Gmail slow to load; Stuck on Loading screen forever

Is Gmail loading too slowly on your Windows PC? Some users have reported that Gmail takes forever to load in their web browsers. Many get stuck on the Gmail Loading screen forever. Now, if you are facing the same problem, we got you covered. Here, we will discuss the reasons behind Gmail’s slow loading speed and how you can resolve it.

Why is my Gmail stuck on Loading?

If your Gmail is stuck on the loading screen, there can be several reasons behind it. Slow internet connection or other connectivity issues can be one of the primary reasons for the same. Apart from that, a Gmail service outage problem can also result in the same. Other reasons for the same can be corrupted browser cache and cookies and problematic extensions installed in your browser.

Gmail slow to load; Stuck on Loading screen forever

If Gmail is too slow to load on your computer or is stuck on the Loading screen forever, here are the troubleshooting methods you can use to fix the issue:

1. Initial checklist.
2. Delete your browsing data.
3. Disable browser extensions or add-ons.
4. Load the basic HTML view of Gmail.
5. Temporarily disable Gmail Advanced settings.
6. Temporarily turn off POP or IMAP.
7. Delete extra Gmail labels and filters.
8. Decrease the number of messages on a page.
9. Try opening Gmail in a different browser.
10. Reset or reinstall your browser.

1] Initial checklist

• Check the status of Gmail servers on the Google Workspace Status Dashboard page and make sure their services are up and running. If there is an outage or server issue at the end of Gmail, you will get stuck at the loading screen forever and Gmail won’t load.
• Make sure of is that your internet connection is stable and is working fine. A weak, inactive, or unstable internet connection will cause Gmail to load slowly.
• Gmail supports most modern browsers, so, make sure you are using one of these browsers. Also, make sure Cookies and JavaScript are enabled in your web browser.

Read: Gmail storage full; How do I free up Gmail space?

2] Delete your browsing data

Such performance issues with websites and other services in a browser are usually caused because of bulked-up, outdated, and corrupted browsing data. We recommend you clear your browser cache and cookies and see if that helps.

Google Chrome:

• First, launch Chrome and press the three-dot menu button from the top-right corner.
• After that, click on the More tools > Clear browsing data option.
• In the opened prompt, choose All time as the Time range.
• Now, checkmark the options called Cookies and other site data and Caches images and files.
• Finally, press the Clear data button and then check if Gmail loads quickly or not.

Mozilla Firefox:

• Firstly, open the Firefox app and click the three-bar menu button.
• Now, select the History option and click the Clear recent history button.
• After that, set Time range to clean to Everything and tick the Cached and Cookies.
• Next, tap on the OK button to clear the cache and cookies data from Firefox.

Microsoft Edge:

• First, open Edge, click on the three-dot menu (Settings and more) button, and select History.
• Now, tap on the three-dot menu button inside the History panel and choose the Clear browsing data option.
• Next, tick the Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files checkboxes, set Tiem range to All time, and click on the Clear now button.

After clearing the browser cache and cookies, Gmail slow loading issue should be fixed now. If not, there are some other methods you can use to speed up Gmail performance.

See: Email is stuck in the Outbox of Gmail.

3] Disable browser extensions or add-ons

Open an incognito tab in your browser and check if you can open Gmail easily or not. If yes, there are chances that you are facing this issue due to an installed browser extension. So, in that case, you can disable or uninstall problematic extensions from your browser.

Google Chrome:

• First, open Chrome, click on the three-dot menu button, and choose More tools > Extensions.
• On the opened page,  turn off any suspicious extension or Remove it to permanently uninstall it.

Mozilla Firefox:

• In Firefox, press the three-bar menu button and click on Add-ons and themes.
• You can now turn off or remove a suspicious web extension.

Microsoft Edge:

• First, open Edge, click on the Settings and more button, and choose Extensions > Manage extensions.
• Now, you can easily disable web extensions or uninstall them.

