Gmail is one of the biggest services out there, but you might only realize that when it's no longer available. What do you do when Gmail stops working? When an error appears, you need to fix it, but how? Luckily, we're here to help, in this article you'll learn about the five most common Gmail problems and solutions to fix them..
Bug with Gmail? Check the Google Status Dashboard
First of all, click on this link , then save it in your bookmarks, even mark it on your forehead if necessary. This is the link to the Google Status Dashboard. If there is a problem, unavailability, or a report of a Google service outage, this site will notify you that Gmail is currently not working. On the page, you'll see a list of all Google Suite apps, along with a list of dates before the current date. Orange dots indicate that there are problems now or that there have been recent ones. You can go back to about two months if needed earlier. And, if you're having trouble with a certain Google app, this should be the first place you need to stop - well, after this article of course.
Ultra-fast solution for problems with Gmail
It might sound a bit ironic, but often times when you're having trouble with your Google Account, deleting their account on their mobile device and reconfiguring it again can in itself solve a lot of problems..
The beauty of a Google Account is that everything is stored in its servers: your email, your documents, your movies and videos, etc. You will find all of this once you reset your account. It's kind of a quick fix, but it's also the easiest way to do a full delete and get everything back on your device. It's super fast, but really easy.
To do this, go to “Settings” → “Accounts” → “Google” (Tap the account you want to delete) → Tap the ellipse in the upper right corner → “Delete account”..
Forgot Gmail Password
One of the most common reasons a user might lose access to their Gmail account is that they forgot their password. We understand that not everyone would use a password like “MargaretThatcheris100% sexy”. Fortunately, Google has a number of tools you can use to recover your forgotten password. Just a warning - it's not a lot of fun. Have you ever noticed that whenever you forget your password on some other service, like Netflix, the password recovery feature is almost always based on sending an email? Well, that won't work if you are just trying to log into an email account.
First of all, it is essential that you set up alternative contacts that you could use with your Google account. Log into your Gmail account, click on your profile picture in the upper right corner → click on “Google Account”. Under the “Security” tab, go to “Methods for allowing us to verify your identity”. From there, make sure the “Recovery Phone Number” and “Recovery Email Address” options have been completed. These are the recovery methods that you can use to access your account.
If you have not filled in this information and have already lost access to your account, click as many times as necessary on the option "Try another method" until you see a method that works for you. , including questions about your account. Answer these questions as best you can and you will finally have access to your account again.
Problems with two-step verification
Two-step verification is one of the best methods you can use to secure your Gmail account. This is because two-step verification adds a second layer of security to your account by requiring a second element for the login attempt. For example, if you log into your Gmail account, you will receive an SMS with a code that you will have to type in the corresponding section to move forward in the login process. But things may not always go as smoothly as they should. Sometimes the code just doesn't work. What to do then?
First of all, you need to make sure that you are in an area where the signal is good. Google will text you an authentication code for two-step verification, so if you are currently in a location with a strong Wi-Fi connection but poor cell signal then it is normal for you to have problems.
If so, you can use the Google Authenticator app. Download the app on your phone. Once installed, you will be asked to verify your account. A very easy method here is to proceed with a QR code. On your computer, go to the two-step verification authentication page and scroll down to access the Authenticator app. Click on it and follow the steps to scan the QR code. Once scanned, you will get a code in the app. Enter this code in the "Verify" box on your computer, and it will link the phone to your account. From then on, instead of SMS codes, you will just have to use the Authenticator app to log in.
If that doesn't work, you can also choose to receive a call on your backup phone. Of course, this still won't work if you're in an area with a bad signal. Of course, you can also choose to receive the call on a landline. The downside to this choice is that you have to be where the local line is, but it's just an optional option.
Finally, if all else fails, you can always try using fallback codes. Backup codes are typically used when you lose your phone or when you cannot receive passcodes by other means.
These must be generated in advance. Backup codes are a set of codes that you can use to log into your account through two-step verification. Backup codes are provided in sets of 10. These codes are also one-time codes - they become inactive after you use them. If you generate a new set of codes, all unused codes in the last group will be deactivated.
