Outlook does not show "sent" and other folder in gmail

Question

Outlook does not show "sent" and other folder in gmail

Sheldon Wolfe 20

In Outlook, for my gmail account, some of the folders agree with what's in gmail: Inbox, Deleted Items, Junk Email, and folders I created. Other folders, such as "Sent Items" show nothing. How do I get the folders in Outlook to match with those in gmail?

Sheldon Wolfe 20 Reputation points

2026-11-08T03:23:28.7833333+00:00

Thanks for checking back; I'm getting nowhere.

In Gmail settings, I have several, but not all, labels as "Show in IMAP."

"Also right-click the Gmail account, select IMAP Folders, choose Query, and confirm that Gmail’s Sent Mail folder is subscribed."

Where do I right-click the Gmail account?

Things were working fine until a year or so ago. I called both MS and Apple help, and agents modified my accounts to get things working. Unfortunately, it seems each time they fixed one thing, something else stopped working okay. In Outlook, I was able to see all of the Gmail labels at one time. Now, in the main data file, I see the sent items folder, but it's empty, with a note "Nothing in Sent. When you send a message they'll appear here." Except they don't. In Gmail, I can see everything.

3 answers

Your answer

Sheldon Wolfe 20 Reputation points

2026-11-08T03:23:28.7833333+00:00

Thanks for checking back; I'm getting nowhere.

In Gmail settings, I have several, but not all, labels as "Show in IMAP."

"Also right-click the Gmail account, select IMAP Folders, choose Query, and confirm that Gmail’s Sent Mail folder is subscribed."

Where do I right-click the Gmail account?

Things were working fine until a year or so ago. I called both MS and Apple help, and agents modified my accounts to get things working. Unfortunately, it seems each time they fixed one thing, something else stopped working okay. In Outlook, I was able to see all of the Gmail labels at one time. Now, in the main data file, I see the sent items folder, but it's empty, with a note "Nothing in Sent. When you send a message they'll appear here." Except they don't. In Gmail, I can see everything.

Answer 1

For a Gmail account in Outlook, the missing or empty folders usually come from Gmail IMAP folder visibility and Gmail-to-Outlook folder mapping.

Try these steps:

In Gmail on the web, open Settings > See all settings > Labels.
Under the system labels, make sure All Mail, Drafts, Sent Mail, Spam, and Trash are enabled for Show in IMAP.
Save the changes in Gmail.
In Outlook, let the Gmail account resync.

If Sent Items in classic Outlook for Windows still shows duplicates or unread items, Outlook may be saving a copy while the Gmail server also creates one. In that case, turn off Outlook’s local sent-copy behavior:

In Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
Select the Gmail IMAP account, then select Change.
Select Don’t save copies of sent items.
Select Next, then Done.

Also note that for connected Gmail accounts, All Mail may appear as Archive in Outlook rather than as a separate All Mail folder.

References:

Answer 2

Thomas4-N 23,160 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Sheldon Wolfe,

First, check whether the missing messages appear in Gmail on the web under Sent Mail.

If they are there, Gmail has stored them correctly and the issue is likely Outlook’s IMAP folder mapping. In Classic Outlook, expand the Gmail account and check whether the messages appear under another folder such as [Gmail] > Sent Mail. Also right-click the Gmail account, select IMAP Folders, choose Query, and confirm that Gmail’s Sent Mail folder is subscribed.

Microsoft also recommends enabling Show in IMAP for Sent Mail under Gmail Settings > See all settings > Labels:

Fix problems connecting your Google account to the Microsoft Cloud

If Sent Mail is visible in Gmail and subscribed in Outlook but remains empty, please confirm that detail. A closely matching case indicates that Outlook’s local Gmail folder mapping or cache may then need to be reset:

Sent items in Gmail do not show in Outlook

Thomas4-N 23,160 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-31T09:22:11.1833333+00:00

Hello Sheldon Wolfe,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.
Sheldon Wolfe 20 Reputation points

2026-11-08T03:20:31.9033333+00:00

Thanks for checking back; I'm getting nowhere.

In Gmail settings, I have several, but not all, labels as "Show in IMAP."

"Also right-click the Gmail account, select IMAP Folders, choose Query, and confirm that Gmail’s Sent Mail folder is subscribed."

Where do I right-click the Gmail account?

Things were working fine until a year or so ago. I called both MS and Apple help, and agents modified my accounts to get things working. Unfortunately, it seems each time they fixed one thing, something else stopped working okay. In Outlook, I was able to see all of the Gmail labels at one time. Now, in the main data file, I see the sent items folder, but it's empty, with a note "Nothing in Sent. When you send a message they'll appear here." Except they don't. In Gmail, I can see everything.
Thomas4-N 23,160 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-08T08:00:57.3533333+00:00
Hello Sheldon Wolfe,

Thanks for the follow-up.

To clarify my earlier instructions, in Classic Outlook, look at the folder list on the left side of the window.

Find your Gmail account near the top of the folder list, above its Inbox and other folders.

Right-click the Gmail account name and select IMAP Folders.

Click Query to display the available folders.

Look for Gmail's Sent Mail folder. If it appears but isn't subscribed, select it and click Subscribe.

Since your sent messages are still visible in Gmail, we know they haven't disappeared.

Could you let me know whether Sent Mail appears in that IMAP folder list and whether it's already subscribed?

Answer 3

Hal Hostetler MVP-Outlook 12,016 MVP Volunteer Moderator

Have you tried setting a root folder in your Gmail account? Please have a look at this article:

https://robert365.com/article/gmailroot

Adding a root folder will greatly simplify the folder view and eliminates the confusing [Gmail] list. No folders are deleted in this process, as described in the article.

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