You’re sending emails from Gmail without any issues, but nothing’s coming in. Your inbox sits empty while you know people are trying to reach you. This problem is more common than you think, and the good news is that most fixes take just a few minutes.
Problem Summary
When Gmail stops receiving emails but continues sending them perfectly, it usually points to a settings issue rather than a complete account failure. This situation matters because you’re missing important messages right now – work emails, personal notes, maybe even time-sensitive information that people assume you’ve already seen.
Step-by-Step Fixes
Step 1: Check Your Storage Space
Open Gmail on your computer and look at the bottom left corner of your screen. You’ll see how much storage you’re using out of your 15 GB free limit. If you’re close to full or over the limit, Gmail automatically stops accepting new messages.
To free up space quickly:
- Click the gear icon and select “See all settings”
- Go to the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab
- Look for large attachments by searching “has:attachment larger:10M”
- Delete old emails with big files, then empty your trash
Step 2: Review Your Spam and Filters
Sometimes Gmail gets overzealous with filtering. Check these locations where your emails might be hiding:
Navigate to your Spam folder first. Look for legitimate emails marked as spam. If you find any, click “Not spam” to move them to your inbox. Next, click the gear icon, select “See all settings,” then click “Filters and Blocked Addresses.” Delete any filters you don’t recognize or that might be catching all incoming mail.
Step 3: Disable Vacation Responder
Your vacation responder might be blocking incoming emails if misconfigured. Here’s how to check:
- Click the gear icon in Gmail
- Select “See all settings”
- Scroll down to “Vacation responder”
- Make sure it’s turned OFF
- If it was on, turn it off and click “Save Changes”
Step 4: Check Email Forwarding Settings
Accidental forwarding can make emails disappear from your inbox. To verify:
- Go to Settings (gear icon)
- Click “See all settings”
- Select “Forwarding and POP/IMAP”
- Look at the forwarding section
- If forwarding is enabled to an address you don’t recognize, disable it immediately
Step 5: Test with a Different Browser or Device
Browser extensions or corrupted cache files sometimes interfere with Gmail. Try these steps:
- Open Gmail in an incognito/private window
- If emails appear there, clear your browser cache and cookies
- Try accessing Gmail from your phone’s app or a different computer
- If emails show up elsewhere, the issue is with your primary browser
Step 6: Verify Account Security
Someone might have changed your settings without your knowledge. Check for suspicious activity:
- Visit myaccount.google.com
- Click “Security” in the left menu
- Review “Recent security activity”
- Check for logins from unfamiliar locations
- Change your password if you see anything suspicious
Likely Causes
Cause #1: Storage Limit Reached
Google gives you 15 GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. When this fills up, Gmail stops accepting new messages but still lets you send emails. This is ideal for preventing data loss but not recommended when you need to receive urgent communications.
To check your storage: Look at the bottom of your Gmail page on desktop, or visit one.google.com/storage. You’ll see a breakdown of what’s using space.
Quick fix: Delete large emails and empty your trash. For long-term solutions, consider upgrading to Google One for more storage (plans start at $1.99/month for 100 GB in 2025).
Cause #2: Aggressive Filter Rules
Gmail’s filtering system is powerful but can backfire. Maybe you created a filter months ago that’s now catching everything, or someone with access to your account set up malicious filters. This situation is best used in scenarios where you want to organize emails, but becomes problematic when filters are too broad.
To investigate: Go to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses. Look for filters with criteria like “from: *” or filters that skip the inbox entirely. Delete suspicious ones immediately.
Cause #3: Account Compromise
If someone gains access to your Gmail, they often set up forwarding rules to steal your emails while making it look like nothing’s wrong. This is particularly concerning because you can still send emails normally, masking the security breach.
Check for compromise: Review your forwarding settings, recent account activity, and connected apps. Visit myaccount.google.com/permissions to see what apps have access to your Gmail. Remove anything you don’t recognize.
When to Call Expert Help
Contact Google Support directly when you’ve tried all these steps and emails still aren’t arriving. You should also seek immediate help if:
- You see security warnings about your account
- Multiple people confirm they’ve sent you emails that never arrived
- Your account shows signs of compromise (unknown logins, changed settings)
- You’re losing business or missing critical communications
For Google Workspace (business Gmail) users, contact your IT administrator first. They have additional tools to diagnose delivery issues. Free Gmail users can visit support.google.com/mail and use the contact options there.
Don’t wait if this is affecting your work or important personal matters. Sometimes server-side issues require Google’s intervention, and only their support team can fix those problems.
Copy-Paste Prompt for AI Help
If you need additional troubleshooting assistance, copy this prompt:
“I’m using Gmail and can send emails successfully, but I’m not receiving any incoming messages. I’ve already checked my storage (currently at [X]GB used), looked in spam folder, verified no filters are blocking emails, and confirmed forwarding is disabled. My account shows no suspicious login activity. The issue started [timeframe]. I’m using [device/browser]. What other specific settings should I check or steps should I take to restore incoming email delivery?”
Remember, most Gmail receiving issues resolve quickly once you identify the cause. Start with the simple fixes like checking storage and spam folders before moving to more complex solutions. Your emails aren’t lost – they’re just not reaching you yet, and with these steps, you’ll likely have them flowing again within minutes.