How to Fix Cannot Send Emails on Gmail

Wondering why you can’t send emails on Gmail?

Finding a pile of important emails for your clients, bosses, or professors not being sent is not a pleasant sight to witness. This is a problem experienced by many Gmail users. 

Every time they try to send a mail on the platform, it gets queued up in their outbox and will stay there until you see an incomplete mark on your grade or when your boss calls you about a report that he’s been asking for weeks. 

This can be a very huge problem for Gmail and its users since the platform is mainly used for business purposes and school work. 

Fortunately, this is not a permanent issue, and there are known workarounds to resolve this problem on Gmail. 

In this guide, we’ll show you what to do if you cannot send emails on Gmail. 

Let’s dive right in!

1. Check Gmail Servers. 

When you encounter issues on Gmail, the first thing you should check is the platform’s servers. Being an online service, Gmail relies on Google’s servers to deliver features and content to the users. 

To check if there’s a problem on Gmail’s side, visit Google Workspace’s status page, where they show the status of Google’s services. 

Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do when Gmail’s servers are down since server-related issues can’t be addressed on your end. On the other hand, you can proceed to the next solution below if Gmail’s servers are up and running. 

2. Restart Your Device. 

One of the first steps you could take when you are experiencing problems using Gmail is to restart your device. This should allow your system to reload its resources and eliminate temporary bugs or glitches that may have occurred during run time. 

If you’re using an Android device, see the steps below to restart it: 

1. First, locate the Power button on your Android device. 
2. Now, hold it down until the options menu shows up and select the Restart option.
3. Lastly, wait for your system to restart. 

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On iOS devices, follow the guide below to restart them: 

1. Access the Assistive Touch on your display. 
2. Next, go to the Device tab and tap on More. 
3. Finally, choose Restart to reboot your device. 

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For Windows users, here’s how you can restart your PC: 

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key to open the Start Menu. 
2. After that, go to the Power Options tab. 
3. Finally, click the Restart button. 

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If you’re on a macOS device, you can restart it by doing the following:

1. Open the Apple Menu at the top-left corner of your display. 
2. Next, choose the Restart option. 
3. Finally, click the Restart button on the dialog box to confirm your action. 

After restarting your device, go back to your account and see if you can now send emails on Gmail. 

3. Re-Login to Your Account. 

Temporary bugs and glitches occur on Gmail, which could cause your account data to corrupt. If some Gmail features are not working on your account, try resetting your data to clear corrupted and broken files. 

You can do this by simply closing your current session and waiting for a few minutes before logging back in. 

For Android users, here’s how you can sign out of your Gmail account: 

1. First, open the Settings on your device. 
2. Next, go to the Accounts tab and choose the Gmail account you want to remove. 
3. Lastly, tap the Remove Account button. 

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If you’re using an iOS device, see the steps below to sign out your account: 

1. On your device, go to the home screen and launch Gmail. 
2. After that, tap on your Profile and access the Manage Accounts on This Device tab. 
3. Finally, choose the Remove from this Device option. 

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On browsers, you can sign out of Gmail by doing the following: 

1. Launch your preferred browser and access your Gmail account. 
2. Now, click on your Profile on the top right corner of the window. 
3. Finally, choose the Sign Out of All Accounts option. 

Once done, wait for 2 to 3 minutes before logging back into your Gmail account. Try sending a few emails afterward to check if the problem is solved. 

4. Check Your Network Connection. 

A slow or unstable network connection could also be why you cannot send emails on Gmail. To confirm this, run a test on your network using Fast.com to measure its current upload and download bandwidth. 

If the test indicates that your connection is the culprit, unplug your router or modem from the power source and wait for 5 to 10 seconds before plugging it back in. This should refresh the link between your ISP and your modem. 

Once done, re-run the test on your network to check if the problem is solved. If your connection continues to run slow, contact your ISP and ask them to fix the issue. 

5. Update the Gmail App. 

Google releases timely updates on its applications to ensure that they work flawlessly on any platform. If you haven’t updated the Gmail app on your app, try to patch bugs and other glitches. 

For Android users, you can update Gmail by doing the following: 

1. On your app drawer, tap on Google Play Store to launch it. 
2. Next, go to your Profile and tap on Manage Apps & Device. 
3. Access the Updates Available tab afterward and look for Gmail on the list. 
4. Finally, hit the Update button if there’s an available update for the app.

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If you’re on an iOS device, see the steps below to update Gmail: 

1. First, open the App Store on your device and access your Profile. 
2. Now, locate Gmail from the list of applications with available updates. 
3. Lastly, tap the Update button next to Gmail to install the update. 

After the update, go back to your account and send an email to check if the problem is solved. 

6. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies. 

If you can’t send an email using your web browser, it may indicate that your browser cache and cookies are corrupted. Caches and cookies are temporary data browsers use to improve site performance and speed up loading times. 

Follow the guide below to clear your browser cache and cookies:

1. On your browser, press the CTRL + H keys to access the History tab. 
2. Now, click on the Clear Browsing Data button on the side drawer. 
3. After that, change the Time Range to All Time and include caches and cookies in the process. 
4. Finally, click the Clear Data button to proceed. 

Once done, re-login to your Gmail account and check if you can now send emails. 

7. Reinstall Gmail. 

The installation package of Gmail on your device may have gotten corrupted and is no longer fixable. If this is the case, the best thing to do is reinstall the app on your device.

Here’s how you can remove Gmail on mobile devices: 

1. First, access your home screen and locate Gmail. 
2. Next, press and hold its app icon to access the selection menu. 
3. Lastly, tap on Remove App (iOS) or Uninstall (Android) to delete the app. 

Go to the App Store or Play Store afterward and reinstall Gmail from there. 

8. Report the Problem to Google. 

If you still cannot send emails on Gmail, we suggest letting the professionals handle the situation. 

Visit Google’s Support page and contact their team to report the issue you’ve been experiencing on your account. Provide all the necessary details on your report to help their team understand the situation faster. 

You can also check the guides on their page and see if you can find alternative solutions. 

That ends our guide on what to do if you cannot send emails on Gmail. If you have questions or any other concerns, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them as soon as possible. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