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Quick Answer

Scroll to the very bottom of your Gmail inbox to check your storage quota. If it says 100% full, you cannot send or receive emails until you delete large files from Google Drive or Gmail.

How to Troubleshoot Gmail Not Receiving or Sending Emails ​

Applies to: Google Workspace, Gmail
Article Type: Troubleshooting
Last Updated: 2026-07-10

Summary ​

If your coworkers are talking about an email you never got, or your messages are bouncing back with confusing error codes, your work Gmail might be hitting storage limits, filter issues, or server blocks. This guide helps you identify the roadblock and get your email flowing again.

Symptoms ​

  • You haven't received any new emails in hours (and you normally receive dozens)
  • Coworkers say they sent you an email, but it isn't in your Inbox
  • Emails you try to send bounce back immediately with a "Delivery Status Notification (Failure)"
  • Emails sit in your "Outbox" or "Drafts" instead of sending

Prerequisites ​

  • You must be signed in to your work Google account at mail.google.com

Instructions ​

1. Check Your Google Workspace Storage ​

If your Google Drive / Gmail storage is completely full, Google will stop accepting new emails. Senders will get a bounce-back saying your inbox is full.

  1. Scroll to the very bottom of your Gmail inbox (on a computer).
  2. Look at the bottom left corner for your storage usage (e.g., 14.9 GB of 15 GB used).
  3. If it is at 100%, you must delete large files to receive mail.
  4. How to fix it: Go to Google Drive and delete large video files, or search Gmail for has:attachment larger:10M to find and delete massive emails. Empty the Trash to free up space immediately.

2. Search "All Mail", "Spam", and "Trash" ​

Sometimes you actually are receiving the email, but a filter or an accidental click hid it from your main Inbox.

  1. In the search bar at the top of Gmail, type: in:anywhere [sender's name or email].
    • (Typing in:anywhere forces Gmail to search Spam and Trash, which normal searches ignore).
  2. Press Enter.
  3. Look at the labels attached to the email if you find it.
    • If it says Trash, you accidentally deleted it.
    • If it says Spam, select the email and click Not Spam at the top.
    • If it has no label and isn't in the Inbox, you likely archived it by accident.

3. Check for Misconfigured Filters ​

If emails from your boss constantly skip your inbox and disappear, you might have set up a rogue filter.

  1. Click the Gear icon (Settings) in the top right, then See all settings.
  2. Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
  3. Scroll through the list and look for any filter that says Skip Inbox or Delete it.
  4. If a filter is catching mail it shouldn't, click edit or delete on the right side of that filter.

4. Troubleshoot Bounce-Back Messages (Sending Failures) ​

If you try to send an email and it bounces back immediately, read the failure message. It usually tells you exactly what went wrong.

  • "Address not found" or "550 No Such User": You spelled the email address wrong, or the person no longer works there. Check for typos.
  • "Message rejected" or "552 Message size exceeds fixed maximum": Your attachment is too big. Gmail limits attachments to 25MB. Upload the file to Google Drive and send a link instead.
  • "Blocked" or "550 5.7.1": The recipient's IT department has blocked your company's emails (or flagged you as spam). You will need to contact your own IT team to investigate the blocklist.

5. Check if Gmail is Actually Down ​

It's rare, but Google's servers do go down occasionally.

  1. Go to the Google Workspace Status Dashboard.
  2. Look at the row for Gmail.
  3. If there is an orange or red dot, there is a global outage. You have to wait for Google to fix it.

Troubleshooting ​

WARNING

If you are expecting an email with a password reset link, a 2FA code, or an external file, and it never arrives (even in Spam), your company's firewall likely blocked it before it even reached your Gmail account. Contact IT and ask them to check the email quarantine.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Storage is 100% fullLarge files in Drive or PhotosDelete large files in Google Drive and empty the trash; email flow will resume shortly after
Email is sitting in the "Outbox"Lost internet connectionCheck your Wi-Fi; Gmail will automatically send it once the connection is restored
All emails from a specific vendor are missingCorporate spam filter blockThe vendor may be on an IT blocklist; submit a ticket to have them whitelisted
"Message rejected" when sending to a groupToo many recipientsGmail limits you to 500 recipients per email; use a marketing tool (like Mailchimp) for mass emails