Troubleshooting Google Workspace

Solutions to the most common Google Workspace problems — sign-in issues, email not arriving, Drive access errors, Meet connection problems, and more.

Something not working in Google Workspace? Most problems have a simple fix. This guide covers the most common issues and how to solve them quickly.

Quick summary

For most issues, try signing out and back in, clearing your browser cache, or trying a different browser. If email is missing, check spam and all mail. If Drive won't load, try Chrome. For persistent problems that aren't resolved here, contact us.

I forgot my password

Ask your Workspace admin to reset it. See Resetting a user's password. If you're the admin and forgot your own password, start account recovery at accounts.google.com/signin/recovery. If you never added a recovery phone number or email address to the admin account, Google's wizard asks you to prove you own the domain by adding a CNAME record to its DNS.

My account is locked or suspended

Two different things look the same here. Your admin may have suspended your account — ask them. Or Google may have thrown up a login challenge because the sign-in attempt looked unusual; in that case your admin can turn the challenge off for 10 minutes (Directory → Users → you → Security → Login challenge), and Google's troubleshooting guide says changing your password alone won't help. If you're the admin and you're locked out, start account recovery at accounts.google.com/signin/recovery.

2-step verification is blocking me

If you've lost your phone or can't reach your second factor, use a backup code if you saved one. If not, your admin can generate fresh backup verification codes for your account, or turn off the login challenge for 10 minutes. One exception: Google is rolling out a requirement that every administrator account uses 2-step verification. It has reached some kinds of organization already and will reach the rest over the coming years, and an admin covered by it can't have it bypassed — the only way round it is to remove their admin rights. See Turning on 2-step verification.

I'm signing in to the wrong account

Click your profile photo in the top right of any Google page and switch to your work account. Make sure you're using your Workspace email (you@yourcompany.com), not a personal @gmail.com address.

Email problems

I'm not receiving email

First check: your spam/junk folder. Email from new senders often lands there. Also click "All mail" in Gmail's left sidebar — email that's been archived won't show in the inbox. Check your filters too: a filter that archives or deletes matching mail will make messages vanish silently. Running out of organization storage is not the cause — on Workspace, email keeps being delivered even when the storage pool is over its limit.

Email I sent came back undelivered

A "bounce" message means the recipient's email server rejected your message. Common reasons: the recipient's address doesn't exist (typo), their inbox is full, or their server blocked you. Read the bounce message carefully — it usually explains the reason.

My email is going to recipients' spam folders

This is an email deliverability issue. It usually means your domain's DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) need attention. See Email DNS records or contact us to help fix this.

I set up an auto-reply but it's not sending

Check it's still on, and that today falls inside its date range: Gmail → Settings (the gear) → See all settings → General tab → Vacation responder. Then check who you're expecting a reply to go to. In most cases Gmail sends the reply only the first time someone emails you; the same person gets it again only if they email you again after four days. And if you ticked the box that limits the reply to your contacts, nobody else gets one.

Google Drive problems

A file I was working on has disappeared

Check the Trash folder in Drive — the file may have been accidentally deleted. If it's not there, search for it by name in Drive's search bar, in case it was moved somewhere unexpected. If it was in someone else's Drive and they deleted it, an admin may need to intervene.

I can't access a shared file — it says I need permission

The owner may have changed the sharing settings or the file may have been moved or deleted. Contact the person who shared the file with you and ask them to reshare it.

Drive won't load or is very slow

Try a different browser — Chrome is the one that supports every Workspace feature. Clear your browser's cache: in Chrome, press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac), select "Cached images and files," and click Clear data. Also check your internet connection, and that cookies and JavaScript are turned on.

I can't upload files to Drive

Check your organization's storage — once the pool is far enough over its limit, nobody can add new files. See Storage & quotas. Two limits also apply per person: a single file can be up to 5 TB, and each user can upload or copy 750 GB a day, after which uploads stop until the limit refreshes within 24 hours.

Google Meet problems

My camera or microphone isn't working in Meet

In Chrome, click the lock icon in the address bar and check camera/microphone permissions — make sure they're set to "Allow." Also check your computer's system settings to make sure the browser has permission. Close other apps that might be using the camera (like Zoom or FaceTime).

The video call is choppy or keeps freezing

This is usually a bandwidth or network issue. Try: moving closer to your Wi-Fi router, turning off your camera temporarily, closing other browser tabs, or asking other household members to stop streaming video.

I can't join the meeting — I get an 'access denied' message

The meeting may require you to be signed in with your Workspace account. Make sure you're signed in (not using a personal Gmail) and request access from the meeting host.

Admin console problems

I can't see the Admin console option

The Admin console (admin.google.com) is only visible to accounts with admin privileges. If you should have admin access but don't, contact your existing admin to grant you the role.

Changes I made in the Admin console aren't taking effect

Admin console changes aren't always instant. Google's own guidance for settings like email routing is that a change can take up to 24 hours, though it usually happens much sooner. A few things have their own timings: a new user account can take up to 24 hours before every Google service works for them, and the Storage page can take up to 24 hours to reflect space you've freed up.

When nothing else works

If you've tried the above and something is still broken:

Try a different browser. Chrome is the only one that supports every Workspace feature.
Try an incognito/private window. This rules out browser extension conflicts.
Check the Google Workspace Status Dashboard at google.com/appsstatus/dashboard — sometimes Google's own services are having problems.
Contact us. We can help diagnose and fix Workspace issues.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.