Is the Gmail search feature not working on your phone or computer? If so, this post will help you fix the issue.
How do I enable search in Gmail?
To be able to search in Gmail, click on the search box present at the top of your Gmail page. After that, enter your search query, and based on the entered search term, Gmail will show you search results with relevant emails, attachments, and contacts. In case you want to filter the search results, you can click on the Show search options and apply the desired filters.
Why is Gmail search not working?
This issue could be a result of a number of factors. One of the common causes of this problem is that the Gmail servers are currently facing downtime. Another reason could be an internet connectivity issue. Besides that, corrupted cache, outdated Gmail app, and problematic extensions in your browser are some other potential causes.
To help you out fix the Gmail search not working issue, we got you multiple working solutions that have helped users to fix the problem. You can try these methods and easily resolve the issue.
Gmail Search not working on phone
You can use the below methods to fix the Gmail search option if it is not working properly on your Android phone:
- Make sure Gmail servers are not down.
- Check your internet connection.
- Restart your Gmail app.
- Update the Gmail app.
- Clear the Gmail app cache.
- Turn on the Sync Setting in Gmail.
- Reinstall the Gmail app.
1] Make sure Gmail servers are not down
If the search function in your Gmail app is not working properly, the first thing you should do is check the current server status of Gmail. There might be a service outage or disruption due to which you are unable to search emails on Gmail. Hence, make sure the Gmail servers are up and running by visiting the Google Workspace Status Dashboard page. In case the Gmail services are running, you can use the next fix.
2] Check your internet connection
If the Gmail servers are not down, it might be your internet connection that is causing the problem. So, make sure your internet connection is working fine. You can try connecting to a different network connection and see if the issue is resolved.
Read: Outlook cannot connect to Gmail, keeps asking for password.
3] Restart your Gmail app
Another quick fix that you can apply to get rid of the issue is to restart your Gmail app. So, force close the app on your Android phone and then reopen it.
To force close the Gmail app, go to your home screen and long-press the Gmail app icon. After that, tap on the i button and press the Force stop button to close the app. You can then restart it and check if the Search function is working properly.
4] Update the Gmail app
You might be facing this issue because of using an outdated version of the Gmail app. So, if the scenario is applicable, you can update the Gmail app to fix the issue. Open the Play Store and go to the Gmail app page. If there is an update available for the app, you will see an Update button. Click on this button and let the app update. Once done, launch Gmail and check if the problem is fixed.
See: How to send Large Files and Folders through Gmail?
5] Clear the Gmail app cache
The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to clear the Gmail app cache. This problem could very well be facilitated due to a bad or old app cache. Hence, delete the cache associated with the Gmail app and then see if the search feature is working fine or not.
Here are the steps to clear the Gmail cache on Android:
- First, long press the Gmail app icon from your home screen on your phone.
- Next, click on the i button.
- Now, go to the Storage option.
- After that, press the Clear cache button present at the bottom of the screen.
- Once done, reopen the Gmail app and check if the problem is resolved.
In case the problem still occurs, you can use the next fix.
6] Turn on the Sync Setting in Gmail
If your Gmail account is being used on multiple devices and the search function doesn’t work on one of them, make sure the Sync Gmail option is enabled in your settings. To do so, here are the steps to follow:
- First, open the Gmail app on your phone and click on the three-bar menu button.
- Next, choose the Settings option and then select your Gmail account.
- Now, scroll down toards the end of the page and enable the Sync Gmail checkbox.
You can now try searching for the desired emails on Gmail and check if the problem is resolved.
Read: Gmail slow to load; Stuck on Loading screen forever.
7] Reinstall the Gmail app
The last resort to fix the problem is to reinstall the Gmail app on your phone. You can open the Play Store and go to the Gmail app page. Now, click on the Uninstall button to remove the app from your phone. Once done, reinstall the Gmail app from Play Store and check if the issue is resolved.
The above fixes will help you fix the Gmail search not working issue on your Android phone. In case this problem occurs on your Windows PC, you can follow the methods we have mentioned below.