To generate a set of codes, go to the two-step verification option page and scroll down to “Backup Codes”, then click “GET NEW CODES”. A text file under the name of "Backup-code- (your Gmail account) .txt" and which is downloadable will be generated.
If you want to use a fallback code to log in, go to the Gmail login page and type in your username and password there. When prompted to complete the two-step verification, click on "Try another method", then select the option "Enter one of your eight-digit backup codes". Enter one of your valid codes, and it's good!
Synchronization issues with Gmail
Gmail sync can fail for many reasons, and a sync failure can manifest itself in a number of ways. You may not have all of your messages, not be able to send emails, receive an "Account not synced" error message, or the app itself may be slower than usual. If you are exactly in one of these situations, there are several steps you can try to get things back together.
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Update the Gmail app. Sometimes an older, outdated version of the app may have trouble receiving an email from Google. By making sure you have the latest version of the Gmail app, you will be able to solve many sync issues.
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Restart your device. Have you tried turning it off and back on? Yes, it's a cliché, but it works a surprising number of times.
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Check your connectivity. Yes, that's a stupid question, but we all have to ask ourselves it. You can avoid a lot of unnecessary troubleshooting if you make sure you have a good signal, your device is not in airplane mode, etc.
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Check your Gmail settings. Should you absolutely ensure that synchronization is activated? No, it is not necessary, but you should still do it. Accidental keystrokes happen, and if Gmail's sync is turned off, it can't turn on by itself. Open the Gmail app and tap the menu button in the upper left corner to open “Settings”. Tap on your account and make sure you've checked "Synchronize Gmail".
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Clear your data from the Gmail app. Go to your device's “Settings” → “Apps & Notifications” → “App Info” → “Gmail” → “Storage” → “Clear Data” → “OK”. Once you're done with that, restart your device and see if that did the trick. In most cases it works.
Missing messages on Gmail
If you notice that there are missing emails in your Gmail account, you may have accidentally deleted or archived them. You can check this quite easily by clicking on the "Trash" folder in Gmail. If you can't find it in the options, click "More" to view it. If your missing emails aren't there, then they've probably been archived. Still in the same list of options where you found the recycle bin, click on "All messages". You will find all your mail there, archived or not.
You can also find your emails by typing keywords in the search box. Look for the archived e-mail in the "All messages" folder, however, remember that this cannot be done in the "Trash". Usually, your messages end up in the trash or archived. If you find your emails in one of these two places, click on them to open them, then select the "Move to" icon, then choose "Inbox". This action will allow you to restore your emails to the inbox.
If you log into Gmail through an internet browser and the web page cannot load, then you should try to restart operations. First of all, you need to make sure that you are using a supported internet browser. You can find a list of supported browsers on the Google Help site. In general terms, the majority of modern internet browsers will work, but Opera users might not be so lucky here.
Internet browser extensions or applications that you use can also interfere with Gmail. A quick way to verify this is to try Gmail through an incognito page. If Gmail is working, then try disabling browser extensions one by one, do so until you find the culprit.
Cookies or temporary files can also sometimes confuse Gmail. Take the same test - using private browsing mode - to find out the origin of its behavior. If Gmail is running in incognito mode, but disabling extensions didn't help, then clearing your cache and cookies should do the trick.
Finally, you can try disabling running Google labs. The easiest way to do this is to visit this website. This will automatically turn off any labs you have running so you can test the Gmail client without them. If that works, try disabling all labs and re-enabling them one at a time. If Gmail fails again, you will finally know your culprit.
Something else ?
Gmail is one of the best services out there, and it really is awesome. So one can imagine how terrible it can be when it breaks down. Hope these solutions have been able to help you solve your problems with Gmail. If there are any points that are still unclear for you, let us know. And of course, if there are things we haven't mentioned that you would like to know, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you have any other tips, please leave a comment and we'll make sure to update this article.
