Why isn't gmail highlighting new messages?
May 26, 2010 7:16 AM Subscribe
Why isn't Gmail highlighting new messages?
In the past few days I've noticed that Gmail is not correctly highlighting new messages in its usual way (coloured bar). This is not specific to my machine or browser, as I've noticed it happening at home (Mac, Camino) and work (PC running Debian, Firefox). I have to manually check recent message threads to see if new ones have appeared, which is obviously quite tedious and error-prone. I've just sent myself a test message, and it was correctly highlighted, but when I got home from work earlier there were a bunch of new messages that were not flagged. I was also checking my gmail from work, if that's any help. I'm also not running any notifier that might be touching my inbox.
Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone have any ideas om what might be causing it, and/or how to fix it?
In the past few days I've noticed that Gmail is not correctly highlighting new messages in its usual way (coloured bar). This is not specific to my machine or browser, as I've noticed it happening at home (Mac, Camino) and work (PC running Debian, Firefox). I have to manually check recent message threads to see if new ones have appeared, which is obviously quite tedious and error-prone. I've just sent myself a test message, and it was correctly highlighted, but when I got home from work earlier there were a bunch of new messages that were not flagged. I was also checking my gmail from work, if that's any help. I'm also not running any notifier that might be touching my inbox.
Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone have any ideas om what might be causing it, and/or how to fix it?
There's also a filter action "Mark As Read", so maybe you accidentally set a filter that is matching all incoming messages and marking them as read? To check your current filters go to Settings > Filters.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:39 AM on May 26, 2010
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:39 AM on May 26, 2010
Best answer: a) check your filters - do you have one set up that's inappropriately catching messages and marking them read?
b) check your forwarding rules - do you have the account set up to forward somewhere else (part of which can include marking the message read?)
c) change your password. If there is a email client set up somewhere that's pulling down your mail via POP or IMAP (maybe you forgot?) then this will stop it. This also guards against the option where someone has your password and is reading all of your mail.
posted by chrisamiller at 7:40 AM on May 26, 2010
b) check your forwarding rules - do you have the account set up to forward somewhere else (part of which can include marking the message read?)
c) change your password. If there is a email client set up somewhere that's pulling down your mail via POP or IMAP (maybe you forgot?) then this will stop it. This also guards against the option where someone has your password and is reading all of your mail.
posted by chrisamiller at 7:40 AM on May 26, 2010
My first thought is that someone else is accessing your account either from the web or a phone. Have you checked the "last account activity"?
posted by FlamingBore at 7:41 AM on May 26, 2010
posted by FlamingBore at 7:41 AM on May 26, 2010
Response by poster: Forwarding's not enabled, the filters I have active don't account for it, and it's definitely not the theme. chrisamiller might have it, though: his answer reminded me that I have a gmail archiving script running, which might be misbehaving. I'll turn it off and see what happens. I've also changed my password as a precaution.
posted by gene_machine at 7:54 AM on May 26, 2010
posted by gene_machine at 7:54 AM on May 26, 2010
Best answer: I know this is answered but there is an ongoing problem that shows up in fits and spurts.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/gmail/thread?hl=en&tid=630c45b8bf4cdbce
No solution ... but I found and 'scribed the thread. For me it "started" and eventually "stopped". If I'm missing mail now I don't know it.
posted by tilde at 10:09 AM on May 26, 2010
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/gmail/thread?hl=en&tid=630c45b8bf4cdbce
No solution ... but I found and 'scribed the thread. For me it "started" and eventually "stopped". If I'm missing mail now I don't know it.
posted by tilde at 10:09 AM on May 26, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks, tilde; some of the behaviours described in that thread (eg. if two replies are sent to a message, one of them isn't flagged) seem familiar, so I'll look at it more closely in the light of that.
posted by gene_machine at 2:08 PM on May 26, 2010
posted by gene_machine at 2:08 PM on May 26, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:37 AM on May 26, 2010