Gmail filters are a powerful tool that can help you manage your inbox by automatically organizing, labeling, and even deleting emails based on specific criteria. However, sometimes Gmail filters may not working as expected, leading to frustration and confusion.
Several reasons can cause the issue of Gmail filters not working, and it depends on the type of filter you are using.
Here are some methods you can try to fox Gmail filters not working issue:
- Review Filter Criteria
- Check for Conflicting Filters
- Verify “Skip the Inbox” Option
- Disable Conflicting Extensions or Add-ons
- Check “Never Send to Spam
- Test Your Filters
Read the blog further to know the detailed solution to fix Gmail filters not working issue:
How to fix Gmail Spam and Custom filter ?
Below, we have mentioned the steps to troubleshoot for the spam and custom filters of Gmail.
Troubleshoot Gmail Spam filter (3 Steps)
Follow below mentioned steps to fix Gmail spam filter:
Flag message as Spam
Occasionally, Gmail may not filter out spam messages, even if they appear to be phishing or malware. In such cases, you can manually mark the messages as spam to help improve the filter.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Firstly, login Gmail and open inbox.
- Secondly, choose the message you wish to label as spam.
- Finally, click on the Report as Spam button (represented by a stop sign with an exclamation point) in the top menu.
Set Up a Spam filter Rule
If you’re still having trouble with Gmail’s spam filter even after manually marking messages as spam, you can create custom rules to serve as junk filters.
These rules will automatically move messages that meet your specified criteria to the Spam folder.
To create a spam filter rule, follow these steps:
- Login Gmail account via the web interface.
- Click on the Show Search Options button located to the right of the search bar.
- Enter the search criteria for the messages you want to filter and click on Create Filter.
- Choose the action to apply to messages that meet your criteria.
- Click on the Create Filter button again to finalize the rule.
Check if filters are Overridden
While Gmail’s spam filter is generally effective, it is possible to override its settings.
If you’ve accidentally or intentionally changed these settings, you can easily restore them to their default state with just a few clicks.
To check and fix this issue, follow these steps:
- Firstly, log in to your Gmail account.
- Secondly, click on Settings, then select See All Settings.
- Thirdly, click on the Inbox tab.
- Next, scroll down to the Filtered Mail section.
- Lastly, choose “Don’t Override Filters” instead of selecting the “Override Filters” option.
Troubleshoot Gmail Custom filter (2 Steps)
Follow below mentioned steps to fix Gmail Custom filter:
Setting Up Custom Gmail filter
Follow below mentioned steps to correctly Setting Up custom Gmail filter:
- Open Gmail in your browser.
- Click on the three parallel lines on the right of the search bar.
- Fill in the search criteria.
- Click on ‘Create filter’.
- Select the options you wish to apply.
- Click on ‘Create filter’ again.
Configuring Filter Settings
Follow below mentioned steps to set up configure filter settings correctly:
- Firstly, login Gmail and open inbox.
- Secondly, locate the Gear icon positioned at the upper right corner and give it a click.
- Thirdly, select See all settings.
- Then, click the Filters and blocked addresses tab.
- Next, click Create a new filter.
- Then, enter the criteria for your filter. For example, you could filter emails from a specific sender, with a specific subject line, or with certain keywords in the body of the email.
- Next, select the actions you want to take when a message matches your filter. For example, you could have the message automatically labeled, forwarded to another address, or deleted.
- Lastly, click Create filter.
Also Check: How to check Gmail spam and junk mail ?
How to fix Gmail filter “Skip the inbox” ?
Have you created a Gmail filter to not receive emails from a specific sender, but you are still receiving their emails ?
This usually occurs when the filters have not been used correctly.
Follow below mentioned steps to resolve Gmail skip the inbox filter problem:
- First, go to the “Settings” of your Gmail account and click on “See all settings”.
- Secondly, click on the Inbox option from the grid, choose “Default”, then select “Don’t override filters” and press “Save Changes”.
Note:
- Here, you will have to check for the option that says, “Include important messages in the inbox that may have been filtered out”.
- If the settings are selected as mentioned, then you will not be receiving emails from the users you have applied filters on.
Why are my Gmail filters not working ?
We have mentioned the most common reasons for both Gmail filters as below:
Fix Gmail Spam Filter
There are a few reasons why your Gmail spam filter might not be working. Below are some unique reasons and their respective solutions.:
- You have accidentally marked a spam email as “Not Spam”: This will train the spam filter to think that the email is not spam, and it will be more likely to let future emails from that sender through. To fix this, go to your spam folder and mark the emails that you know are spam as “Spam”.
- Your spam filter is set to a low sensitivity: This means that the spam filter is less likely to mark emails as spam. To fix this, go to your Gmail settings and change the spam filter sensitivity to a higher setting.
- You have created a filter that is blocking spam emails: If you have created a filter that is blocking spam emails, it will need to be edited or deleted. To check your filters, go to your Gmail settings and click on the “Filters” tab.
- Your spam filter is not update: Google is constantly updating its spam filter, so it’s important to make sure that yours is up to date. To check for updates, go to your Gmail settings and click on the “Help” tab.
If you’ve checked all of these things and your Gmail spam filter is still not working, you can contact Google support for help.
Fix Gmail Custom Filter
There are a few reasons why your Gmail custom filter might not be working. Here are some reasons and their respective solutions.
- The filter criteria is not specific enough: If your filter criteria is too broad, it might not be catching all of the emails that you want it to. Try making the filter criteria more specific by adding more search terms.
- The filter is not enabled: Make sure that the filter is enabled. You can check this by going to your Gmail settings and clicking on the “Filters” tab.
- The filter is overlapping with another filter: If you have two filters that are trying to apply the same action to the same email, only one of the filters will work. Try editing or deleting one of the filters to see if that fixes the problem.
- Your internet connection may be experiencing difficulties: If your internet connection is slow or unstable, it can prevent your filters from working properly. Attempt to reboot your router or modem to resolve the issue.
Also Check: Why is my Gmail not receiving emails ?
Conclusion
In conclusion, Gmail filters are a powerful tool for managing your inbox, but sometimes they may not work as expected.
There are many reasons why this happens and it depends on what type of filter you are using.
If you’re experiencing issues with your Gmail filters, there are several troubleshooting methods you can try, such as checking that custom filters are configured correctly or marking an email as spam or not spam.
Double check before marking in. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can effectively troubleshoot and resolve any issues with your Gmail filters to ensure that your inbox stays organized and clutter-free.
Reference:
Frequently Asked Question’s (FAQ’s)
You need to go to your Gmail settings, click on “Filters and Blocked Addresses”, and then edit the filter you want.
The Gmail spam filter usually filters your emails by sending some mails into your spam folder which it considers unnecessary.
You can enable the spam filter in Gmail and add a particular email address you don’t want to see in your spam folder.
Gmail has different kinds of filters that let you segregate your emails as important and not so important ones.
Yes, you can resolve the issue by clicking Settings>See all settings>Inbox>Don’t override filters> Save Changes.
1 thought on “How to fix “Gmail Filters not Working” issue?”
Comments are closed.