Send & Receive Issues

How to Fix Gmail Emails Not Arriving in Office 365

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

Office 365 users are unable to receive emails sent from external Gmail accounts due to potential filtering, mail flow, or DNS misconfigurations.

Product: Office 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Receiving emails from external Gmail accounts to an Office 365 inbox.
Observed behavior: Messages successfully sent from Gmail accounts are not arriving in the recipient's Office 365 inbox.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ask the Gmail sender if they received any bounce-back messages or Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs), as the error codes inside can immediately pinpoint the cause of the delivery failure.

Solution 1Recommended

Perform Basic Inbox and Sender Checks

Start with simple user-level checks to ensure the email wasn't mistakenly filtered or blocked by local settings before escalating to administrator tools.

Often, missing emails are simply routed to the wrong folder or blocked by restrictive organizational rules.

Check the Junk Email folder

Log into your Office 365 Outlook account, navigate to your folders, and click on the 'Junk Email' folder to see if the Gmail messages were mistakenly flagged as spam.

Ask the sender for bounce-back messages

Contact the Gmail sender through an alternative method to verify if they received a Non-Delivery Report (NDR). If they did, ask them to provide the exact error code.

Verify external sender limitations

Confirm with your internal IT team if there are any specific organizational restrictions or Exchange rules preventing users from receiving emails from external domains.

Check Your Outlook Version: Ensure your Outlook client is fully updated and successfully syncing with the Exchange server. You can verify this by checking the connection status at the bottom right of the Outlook window.

Solution 2

Run an Exchange Message Trace (For Microsoft 365 Admins)

If you have Microsoft 365 business administrator privileges, use the Exchange Admin Center to trace the exact routing and status of the missing emails.

Solution 3

Verify Domain DNS Records

Incorrect DNS settings for your Office 365 domain can cause incoming emails from providers like Gmail to be rejected or lost.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for a Seamless Productivity Experience

While you troubleshoot your Microsoft 365 email delivery issues, consider switching to WPS Office for your document needs. It's a completely free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative to Microsoft Office that ensures your workflow remains uninterrupted without subscription fees.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installation package for your operating system.
2. Install the Suite: Run the installer and follow the simple on-screen instructions to set up WPS Office on your device in minutes.
3. Open Your Documents: Launch WPS Office and directly open your existing Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files without losing any formatting.

Free and lightweight office suite for all platformsFully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formatsFamiliar user interface for seamless migration and zero learning curveBuilt-in PDF editing, merging, and conversion tools

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my Gmail emails going straight to the Office 365 junk folder?

Office 365's Exchange Online Protection (EOP) might flag external Gmail addresses as spam if the content triggers filtering rules, if there is an unusual volume of mail, or if the sender's reputation is poor. Adding the specific Gmail sender to your Safe Senders list in Outlook can resolve this.

What is a Message Trace in Microsoft 365?

A Message Trace is an administrative tool in the Exchange Admin Center that tracks email messages as they travel through your Exchange Online organization. It helps administrators pinpoint exactly if a message was received, rejected, deferred, quarantined, or delivered to the user's inbox.

Can domain DNS records affect incoming emails from Gmail?

Yes. If your domain's MX (Mail Exchanger) records are incorrectly configured, missing, or pointing to outdated servers, Office 365 will not be able to receive incoming emails from external domains like Gmail, and the sender will eventually receive a bounce-back error.

Outlook & Email Problems