Apple Mail Not Syncing with Gmail Mac | Fix It Fast

Apple Mail can sync Gmail on Mac again after you refresh the account, turn on Gmail IMAP, and rebuild the mailbox.

When Apple Mail and Gmail stop agreeing, it feels like your inbox has gone quiet. New messages don’t arrive, sent mail won’t file right, or a label you use daily vanishes from the sidebar.

Work through the steps below in order. The early checks fix the common stuff. The later steps reset the connection and rebuild local data when Mail’s cache gets stuck.

What “Not Syncing” Usually Means In Apple Mail

Sync can fail in a few ways, and naming the pattern saves time. Some problems sit in Gmail settings. Others are local to the Mail app.

• New mail not arriving — Gmail has new messages on the web, but Apple Mail shows an old count or never updates.
• Deletes and archives don’t match — You change a message state in Apple Mail, then Gmail shows something else.
• Labels don’t show as folders — Gmail labels exist on the web, but Apple Mail doesn’t list them or they stop updating.
• Sync is slow or stuck — The status line shows activity, then stops with no change.

Most of these point to IMAP. Apple Mail uses IMAP to keep Gmail in step across devices. If IMAP is off, limited, or mapped oddly, Mail can look frozen even when your login is fine.

Fast Checks Before You Change Anything

Start with the checks that catch the usual culprits. A paused account, a network block, or Mail set to fetch on a schedule that feels like “never.”

• Check Gmail in a browser — If mail arrives on the web but not in Mail, it’s apple mail not syncing with gmail mac.
• Force a fetch — Use Get Mail and watch for activity in the toolbar and status bar.
• Quit Mail and reopen it — A stuck connection can clear after a full quit and relaunch.
• Restart the Mac — This resets network sockets and background account services in a clean way.

If Mail reports it can’t connect to the server or says the network is offline, check your internet connection and any VPN or network filtering apps that sit between Mail and Google’s servers. Apple notes that VPN or similar network software can affect sending and receiving mail on a Mac.

Gmail Settings That Block Sync In Apple Mail

Before you dig deep in macOS, check Gmail’s own controls. Gmail can block IMAP, cap folder sizes, and hide labels from IMAP, which makes Apple Mail look out of date.

Turn On IMAP And Save Changes

In Gmail on the web, open Settings, then see all settings, then the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab. In the IMAP access area, choose Enable IMAP and save. Google documents this as the standard setup when you read Gmail in another mail app.

Remove Any IMAP Folder Size Limit

Gmail can limit how many messages an IMAP folder can contain. If that cap is set to 1,000 or 2,000, Apple Mail may stop showing older mail, or it may look like folders never finish downloading. Set the folder size limit to “do not limit” if you want full history in Apple Mail.

Check Which Labels Show In IMAP

Gmail labels act like folders in Apple Mail. If a label is not set to show in IMAP, Apple Mail won’t display it, and it won’t sync that label view.

Symptom In Apple Mail	Likely Gmail Setting	Fix To Try
Older mail missing	IMAP folder size limit set	Set folder size limit to no limit
Labels not showing	Label not set to show in IMAP	Enable IMAP visibility for that label
Archive acts odd	All Mail label hidden in IMAP	Show All Mail in IMAP, then resync

If you use a work or school Gmail account, IMAP may be disabled at the account level. Google’s Workspace admin guidance notes that a mail app sign-in can fail when IMAP is turned off.

Apple Mail Not Syncing with Gmail Mac Checklist

This is the core path for apple mail not syncing with gmail mac. Move in order. Stop when sync returns and the mailbox updates in both directions.

If you use Mail rules, turn them off during testing so moves don’t hide sync changes.

Run A Connection Check Inside Mail

Apple Mail includes tools to show whether it can reach your incoming and outgoing servers. If you see a red status for Gmail’s incoming or outgoing server, the detail text often points to an auth error, a port issue, or a blocked connection.

• Open Connection Doctor — In Mail, open the Window menu and choose Connection Doctor, then read the status lines.
• Check again after a minute — Use the refresh option and watch if the status flips from red to green.
• Save the error text — If you see wording about authentication, certificates, or timeouts, keep it for the next steps.

Refresh The Gmail Account In macOS

When credentials or tokens go stale, the clean reset is to remove the Google account from Internet Accounts and add it back. This makes macOS request a fresh login and permissions and rebuilds the Mail connection.

• Remove the account from Internet Accounts — In System Settings, open Internet Accounts, pick Google, and remove it from the Mac.
• Restart the Mac — This clears background account services tied to the removed login.
• Add Google back — Add the account again, sign in, and make sure Mail is toggled on for that Google account.

