The short answer
Gmail offline runs only in Chrome and only on the desktop version at mail.google.com. Open Gmail Settings, click See all settings, click Offline, tick Enable offline mail, pick how many days of mail to store, then click Save Changes. Gmail downloads recent emails to your browser so you can read, write, search, and reply without a network connection. The emails you write while offline send automatically the next time Chrome gets internet access.
Gmail offline is a baked-in feature of the web version, but Google makes you turn it on manually. Once enabled, you can read, write, search, and reply to email on flights, in coffee shops with broken Wi-Fi, or anywhere else you have your laptop but no connection. This guide walks you through setting up Gmail offline mode, confirms what works and what does not without internet, and shows you how to use Gmail offline on mobile (short answer: you cannot, you need the mobile app sync).
Set up Gmail offline mode on desktop
Gmail offline runs only in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or any other Chromium-based browser. Firefox and Safari do not support it. The setting lives in a dedicated Offline tab in Gmail Settings, separate from the main General tab.
- Open Chrome and go to mail.google.com. Sign in.
- Click the gear icon at the top right.
- Click See all settings.
- Click the Offline tab (last tab on the far right of the row).
- Tick Enable offline mail.
- Pick how many days of recent mail to sync: 7 days, 30 days, or 90 days.
- Choose whether to Download attachments (ticked by default, un-tick if disk space matters).
- Pick what happens when you sign out of your Google Account: Keep offline data on my computer (default) or Remove offline data from my computer (more private on shared devices).
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Gmail starts downloading your recent mail in the background. The initial sync takes a few minutes for 7 days of history and up to half an hour for 90 days. You can keep using Gmail normally while it syncs.
Use Gmail while offline
Once offline mode is enabled, Chrome bookmarks Gmail at mail.google.com and remembers your session. To use Gmail offline, open Chrome and go to that URL as usual, even with Wi-Fi off. The UI loads from Chrome’s local cache, and your synced email appears exactly as it does online.
What works offline:
- Read any email in the synced range (default 30 days back).
- Compose, edit, and save drafts.
- Reply and forward (queued for sending when you reconnect).
- Search within the synced mail.
- Apply labels, mark as read or unread, archive, delete, snooze.
- Open and read attachments that downloaded with the message.
What does not work offline:
- Loading emails older than your sync range.
- Opening attachments that did not download (if you turned off attachment sync).
- Viewing images that load from the internet (sender’s inline hosted images).
- Any Gmail add-on or extension that calls an external service.
- Opening a different Google account you are also signed into (offline mode is per-account per-browser).
Emails you write while offline sit in the Outbox folder with a small cloud-off icon. They send automatically the moment Chrome picks up a network connection, no action from you needed.
Bookmark Gmail offline for one-click access
For the fastest offline access, add Gmail as a Chrome shortcut on your desktop or in the Chrome launcher. The bookmark opens in its own window, skips the browser chrome, and feels like a dedicated app.
- Open Chrome and go to mail.google.com.
- Click the three-dot menu at the top right of Chrome.
- Hover over Cast, save, and share, then click Install page as app (on some Chrome versions this is under More tools, Create shortcut).
- Give the shortcut a name (Gmail is fine).
- Tick Open as window.
- Click Install (or Create on older Chrome versions).
A Gmail icon lands on your desktop (Windows), in Applications (macOS), or in Chrome’s apps launcher. Double-click it and Gmail opens in a clean window, offline-ready, no browser URL bar.
Offline Gmail on Android and iPhone
The Gmail web interface has no offline mode on mobile browsers. But the Gmail native apps for Android and iPhone work offline out of the box because they always cache recent mail locally.
On Android: open the Gmail app in airplane mode. You can read, write, archive, delete, and reply to any recently-synced email. Outgoing messages queue in the Outbox and send when airplane mode comes off. To expand the sync range, open the app, tap the hamburger menu, tap Settings, tap the account, tap Days of mail to sync, pick 30 days or more.
On iPhone: same behavior in the Gmail app. To expand the sync, tap the hamburger menu, Settings, pick the account, pick Days of mail to sync.
