Set up & use Gmail offline

You can use Gmail offline to read, search, and reply to messages without an internet connection. To get started, turn on offline mail in Chrome.

Turn on offline mail

Important: You can only use Gmail offline in a Chrome browser window that isn’t in Incognito mode. Download Google Chrome.

On your computer, go to Gmail offline settings.
Next to "Enable offline mail," check the box.
Choose your settings, such as how many days of messages you want to sync.
Click Save changes.

Tip: To make it easy to find your offline inbox in Chrome, bookmark Gmail.

On your computer, open Chrome.
In Chrome, go to Gmail.
On the right, in the address bar, select Bookmark .

Learn what to expect when you use Gmail offline

Check storage settings: When offline, Gmail only uses the space available to your browser. It’s a fraction of your computer’s total storage.
- The storage shown in Gmail offline settings is smaller than your computer’s actual available storage.
Open your mail: To use Gmail offline, open Chrome and go to Gmail.
- Or, you can use your bookmark.
Send a message: If you send a message offline, it’s saved in a new "Outbox" folder.
- If you connect to the internet, the message is sent automatically.
Download attachments: You can download attachments to your computer and open them with a local application.
- You can’t preview attachments.
Use multiple accounts: You can only use Gmail offline with the account you were signed in to at setup.
- To enable another account for offline use, sign in to that account and follow the setup steps above.

Fix issues when you use Gmail offline

Your messages don’t sync

This issue can happen if:

You run out of storage space: To fix this issue, change your "Offline" settings in Gmail.
1. On your computer, go to Gmail offline settings.
2. Next to "Sync settings," you can:
  - Click the Down arrow to sync fewer days of messages.
  - Uncheck Download attachments.
You close Chrome: Your messages can only sync if Chrome is open.

You get an insufficient offline storage error message

When you enable offline mail, you get this message: "Looks like there is not enough space available for offline mail. This may be caused by insufficient hard drive space or a web browser mode."

This error can happen if:

Your hard drive doesn’t have enough space.
You use an Incognito window in Chrome.
You use a Guest profile in Chrome.
Your Chrome settings are set to clear cookies on exit. To check your settings:
1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. In your address bar, enter "chrome://settings/content/siteData".
3. Under "Always delete site data from your device when you close Chrome," make sure that "mail.google.com" or "*.google.com" doesn’t show.

Turn off offline mail

Important: If you delete cookies, you get signed out of sites that remember you and your saved preferences can be removed. This applies every time a cookie is deleted.

Step 1: Remove your offline data

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, select More Settings .
Select Privacy and security Third-party cookies.
Select See all site data and permissions Delete all data.
To confirm, select Delete.

Step 2: Turn off offline mail

On your computer, go to Gmail offline settings.
Next to "Enable offline mail," uncheck the box.