Review Server Settings And Ports

Gmail usually configures itself when you add it as a Google account. If you use manual settings, recheck the incoming and outgoing server entries. Apple’s Mail guide shows where to change server settings in Mail.

• Open Server Settings — In Mail, open Settings, choose Accounts, select Gmail, then open Server Settings.
• Verify incoming server — Use imap.gmail.com with SSL enabled.
• Verify outgoing server — Use smtp.gmail.com with SSL or TLS and authentication enabled.
• Enable automatic settings if unsure — If your screen offers automatic server management, turn it on, then retest sync.

Align Mailbox Behaviors With Gmail Folders

When sync works but messages land in the wrong place, folder mapping is off. Point Sent and Trash to Gmail folders so all devices match.

• Open Mailbox Behaviors — In Mail settings for your Gmail account, open the Mailbox Behaviors area.
• Pick Gmail folders — Set Sent to Gmail Sent Mail and Trash to Gmail Trash.
• Check All Mail visibility — If you archive in Mail, make sure All Mail is visible in IMAP on the Gmail side.

Mailbox Tools That Fix Stuck Or Missing Messages

Once the account signs in cleanly, you may still see stale folders, missing threads, or counts that don’t match. That is often local data on the Mac, not Gmail itself.

Rebuild The Mailbox

Rebuilding tells Mail to discard the local cache of the selected mailbox and download it again from the mail server. Apple’s Mail user guide describes this as a fix when messages look missing or garbled.

• Select the mailbox that looks wrong — Pick Inbox, Sent, or a label folder that is missing messages.
• Run Rebuild — Choose Mailbox, then Rebuild, and wait for the download to finish.
• Repeat only where needed — Rebuild is per mailbox, so target the folders that show the issue.

Clear A Stuck Outbox

If sending is stuck, it can block other activity while Mail retries. After you confirm the outgoing server is healthy, clearing a jammed Outbox often frees the account.

• Open Outbox — Check for a message with an error banner or an attachment that never finishes.
• Move the message to Drafts — Save it, then send again once the account is stable.
• Recheck the outgoing server — If SMTP fails, go back to server settings and make sure authentication is on.

Apple Mail Gmail Not Syncing On Mac Fixes That Stick

When the basic reset and mailbox rebuild don’t solve it, the cause is often security, network inspection, or a local Mail database issue.

Handle Google Sign-In Blocks

If Apple Mail keeps asking for your password, or you see repeated auth failures, your Google account may be rejecting the sign-in method. With 2-Step Verification, some setups require an app password. Google’s account guidance explains that app passwords are available when 2-Step Verification is on and a normal password fails in a mail app.

• Finish the Google login prompt — If macOS opens a browser window for Google sign-in, complete it and allow Mail access.
• Create an app password when needed — In your Google account security settings, create an app password and use it only for Mail.
• Remove stored Gmail password entry — If the Mac keeps reusing a bad password, delete the stored Gmail password and sign in again.

Check VPN And Network Filters

If sync works on one Wi-Fi network but not another, your network path may be blocking Google mail traffic. Apple notes that VPN and network-intercept apps can interfere with mail sending and receiving. Turn them off for a quick test, then retest Mail.

Rebuild Mail’s Local Index When Search And Counts Look Wrong

Mail stores a local index so it can show messages quickly and search across folders. If that index is damaged, the inbox can look out of order and search may miss mail that is on the server. The safer first step is rebuilding the affected mailboxes. If the issue still holds, a full Mail index rebuild is the deeper step, and it can take time on large accounts.

• Back up the Mac first — Use Time Machine or a full disk backup so you can roll back if needed.
• Close Mail before you rebuild — Quit Mail fully so files are not in use.
• Leave Mail open to finish — After the reset, reopen Mail and let it download and index without interruption.

When Sync Still Fails

If you’ve worked through the steps and Mail still won’t update, narrow it down with a few controlled tests, then choose the least disruptive next move.

• Test a new macOS user — Add a fresh user on the Mac, add the same Google account, and see if sync works there.
• Check account type — If it’s a managed work account, ask your admin if IMAP is allowed for your user.
• Update macOS — Mail and Google sign-in changes land through system updates.
• Use a clean reset as last resort — Remove the Gmail account, restart, add it back, then rebuild Inbox and Sent so the local cache starts fresh.

If you landed here after a macOS update, the simplest stable fix is often the account refresh. Remove, restart, add back, then rebuild the mailboxes you use most.