Gmail not displaying email body on Android (FIX)

Gmail is the most popular email client, if for nothing else than for the mere fact that every Android user has one. The app got a lot of changes and improvements over the years but it does run into a hiccup from time to time. Discontinuing Google Inbox, lauded for its simplicity and functionality, wasn’t the brightest idea. Some users report that Gmail is not displaying the email body on Android. Some get only a portion of the email, others can’t see anything but the top header. You can learn how to fix this problem in the instructions we provided for you.

Table of contents:

1. Clear the app data
2. Check the storage space in Google Drive
3. Reinstall Gmail
4. Enable Dynamic Email
5. Use Gmail in the browser

How do I fix Gmail not displaying emails?

Before we move to deeper troubleshooting, there are a few things you should do. Here’s what to check:

• Tap Show quotes. Also, expand the particular message.
• Ensure that there are no connection issues. Make sure that Gmail has permission to access mobile data in Settings > Apps > Gmail > Mobile data if you use mobile data frequently. Also, disable the Data saver.
• Disable VPN and proxy and try again.
• Make sure that the sender isn’t flagged for spam.

If you checked all 4 points and confirmed that everything is in order but the issue persists, check the additional steps below.

1. Clear the app data

If an Android app isn’t performing as expected, the first thing to do is to reset the app by clearing the data. That should kickstart the sync and, hopefully, the email body will start appearing. Gmail stores a lot of data locally, so this action will make it resync everything.

Here’s how to clear local data from Gmail on Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Apps.
3. Select Gmail.
4. Open Storage.
5. Clear data and restart your device.

If that does nothing and Gmail is still not displaying the email body (full content), make sure to check the storage space in Google Drive.

2. Check the storage space in Google Drive

As you probably know, all of Google’s services under a shared account also share the same storage space. By default, all users get 15GB of free storage space with an option to upgrade the storage with Google One. The problem with unified storage is that, if you fill it up, it affects Gmail, too. So, there were cases when users couldn’t open or send emails because the storage is full.

With that in mind, navigate to Google Drive and other associated apps (primarily Google Photos) and delete some files to save some storage space. Once you’ve done that, check if the issue persists.

3. Reinstall Gmail

The next step you can try is to reinstall the Gmail app by uninstalling updates. Usual problems with the system and third-party apps start after system updates. When that happens, you can reinstall the app or uninstall updates and give it another try.

Here’s how to uninstall updates from Gmail on Android:

1. Open Play Store.
2. Search for Gmail and expand the app.
3. Tap Uninstall and confirm.
4. Restart your device and get back to Play Store.
5. Update Gmail and check for improvements.

4. Enable Dynamic Email

Some emails come with a Dynamic Email option that allows you to interact with applications and services directly from your Inbox. An example is a Shared Google Docs document where you can leave comments without accessing Google Docs — straight from the email conversation. To use this, make sure that the option is enabled in Gmail Settings.

Here’s how to enable Dynamic Email:

1. Open Gmail.
2. Tap on the hamburger menu and open Settings.
3. Select your account.
4. Swipe to the bottom and check the Enable dynamic email box.

5. Use Gmail in the browser

If the Gmail app isn’t working as intended, you can always enable the Desktop site mode in Chrome for Android and access Gmail for the Web there. Is it the most convenient way considering that there’s a dedicated app? Not, but it’s a good workaround if you need to access Gmail on your handset. At least, until Google fixes the problem.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions in the comments below. We look forward to hearing from you.