Gmail messages disappearing from inbox

1

I have used eM Client for a couple of years. The problem I am about to described seems to have started with the latest update. It took me a few days to figure out what was going on.

People would send emails and I just wouldn’t get them. Or emails seemed to just disappear but I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. Finally I put it together. Here’s what’s happening.

I am using an IMAP connection to Gmail.

The bug is this.

  1. I read an email (in the preview pane), then I click the Trash Can logo at top to delete.
  2. The email disappears from the message list, as expected.
  3. For 3 or 4 seconds, a little blue popup appears at the bottom of the message list, offering me the chance to undo. I ignore it.
  4. HERE’S THE BUG: At the moment the blue popup goes away, it removes a second email (the one the “active message cursor” is now on) from the list.

And that second message is completely gone. It’s not in Inbox, not in Trash, not in Junk.

But if I go to Gmail’s web interface, the email is there in Gmail.

I try Refresh in eM Client, doesn’t help. I haven’t found any way to bring it back. (I’ve tried marking it as “Unread” in the Gmail web interface, for example.)

Specifically, here is my Gmail inbox right now. Notice the messages that I’ve checked, and then look at the same set of messages in eM Client. The checked messages are missing. [I tried to upload these as separate images, but “New users are only allowed to put one embedded image in a post.” So I had to stitch them together on my computer then upload them. Seriously?]

image_2021-05-06_135724
image_2021-05-06_1357241067×1196 457 KB

These were all victims of the “double-delete”. They were in the inbox just below a message that I intentionally deleted, and then they disappeared when the “undo” box went away.

I’ve tried Refresh, and I’ve tried exiting and restarting, and I’ve tried marking the messages as unread in Gmail web. Nothing brings them back.

Obviously, this makes eM Client unusable, if I can’t use it to delete messages. For the moment I’m having to use the Gmail web interface for all my Gmail work.

Thanks for any help,
Brad

2

It appears that this doesn’t always happen. After an exit and restart, delete sometimes works better, but the lost emails are still permanently lost.

3

I personally cannot replicate that issue with Gmail and eM Client V8.2.1237 for Windows. Check that you have the most recent version via the ver history page. https://www.emclient.com/release-history

I would first try and repair / rebuild your Gmail cache to see if it fixes the issue, by “Right clicking on All Mail” folder and click “Properties” at the bottom. Then click the “Repair” at the top & click “Repair”. This can take time depending on how many emails you have to re-sync from Gmail.

Note:- Before doing an eM Client upgrade or Repair do a backup via “Menu / Backup”.

image

If the repair doesn’t make any difference and you already have the latest version of EMC, then the most likely cause of this issue from looking at other similar threads is to do with the mouse or keyboard del keys.

eg: This can happen with certain brands of mice or keyboards (when they are starting to get a fault and playing up) where you click once or press the del key once, but the mouse or keyboard actually does a double click or deletes twice. So you would then get another cheap (different brand mouse or keyboard) to test.

If you cannot find any Gmail in eM Client, its always (unless you delete it from the trash) in the “All Mail” folder. You can then just drag it back to your inbox or whatever other folder you desire.

4

Thanks for your reply. Very prompt, much appreciated!

Repair did not restore the lost messages. I saw it clear out the mailbox and rebuild it message by message from Google, but the subject messages never came back. More on that at bottom.

As far as the bug itself:

  1. Yes, I have the latest version, 8.2.1237 for Windows. (In fact, it is my belief that the problem only started when I updated to this version, but I cannot be sure.)

  2. The problem is intermittent. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. I don’t yet know how to reliably make it happen.

  3. I don’t think it’s the Del key or mouse because
    a) The problem only happens in my Gmail inbox, not my other inbox.
    b) If it were just a double-deletion leading to the deletion of two messages instead of one, both messages would appear in the Trash. But that’s not what happens - only the intentionally-deleted message ends up in Trash. The other is is completely gone from eM Client.
    c) Once the problem starts, it happens on every email (in the Gmail inbox) that I try to delete. It happens 100% of the time, not intermittently or randomly.
    d) If I exit and restart eM Client, the problem goes away - for the moment. That is, the “lost” messages never return, but the double-deleting stops for the time being.
    e) I don’t have this sort of problem in any other app, and it only happens after a 4-5-second delay, exactly at the moment that the blue “undo” mini-popup disappears.

The mini-popup seems to be a new feature? I don’t recall this ever happening before that feature appeared. It may be related to that somehow.

Regarding this statement
At the end of your email, you wrote “If you cannot find any Gmail in eM Client, its always (unless you delete it from the trash) in the “All Mail” folder. You can then just drag it back to your inbox or whatever other folder you desire.”

Here’s What I See
I can confirm that this is not the case. The missing messages are definitely not in the All Mail folder. The messages show up in Gmail web but not in eM Client. (As another data point, the messages also show up in Gmail on my phone.)

I also tried looking in “All Inboxes”, not there either.

Now back to the beginning of my message, regarding the failure of Repair to restore the messages: Here is a snap of the “All Mail” folder under GMail, and of my GMail web inbox, with checkmarks beside the messages that are not present in the “All Mail” folder. Nor are they in Trash or Junk.

image_2021-05-06_192229
image_2021-05-06_192229571×618 137 KB

Thanks,
Brad

5

I would then remove and re-add your Gmail IMAP acct from eM Client (if u haven’t tried that already) as sounds then like your EMC database may have a possible error in it where the repair couldnt fix , as this is not a known issue with eM Client with Gmail.

Failing that if still an issue, (apart from trying another mouse and/or keyboard), suggest to also “disable all background tasks” on the startup to test incase there is a possible program running resident interfering with eM Client.

6

Do you have swipe action enabled or they are disable?
Just in case your mouse start to mess with you and does click and hold a message while you keep on reading.

7

I was not aware of this feature. Looks like swipe actions were enabled. I have disabled that.

Still, that would not explain why the message would be lost from eM Client completely, would it?

I’m going to try cyberzork’s suggestion of completely removing then re-adding the account, will see if that helps.

8

Do you use IMAP or POP3?
Can you tell me which label those deleted mail have on Gmail web?
Forgot to ask do you have “Download mail for offline use” enable?

9

I use IMAP.

Yes, I have “Download mail for offline use” enabled.

I tried cyberzork’s suggestion - I completely deleted the Gmail account and then added it again from scratch. The missing emails still do not show up.

In Gmail web, the label is “Inbox”. Here is the header of one of the emails that doesn’t show up in eM Client. You can see the Inbox label:

image_2021-05-06_235734

Within Gmail web, the missing emails are indistinguishable from any of the others in my Inbox.

10

Uncheck the “Download mail for offline use” option then resync your mail they should be listed back into you inbox if not then they may be in the local Archive folder on eMClient.

11

Hi ShaunY, cyberzork,

Thanks so much for all your help.

I eventually decided to give up the 2-year eM Client experiment and go back to Outlook. eM Client is a really good tool that’s almost there, but I’m a little too old and too busy to give it the attention it needs.

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it.
Brad

12

Having the same issue since I updated to the latest. You will see them displayed but then will disappear and are not in your deleted folder or any other. They simply go away as if they were not ever there. Mine I cannot find using webmail or any other device accessing the email account.