The web interface of Gmail has an all-new UI. While the new UI looks and feels better to use, a new error has left a good number of Gmail users frustrated forcing them to switch back to the old classic Gmail. The problem is while sending an email, an error “Message could not be sent. Check your network and try again” appears on the screen and the Gmail users are unable to send the email. For those affected by this error, here is how to fix “message could not be sent” error in Gmail.

The error seems to have only affected the new version of Gmail. However, for some users, the only solution was to reset Google Chrome. The issue seems to be with only specific email IDs and particularly with non-Gmail recipients. Here is what I did to fix this Gmail error on Chrome. This error is different from the Gmail syncing issue that we have discussed previously.

Switch Back to Classic Gmail

The message could not be sent error seems to only affect users who have moved to the new Gmail interface. So, switching to back to the old classic Gmail interface should fix the error as it fixed it for me. Here is how to switch back to the old classic Gmail interface.

Open Gmail on Chrome and log in.

On the home page, click the Gear icon (Settings) on the top-right corner.

Click the “Go back to classic Gmail” option.

Now the Gmail will load in the old classic Gmail interface. Try sending the unsent message which should be in the draft folder.

Try Mozilla Firefox / Edge / Safari Browser

If switching to classic Gmail did not work, try changing the web browser. If you are using Google Chrome, try to use other browsers such as Safari on Mac, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge on Windows machines.

Switching the web browser has worked for some of the users with a similar error. Microsoft Edge and Safari web browsers come installed by default on Windows 10 and Mac OSX running machines respectively, so you don’t need to install a third-party browser to send an email.

Disable Chrome Extension like LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Third-party Google Chrome extensions may also cause this error in Chrome. If you have extensions like LinkedIn Navigator, try disabling it temporarily.

Open Chrome and click Menu (three horizontal bars).

Click More Tools > Extensions.

Find the extension that you want to disable and click the small blue color switch to disable the extension.

If you don’t have LinkedIn Navigator extension installed, disable recently installed extensions (if any).

If you haven’t installed any extension recently, here is how to find if a Chrome extension is causing a message not sent error in Gmail.

Open Chrome. Press Ctrl + Shift + N key simultaneously. This will open A new Chrome session in Incognito mode.

Chrome extensions by default don’t work in Incognito mode. So, log in to Gmail and try to compose and send another email.

If the mail is sent successfully, then one of the Chrome extension is causing the error. If not, proceed to the next fix.

Find the Troubling Extension

In case you are able to send an Email in Incognito mode, it is likely that an extension is causing the error.

To find the troublesome extension, all you need to do is disable all the extension from Menu > More Tools > Extensions and then enable them one by one. Once you find the troubling extension, remove it from Chrome.

Clear Cache and Cookies

If the problem persists, try clearing cache and cookies on the Chrome browser or any other browser that you use.

Open Chrome and go to Menu > More Tools > Clear Browsing Data. You can also, access it by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Del key.

Uncheck Browsing History, but keep “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and Files” option checked.

Click Clear data button.

Reset Chrome

Resetting Google Chrome to factory settings can fix the message could not be sent error in Gmail. However, resetting Chrome will delete recent browsing history, cookies, and cache data.

To reset Chrome, go to Menu > Settings.

From the left side, click the Menu icon and click Reset and Clean Up under Advanced Settings.

Select “Restore Settings to their original defaults” and click the Reset Settings button.