also, it doesn’t compress your file. This is good because it maintains the files’ quality, especially if they’re videos or photos. If your file exceeds the specified size, you get a send error. However, you can get over this by compressing your file before uploading it to your email.

1. If you’re using Windows, go to your file explorer and “Right-click” on the file you want to send. On a Mac, “Double-tap” the file.
   
2. Select the “Send to” tab from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Choose “Compressed (zipped) folder” from the options displayed. This will automatically create a compressed file below the original one.
   
4. Go back to your email and try sending the zipped file.
   

7.  Check whether the Recipient’s Email Is Valid

As long as you enter the receiver’s email in the format specified by Gmail, it’ll accept it. However, this doesn’t mean that the email address is valid. If the email address is invalid, you’ll immediately get a notification error that the email couldn’t be delivered. In this case, you need to contact the recipient and request them to confirm the email.

Other times, you might enter a valid email but to the wrong recipient. The email will go through, but the recipient might complain they didn’t receive your email. When this happens, confirm you used the correct email address.

8.  Gmail Has Blocked Your Account

Google invests heavily in ensuring the safety of users across all its platforms, and Gmail is no exception. As such, Gmail might block you from using the platform for the following reasons:

• Sending more than the daily required emails: Gmail limits the number of emails you can send to prevent spamming. If you hit the daily limits, the excess of your emails will need to wait for the next day.
• Sending suspicious emails: If your emails resemble spam or Google notices you’re sending too many emails within a short period, this might trigger your account activities to be blocked. For that reason, ensure you adhere to Gmail’s security measures.

Maintain Efficient Communication

Every email service has occasional technical glitches that can impact your efficiency and productivity. Fortunately, if Gmail fails to deliver your messages, there are some workarounds that can prove invaluable. This way, you’ll get back to sending emails in no time.

Has Gmail ever failed to send your emails? What was the problem, and how did you resolve it? Let us know in the comments section below.