Read: Gmail storage full; How do I free up Gmail space?
Gmail Search not working on PC
If the search option in Gmail is not working properly on your Windows PC, try logging out and then loggin back to your account and see if the issue is fixed. In case the problem persists, here are the fixes you can use to get rid of the problem:
- Check the current status of Gmail servers and your internet connection.
- Refresh/Hard refresh your Gmail page.
- Use advanced search options.
- Open Gmail in incognito mode.
- Delete browser cache and cookies.
- Flush the DNS cache.
1] Check the current status of Gmail servers and your internet connection
As mentioned earlier, two of the primary causes of this issue could be an ongoing server issue and a weak or unstable internet connection. Hence, make sure that Gmail services are not down currently and that you are connected to a steady and good-speed internet connection.
2] Refresh/Hard refresh your Gmail page
It could be a temporary issue that is not letting you search emails on Gmail. So, you can try refreshing your Gmail page a couple of times and see if the issue is resolved. You can use Ctrl + R hotkey to refresh a page in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. If it doesn’t work, you can hard refresh your Gmail page to resolve the problem. In Google Chrome/Edge, you can press the Ctrl + F5 hotkey to hard reload your Gmail page. See if this helps.
3] Use advanced search options
Gmail provides some advanced search options to filter out emails in yoru search results. In case you are able to search for the correct emails, you can apply some advanced filters to fetch the exact results. Here’s how you can do that:
First, open your Gmail and click on the Show search option button present inside the Search box.
Now, you can apply filters to search specific emails like From, To, Subject, Size, Date, and more. Check if you are able to find the required emails now or not. If not, use the next solution.
Read: Fix Something went wrong Gmail error.
4] Open Gmail in incognito mode
Some problematic extensions added to your browser could be a reason for this issue. To check the same, you can open Gmail in incognito mode. In Google Chrome, click on the three-dot menu button and choose the New Incognito window option, or press the Ctrl+Shift+N hotkey. While in Edge, you can tap on the Settings and more button and click on the New InPrivate window option. Check if the proboem is resolved. If yes, you can disable or remove extensions in your browser.
Disable extensions in Chrome:
- First, open Google Chrome and click on the three-dot menu button.
- Now, select the Extensions > Manage Extensions option.
- Next, disable the toggle associated with your extensions.
- In case you want to remove the extension, click on the Remove button.
Disable extensions in Edge:
- First, open your Edge browser and enter edge://extensions/ in the address bar.
- Now, disable or remove a suspiscious extension.
See: Fix Gmail not sending or receiving emails.
5] Delete browser cache and cookies
It could be a corrupted browser cache or cookie causing the problem. So, you can clear cache and cookies from your browser to fix the problem. Let su check out how:
Google Chrome:
- First, open Google Chrome and tap on the three-dot menu button.
- Now, go to the More tools option and select the Clear browsing data option.
- Next, choose the Time range as All time.
- After that, tick the Caches images and files and Cookies and other site data checkboxes.
- Finally, press the Clear data button to delete the browsing data.
Microsoft Edge:
- First, open Edge, press the Settings and more button, and click on the History option.
- Next, in the opened History panel, tap on the Clear browsing data button.
- After that, make sure the Time raneg is set to All time.
- Now, tick the checkboxes called Caches images and files and Cookies and other site data.
- Lastly, click on the Clear now button.
See: Fix Gmail is not opening in Microsoft Edge.
6] Flush the DNS cache
DNS cache issue could be a reason why search function is not working properly on Gmail. So, flush the DNS cache on your PC and check if the problem is resolved. Here’s how:
First, launch Command Prompt with administrator rights and enter the following command:
ipconfig /flushdns
Once done, restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved.
Why has Gmail stopped working on my phone?
If Gmail app has stopped working on your phone or keeps crashing, it could be due to an internet connectivity problem. It might also be a server problem at the end of Gmail which is why Gmail is not working correctly. Apart from that, if you are running out of Google Drive space or your Gmail app is too out-of-date, this problem will likely occur.
