How to access Gmail when it is down or having problems (Guide)

Gmail is one of the world’s most popular email services. This service by Google is used by millions of users on daily basis for both personal and official purposes. While Gmail is a reliable service that is available most of the time just like any other internet website it can experience some troubles causing users to receive emails with unnecessary delays and sometimes making their messages disappear. Not being able to access the website entirely can also happen.

If you are a Gmail user and would like to prepare yourself for the worse then we have got a set of tips for you that can enable you to survive Gmail outage by accessing your mails. Lets get started.

Use the Gmail offline extension

One of the most effective ways to access your inbox while the Gmail service is inaccessible is through the offline Gmail extension. The official Chrome extension that is available through the Chrome web store enables users to continue to use their Gmail. This Chrome extension is not only useful when the Gmail is not working but can also be handy when you don’t have an active internet connection since emails are backed up offline on your computer.

Plain HTML can also help

If Gmail is down and is inaccessible to you one of the things that can give you access to your precious inbox and may even allow you to send or receive new emails is the Plain HTML version of the site. This is the alternative version of Gmail that gives access to the users if the site is having problems loading. Unlike the mobile version that is mentioned below the HTML version provides full access to Gmail features. Although looks a bit outdated that shouldn’t be a  problem for you in the times of trouble.

Access with your mobile phone

When Gmail’s desktop website is down and you are not able to access your emails there is a way that can potentially grant you access to your mail. By using the mobile website of the email service you can see the messages that are in your inbox, sent items as well as in folders. You can also use the mobile website to send emails however this might not work in all cases. The reason why you will be able to access Gmail with the mobile version of the site is that it is the stripped down version and is much lighter in weight. So even if Google is having troubles at the back-end you should be able to access the service from here.

Use IMAP or POP3

In many instances when Gmail was having problems or was inaccessible to users on the browser the IMAP and POP3 clients were there to help. Both of these services on desktop as well as on mobile devices were able to use the email service and were able to send or receive user’s emails. If you are experiencing problems with Gmail it is best to try IMAP or POP3 clients in order to use it. On Windows you can use Mozilla’s Thunderbird app.