# Why is my Gmail not syncing automatically? — Adinand Email Cleaner

Last reviewed: September 23, 2026. HTML version: https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-not-syncing

**Check storage first.** It is the cause people suspect last, and Google's own sync troubleshooter lists it: when your Google Account reaches its storage limit, "You can't send or receive messages" and "Messages sent to you return to the sender" (*Fix sync errors with the Gmail app*, read 23 September 2026 — https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6383854?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid). An app that cannot fetch new mail looks exactly like an app that is not syncing. [How to tell, and what to clear.](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-storage-full)

## The rest, in the order worth checking

Everything in this list comes from that same Google page, which is written for the Gmail app on Android; the order is ours.

1. **Give it a moment, then sync by hand.** Google notes it "can take up to 15 minutes for Gmail to sync your messages", longer if the device has been idle. In your inbox, swipe down from the top to refresh.
2. **Sync is switched off.** In the Gmail app, Menu → Settings → your account, and under "Data usage" make sure "Sync Gmail" is checked. On the phone itself, Google's path is Settings → About phone → Google Account → Account sync, then More → Sync now — and it warns the steps differ between Android devices.
3. **The phone is short of space.** Not your Google storage — the device's. Google is blunt about it: "If your device is low on storage space, the Gmail app doesn't sync."
4. **The connection only looks fine.** Google's test is to open a website in a browser; if it doesn't load, the problem is the network, not Gmail.
5. **The app is out of date, or the phone needs a restart.** Unglamorous, and both are on Google's list.

One more check that is not about sync at all: a filter can move a message before you see it. Search `in:anywhere from:sender` — Google describes `in:anywhere` as finding emails "across Gmail", including Spam and Trash (*Refine searches in Gmail*, read 23 September 2026 — https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7190). If the mail is there, a rule is your answer. [How filters work.](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-filters)

## Not syncing, or not receiving?

They present identically and have different causes. Google's troubleshooter suggests checking for the new mail on a computer, because that "helps confirm if the issue is specific to the app". If mail is missing on one device but present on another, it is a sync problem on that device. If it is missing everywhere — or senders are getting bounces — it is a delivery problem, and [that has its own page](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-not-receiving-emails).

Related: [Gmail not receiving emails](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-not-receiving-emails) · [Why is my Gmail storage full?](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-storage-full) · [Why is the Gmail app slow?](https://adinandemail.com/answers/why-is-my-gmail-app-slow) · [Finding large emails](https://adinandemail.com/answers/find-large-emails-in-gmail)