Both apps download attachments on demand by default. If you want attachments pre-downloaded for offline use, open each email while connected before flying out.
Troubleshoot Gmail offline not working
Three common reasons offline mode seems broken.
Cause 1: you are using an unsupported browser. Firefox and Safari do not support Gmail offline mode. The Enable offline mail tickbox will not even appear in Settings. Switch to Chrome or any Chromium-based browser (Edge, Brave, Opera, Arc) to get the feature.
Cause 2: you cleared Chrome’s site data or opened Gmail in Incognito. Offline mode uses IndexedDB, stored in Chrome’s local site data. Clearing cookies or site storage wipes it. Incognito mode never stores site data, so offline mode never activates. Reopen Gmail in a normal window and re-enable Offline in Settings.
Cause 3: Google Workspace admin has disabled offline mode. Some organizations disable the setting for compliance. The Offline tab in Settings is hidden or grayed out. Ask your IT admin whether offline mail is enabled in the Admin Console under Apps, Google Workspace, Gmail, End user access.
Quick step-by-step summary (click to expand)
- Set up Gmail offline mode on desktop. Gmail offline runs only in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or any other Chromium-based browser. Firefox and Safari do not support it. The setting lives in a dedicated Offline tab in Gmail Settings, separate from the…
- Use Gmail while offline. Once offline mode is enabled, Chrome bookmarks Gmail at mail.google.com and remembers your session. To use Gmail offline, open Chrome and go to that URL as usual, even with Wi-Fi off. The UI loads from Chrome's local…
- Bookmark Gmail offline for one-click access. For the fastest offline access, add Gmail as a Chrome shortcut on your desktop or in the Chrome launcher. The bookmark opens in its own window, skips the browser chrome, and feels like a dedicated app.
- Offline Gmail on Android and iPhone. The Gmail web interface has no offline mode on mobile browsers. But the Gmail native apps for Android and iPhone work offline out of the box because they always cache recent mail locally.
Frequently asked questions
How much disk space does Gmail offline use?
About 100-150 MB per 30 days of mail without attachments, and 500 MB to 1.5 GB per 30 days with attachments enabled. The exact size depends on how many large files your senders attach. Chrome’s storage indicator (chrome://settings/siteData) shows the live total.
Does Gmail offline work on a Chromebook?
Yes. ChromeOS includes a dedicated Gmail Offline app that uses the same IndexedDB sync as desktop Chrome. Enable offline mode the same way inside the Gmail Settings tab. Chromebooks with limited storage work best with the 7-day sync window and attachments off.
Can I use Gmail offline for more than one account at once?
Only one account per Chrome profile. If you need offline access to a second Gmail account, create a separate Chrome profile for it (click your profile picture at the top right of Chrome, pick Add). Each Chrome profile has its own offline-enabled Gmail.
Will offline Gmail sync delete emails from the server?
No. Offline mode is a local cache, not a replacement for the server copy. When you reconnect, Gmail reconciles your local changes (read status, deletes, archives) with the server. Emails you deleted offline do get deleted from the server when you reconnect, same as if you had deleted them online.
What happens to a reply I write offline if the original email was already deleted on the server?
Your reply still sends. Gmail does not require the parent message to be on the server, it only needs the recipient address and subject, both of which the reply already carries. The reply lands in the recipient’s inbox normally.
How do I turn off Gmail offline mode?
Go to Settings, See all settings, click the Offline tab, untick Enable offline mail, click Save Changes. Gmail removes the IndexedDB storage from Chrome the next time you load mail.google.com. If you want immediate removal, also run Chrome’s Clear site data for mail.google.com under Settings, Privacy and security.
Official documentation
We are hoping this setup gets you reading and replying to email next time Wi-Fi drops. If you hit an edge case not covered here (ChromeOS Flex, enterprise profiles, etc.), drop a note in the comments below.
Caren Bautista
Technical Writer at PIES IT Solution
Responsible for crafting clear, well-structured, and beginner-friendly content across the platform. Handles the writing, proofreading, and editorial review of tutorials, guides, and documentation to ensure every article is accurate, readable, and easy to follow.
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