Gmail is possibly the most popular web-based mail client in the world. Don’t like what? Plenty of storage, smart mailboxes, and great integration with the rest of Google’s toolkit.
It’s a great service, until you stop getting notifications! If you’re not getting Gmail notifications like you used to, one of the tips below will most likely get you back in the loop quickly.
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Update your desktop browser
Since Gmail notifications on the desktop system are handled by your browser, it could be the culprit that keeps you from receiving Gmail notifications. So the first thing you might want to try is to check for updates or hotfixes.
Browser (or web application) updates sometimes break compatibility with some features. This is usually resolved fairly quickly in browser updates.
Use another browser to remove Chrome as a suspicious object
Sometimes the reason why notifications don’t work is because of Chrome issues. Notifications will work with other Chromium-based browsers, including Opera, Brave Browser and Microsoft Edge.
Regardless of which browser you’re not getting Gmail notifications in, try one of these other browsers for a while. If you start seeing Gmail notifications, then you know the problem is only with the browser you were using initially. Try reinstalling or updating the browser.
Update or reinstall the Gmail app
Sometimes things can happen to your Gmail app or its data. The quickest way to fix the weird behavior in the Gmail app is to check for updates or uninstall the app, and then reinstall a fresh copy from the Play Store or the App Store.
Update your phone or computer
If updating or reinstalling the Gmail app doesn’t work, check to see if there are any pending updates for your phone, tablet, or computer. You should keep your device up to date either way, so consider this a good reason to do some overdue maintenance.
This may fix an issue where your browser or application is already up to date, but requires a new feature in the operating system that you have not updated.
Double-check desktop notifications in Chrome
On a desktop system, the basic first step to making sure you’re getting notifications for Gmail is to check your desktop notification settings in your browser. This applies to all newer versions of Windows including 7,8.1 and 10. If your problem is especially with native Windows 10 desktop notifications, skip to the next section.
For specific Gmail notifications, here’s what to do to make sure they’re enabled:
- Open Gmail
- Option Setting
- Option View all settings
- Move to Notifications on the screen section
In this section, you have several options. By default, these notifications are turned off, but you can enable them in two different ways.
The first option is to turn on notifications for new messages. That seems pretty simple, but Gmail uses an inbox category system. So this option will only notify you of messages that arrive in the “Main” mailbox.
Another option is to turn on notifications for messages marked as “Important”. This way, you’ll only receive notifications when Gmail decides that a certain message is important or you set it as important with Gmail filters.
Not receiving Gmail for Chrome Desktop notifications in Windows
Windows 10 provides a unified action center where apps can send notifications. Normally, Gmail notifications will show up there so you can get an overview of what messages you’ve received. If, for some reason, you no longer receive Gmail notifications in Windows 10 Action CenterHere’s what to do:
- Open Chrome browser and type chrome://flags/# enable-native-notification. Then press enter.
- Next Turn on native notifications enable the option using the drop-down menu.
- Restart Chrome browseryou can use Relaunch pop-up button.
- Next, choose Start button And after that Setting.
- Option System And after that Notice and action.
- Under the section labeled Receive notifications from these sendersturn the Google Chrome switch to the on position.
- Now choose Google Chrome entry itself.
- On this page, you can customize how notifications from Chrome work. The most important setting here is “Show notifications in Action Center”. Make sure this setting is “On”.
If all went well, you should now receive Gmail notifications in your Action Center. Just make sure you haven’t turned it on Focus assist. This Windows feature disables almost all warnings to let you work or play without interruption.
Check General Notification Settings on Android and iOS
On both Android and iOS, you can change general settings about how notifications are handled. It may not be specifically that Gmail notifications are missing, but rather the incorrect system level notification settings. For example, you may have turned off all notifications or accidentally activated your device’s “Do Not Disturb” mode in iOS or Android.
Make sure Gmail has push notification permission
Push notifications are a feature of most operating systems and mobile devices. Both Android and iOS manage push notifications on a per-app basis.
Regardless of which operating system you use, check in Settings > Notifications. Then find the section of the Gmail app and make sure it has permission to send push notifications.
Make Gmail your default mail client
Whether you’re using iOS or Android, you can designate specific apps as default apps for specific types of tasks, such as email processing.
In iOS, go to Setting and then search Gmail in the left pane. In Gmail options, select Default Mail App and make sure the blue check mark is next to Gmail.
The process in Android 10 is similar. Go Settings> Apps. Then choose Gmail > Set as Default. Here you can check if Gmail is set as the default application for performing certain tasks.
Make sure the Gmail app is syncing
Another reason why you might not receive Gmail notifications is that you are not getting any new messages on your device in the first place! Sometimes, for one reason or another, Gmail sync gets interrupted. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to check the sync status and restart if needed.
In iOS, open Gmail App and choose menu. Then choose Settingchoose your account And after that Sync settings. Now all you have to do is choose how many days you want to sync.
In Android, open Gmail App and choose menu. Then choose Settingchoose your account and then make sure that Gmail sync chosen.
Receive notifications via
If everything went according to plan, you should now get Gmail notifications back. If you’re still not receiving Gmail notifications, there could be a more obscure cause for this. It may be time to contact Google support.
That being said, narrowing down the source of the problem shouldn’t be too difficult. If it’s specific to a device, it’s almost always an app or OS notification setting.
