Gmail Filters Not Working: How to Fix It
Your Gmail filters aren't labeling, archiving, or moving emails the way they should.
What exactly is happening?
Try these in order
- Check the filter's search first. In Gmail, click Show search options in the search box, enter your filter criteria, and click Search. If the right emails don't show up, the filter won't catch them either (Gmail Help).
- Edit the filter. Go to Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses, find the filter, and click Edit (Gmail Help).
- Apply it to old emails. Filters only affect new mail unless you tick Also apply filter to matching conversations when saving (Gmail Community).
- Look for conflicting filters. Two filters acting on the same emails can cancel each other out — delete duplicates in Filters and Blocked Addresses (Gmail Help).
- Rebuild it from a message. Tick an email, click More → Filter messages like these, and create a fresh filter (Gmail Help).
- Remember filters run on Gmail's servers. If you read mail in another app, give it a minute to sync.
Still stuck? If filters stopped working after you imported them, export your filters as a backup, delete them, and re-import (Gmail Help).
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