Gmail Messages Are Missing
Gmail Messages Are Missing
If you couldn't find your email after following the steps above, the email might have been
deleted or sent to spam.
Emails might skip your inbox if they were accidentally archived, deleted, or marked as spam.
Follow these steps to search all your emails, including those that aren't in your inbox:
Tip: To filter your search results even more, you can also use search operators.
You may have created a filter that automatically archives or deletes certain emails.
When you set up forwarding in Gmail, you can choose whether the original emails are archived
or deleted.
Important: If your emails are being forwarded to an unfamiliar address, select Disable
forwarding then check out the Gmail security tips. If you see a forwarding address you don’t
know, someone might have unauthorized access to your account.
If you forward mail from another account into Gmail, emails are sometimes sent to Spam if they
aren't authenticated. Learn the best practices for forwarding emails to Gmail.
Check your settings if you read your Gmail emails with another email client
If you read your Gmail emails on another email client, like Apple Mail or Microsoft Outlook,
follow the steps below for the type of forwarding you’ve set up.
I use IMAP to read emails on email clients like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail
When you set up IMAP, you can choose whether the actions you take in your other mail client
affect your emails in Gmail. For example, you can choose if deleting an email in Apple Mail also
deletes it from Gmail.
Make sure you're using the recommended IMAP settings. Look for any settings that explain
when emails are deleted.
Check your settings to make sure emails aren't getting deleted or archived.
When you set up POP, you can choose whether the actions you take in your other mail client
affect your emails in Gmail. For example, you can choose if deleting an email in Microsoft
Outlook also deletes it from Gmail.
Note: If you're using recent mode with POP, change your email client's POP settings to leave
emails on the server.
If you couldn't find your email after following the steps above, the email might have been
deleted or sent to spam.
If you delete an email, it stays in your Trash for 30 days. After 30 days, emails are
permanently deleted from the trash.
There's only one copy of every Gmail email. If you deleted an email from one place, like
a label or a device, it is deleted from Gmail entirely.
Gmail groups all replies to an original email together in a single conversation. When you
click or tap delete, the entire conversation is deleted, including the original email and any
replies.
If you mark an email as spam, it stays in Spam for 30 days. After 30 days, emails are
permanently deleted from Spam.
If you think emails are being sent to Spam by mistake, learn how to remove emails from
Spam.
Most of my emails are missing
If emails are missing from your account, someone may have access without your permission. We
can help find your missing emails and secure your account.
Important:
If you use Gmail for work, school, or an organization, contact your administrator.
If you run out of storage in Gmail, you won't be able to send or receive messages.
Messages sent to you will be returned to the sender.
Starting June 1, 2021, if you remain inactive or go over your storage quota for 24
months or longer, all of your emails may be deleted. Learn more about how Google
storage works.