Why Are the Labels Missing From My Gmail?
While many services have user interfaces that are designed to be easy to use – just enough for even a technophobe to understand – there will always be a moment when something looks weird and you can’t remember, for the life of you, the setting. you need to fix it.
As someone who regularly tinkers with their third-party UI for World of Warcraft , not a week goes by without me thinking to myself, “I know there is a way to change this, but where is this setting buried …” And usually after ten minutes of random googling I get it. Rinse, rinse, repeat.
This week’s email to Lifehacker’s Tech 911 Q&A is a variation on this theme. Lifehacker reader Joe writes:
On my Gmail page, where all emails are, there are no more things like junk, sent, etc. on the left side, and I can’t get them back.
A curious case of missing Gmail buttons
The good news, Joe, is that the likely answer to your problem will take as long as it took you to write a short email. I suspect that you accidentally closed the left sidebar that contains all of these links – your typical email “folders” such as inbox, sent, and drafts; your shortcuts (if you use them); your rubbish and so on.
I’m guessing your Gmail looks something like this, only with much fewer icons and junk:
To restore the sidebar, simply click the “hamburger icon” or the three horizontal lines icon in the upper left corner of the screen. Presto:
Now, if I’m wrong and you really don’t see anything on the left side of Gmail – no icons, no links, not nothing – then I’m not entirely sure what the fault could be, and that would be a very curious question. My initial thought was to fix it as if you were fixing any other issue in your browser: first, disable any add-ons or extensions you are using, including ad blockers, and restart Gmail to see if this is the left sidebar. …
If not, you’ll want to go into your browser settings and apply the proven method of clearing cache, cookies and history. You didn’t mention which web browser you are using, but this is a simple process for all the main ones:
And if that doesn’t solve your problem, you can try using a completely different browser than your regular one, load your Gmail, and see if your left sidebar reappears.
I would be shocked if you were still missing the left sidebar, but if so, then there is something other than your simple browser (s) causing the problem. My next stop is Gmail settings , just to make sure the various shortcuts are selected to “show” and not “hide”.
You can also try adjusting the density of Gmail on the home screen (hover over your Google profile photo in the top right corner, then click the gear icon). Perhaps this, or even switching the Inbox type, could restore your sidebar:
If you’re still having problems, try running Gmail entirely on a different computer (even if you have to borrow a friend’s computer). If a sidebar appears, then something is happening to your operating system, possibly even with your router settings, which is preventing parts of the website from loading. Admittedly, this seems like a pretty big stretch, but troubleshooting is all about troubleshooting. And if there is still no sidebar, I don’t know what to tell you; At least I have exhausted my list of ideas.
If you can easily access Gmail on another computer that is not connected to your home network, then you can use an easier technique to factory reset your router (or modem / router, depending on your home settings). ) just to be triple certain that some inadvertent setting isn’t causing the problem. And if you’re still out of luck, it might be time to back up all your data, restore your computer to factory settings and see if that helps.
I’m only walking you through the glove here because unfortunately I’m not entirely sure which of the less invasive solutions will solve your problem. I think you’ll figure this out well before you “tune everything from scratch”, but I wanted to add this as a potential last option. Let me know which solution solves your problem. And if none of them work, then shoot. How do you feel about ProtonMail ?