4] Load the basic HTML view of Gmail

If you want to quickly resolve the issue of Gmail’s slow loading, you can opt for the basic HTML view of your Gmail. While Gmail is loading, you will see a Load Basic HTML option which is recommended for slow connections. You can simply click on this option and it will load your Gmail account. You can then access your emails and perform other tasks.

5] Temporarily disable Gmail Advanced settings

Turn off Gmail Advanced settings to enhance its speed and performance, and see if that works for you.

As an administrator, you can configure Gmail’s advanced settings. Now, if you want to make Gmail load faster for your users, you can try disabling certain options in Gmail Advanced Settings.

To access it, sign in to your G Suite account and go to Apps > Google workspace > Gmail > Advanced Settings.

You can then try disabling some non-essential options and then check if the problem is resolved.

Besides that, you can also disable Advanced settings for your individual Gmail account. To do that, click on the Settings > See all settings option and move to the Advanced tab. After that, disable all or selected options.

See if this improved the overall speed of Gmail on your computer or not.

Read: Gmail not sending or receiving emails.

6] Temporarily turn off POP or IMAP

To increase Gmail speed, you can temporarily disable POP or IMAP for the affected account in your domain. Here’s how you can do that:

• First, log in to Gmail using your Google Workspace account.
• Now, click on the gear-shaped icon called Settings and then choose the Settings option.
• Next, move to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
• After that, if enabled, disable POP and IMAP and press the Save Changes button.

Check if Gmail still loads slowly or if the issue is fixed. If not, you can use the next method to fix Gmail’s slow performance issue.

7] Delete extra Gmail labels and filters

As mentioned on the Gmail help page, you can increase Gmail’s performance by deleting unnecessary labels and filters from your account. It is recommended to keep your labels and filters under the count of 500.

To delete some labels, hover your mouse over a label under the Labels section in the left-side panel and click on the three-dot menu button associated with it. After that, click on the Remove Label option and confirm the deletion. Similarly, you can remove other labels as well.

For deleting filters, click on the Settings > See all settings option. After that, move to the Filters and blocked addresses tab and select the filters you want to remove. Next, click on the Delete button and follow the prompted instructions to complete the filter removal process.

Check if Gmail loads faster than before after removing labels and filters.

See: Fix Something went wrong Gmail error.

8] Decrease the number of messages on a page

You can also reduce the number of messages to show on a single page to load Gmail quicker. Here are the steps to do so:

• First, open Gmail and click on the Settings icon from the top-right side of the window.
• Now, click on the See all settings option.
• Next, in the General tab, look for the Maximum page size setting
• After that, choose a lower number to show less number of conversations or emails on a page.
• Once done, click on the Save Changes button to apply changes.

Read: Fix Gmail is not opening in Edge.

9] Try opening Gmail in a different browser

Another thing you can try is open Gmail in some other web browser and check if the problem is resolved. If you face this issue with Google Chrome, try using Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox. And likewise. If the problem remains the same across all web browsers, you can use the above tips to improve Gmail’s performance.

10] Reset or reinstall your browser

If the problem is still the same, you can reset your web browser to its default settings. Some customizations or modifications in your browser might be causing this issue. Hence, reset your browser to its original state and check if the problem is resolved.

Here are the steps to reset Google Chrome:

• First, click on the three-dot menu button and press the Settings option.
• Now, choose the Reset settings option and press the Restore settings to their original defaults option.
• After that, follow the prompted instructions to complete the process.

Similarly, you can reset Firefox and Microsoft Edge browsers.

If you still face the same issue, consider uninstalling your web browser, downloading the latest version of the browser from the official website, and reinstalling the browser on your computer.

I hope this guide helps you fix Gmail’s slow loading issue and speed up its performance.

How can I speed up fetching in Gmail?

To make Gmail load faster, use a strong internet connection or switch to a wired one. You can also disable Advanced settings in your Gmail, delete additional labels and filters, lower the number of messages to be shown on a page, or disable POP or IMAP. Apart from that, clear your browser data, turn off extensions, or reset your browser to resolve the issue.

Now read: Outlook cannot connect to Gmail, keeps asking for a password.