Fix: ‘Message has not been downloaded from the server’ Error

The error message “Message has not been downloaded from the server” in your email app means it couldn’t get the full email from the server. This often happens because of a bad internet connection, wrong email settings, or server issues.

Software bugs or old apps can also cause this error.

In this article, we will talk about different solutions to solve this error.

1. Relaunch the Mail App After Force Closing It

A temporary glitch between the iPhone’s Mail app and the email server might cause the message download issue. To resolve this, force close and relaunch the Mail app. This action clears minor issues and refreshes its connection to the server, enabling it to try downloading messages again.

1. Open the Mail app on your iPhone and view an email that previously showed “This Message has not been downloaded from the server.”
2. Hold the Home button for 7 to 10 seconds until the Mail app closes and the Home screen appears.

   

3. Reopen the Mail app and see if it works properly.
4. If not, force close the Mail app again and turn off Wi-Fi in Settings.
5. Restart your phone and enable Mobile Data.
6. Open the Mail app and check if the issue is resolved.

2. Update the iOS of Your iPhone to the Latest Build

If your iPhone’s iOS is not updated to the latest version, it may have compatibility issues with the email server, causing the problem. In this case, updating your iPhone’s iOS to the latest version may resolve the issue. Before updating, make sure to create a backup of your iPhone in case the update does not go well or has bugs.

1. Charge your iPhone and connect it to a Wi-Fi network if the update size is large.
2. Open iPhone Settings and select General.

   

3. Go to Software Update to check if there is an available iOS update.

   

4. If an update is available, download and install it.
5. After the update, restart your iPhone and check if the email download issue is resolved.

3. Set the Mail Preview to 5 Lines

Changing the mail preview to 5 lines can help the app load message content better. By downloading less data at first, the app uses less bandwidth and processing power, which can fix loading problems, especially with slow or unstable connections. This change makes it more likely for emails to load correctly without errors.

1. Open iPhone Settings and go to Mail.

   

2. In the Message List section, tap on Preview and choose 5 Lines.

   

3. Restart your iPhone and check if the mail download issue is resolved.
4. If that doesn’t work and you use custom folders, try removing special characters, like a tilde (~), from the folder names to see if it fixes the error.

4. Enable Fetch in the Phone’s Settings

To make sure your emails load consistently, set your phone to “Fetch,” so it checks for new messages regularly. This keeps your inbox updated and reduces delays from server sync issues, helping fix the “Message has not been downloaded from the server” error.

1. Open iPhone Settings and go to Passwords & Accounts.

   

2. Select Fetch New Data and turn Push to off.

   

3. Enable Fetch and set it to Automatically. You might need to tap on the problematic account and select Fetch.

   

4. Set all other accounts that show Push to Fetch and restart the iPhone.
5. After restarting, check if the message download issue is resolved.

5. Enable Download Complete in Send/Receive Group Settings

Emails may not fully download due to limited sync settings. Enable “Download Complete Item including Attachments” in your settings to ensure your email app gets the whole message, avoiding the “Message has not been downloaded from the server” error.

1. Open Outlook and go to the File menu.
2. Navigate to the Options tab, then open the Advanced tab.

   

3. In the Send/Receive section, click Send/Receive and select All Accounts or select the problematic account if listed.

   

4. Click Edit and in the left pane, select the problematic account.

   

5. Under Receive Mail Items, select Download Complete Items Including Attachments for Subscribed Folders.

   

6. Apply the changes and restart your system.
7. After restarting, check if the message download issue is resolved.

6. Enable ‘Recent Mode’ of Gmail

Switching Gmail to “Recent Mode” makes sure your email app gets only the newest messages. This prevents sync issues that make emails look undownloaded and ensures you don’t miss messages because of old data.

1. Open the Account Settings for Gmail in your email client, like Outlook, and in the Email tab, double-click on the Gmail address.

   

2. In the Account Name box, add “recent:” before your account name, e.g., if your account name is testuser@gmail.com, change it to recent:testuser@gmail.com.

   

3. Click Next and after the settings update, click Done.

   

4. Restart your system and check if the message download issue is resolved. iPhone users may need to enable Use Recent Mode in Settings >> Mail >> Gmail.
5. If that’s not working, check if disabling IMAP on the Gmail website resolves the issue.

7. Enable ‘Keep the Copy on the Server’ Setting

To keep your emails accessible, enable the “Keep a Copy on the Server” setting. This creates a backup on the email server, so you can access your messages from any device, even if your local app has problems.

1. Open the Mail app and go to Preferences.
2. Go to the Accounts tab and select the problematic account.
3. Navigate to the Advanced tab and uncheck Remove Copy from Server After Retrieving the Message. Some devices may have options like “never delete from server” or “leave a copy on the server”.

   

4. Close the Mail Preferences window and restart your system.
5. Repeat this on all other email clients on your devices, then check if the message download issue is resolved.

Keep in mind that after enabling this setting, if you delete a message from the Deleted folder on your phone or computer, that email message may be removed from the other device as well, and if you try to access that message on the other device, that may cause the message download issue.

8. Disable Anti-Spam Product of Your Device

Sometimes, anti-spam software can wrongly block real emails, causing download issues. Temporarily turning off your device’s anti-spam lets emails through, helping you check if filtering is the problem. Remember to turn it back on afterward to keep your device secure.

Warning: Proceed at your own risk as disabling the anti-spam or security product of your system/device may expose the system to threats like viruses, trojans, etc.

1. Open the GFI MailEssentials Switchboard and go to the Troubleshooting tab.
2. In Enable/Disable Email Processing, click Disable, then click Yes in the Service Restart Required dialog.

   

3. Open the email client and check if the server message download issue is resolved.

9. Re-Add the Email Account to the Mail App

The Mail app may fail to download messages from the email servers due to a temporary communication glitch or corruption of the email account on the device. In this case, turning the email account off and on or re-adding the email account to the Mail app may solve the problem.

9.1 Turn Off and Turn on the Email Account

1. Go to iPhone Settings and open Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

   

2. Select the problematic account and switch Mail to off.

   

3. Wait until the account’s emails no longer appear in the Mail client.

   

4. Restart your iPhone, then turn on the email account.
5. Wait for the email to sync, then check if the message download issue is resolved.

9.2 Re-Add the Email Account

1. Go to iPhone Settings and open Mail (or Passwords and Accounts).
2. Tap on Accounts and choose the problematic email account.
3. Select Delete Account and confirm by tapping Delete from My iPhone.

   

4. Restart your iPhone and re-add the account (for Gmail, use a type other than POP3) to the Mail app and see if it works.
5. If needed, and your account uses 2-Factor Authentication, check if disabling 2FA solves the issue.
6. If the problem continues, try switching between POP3 or IMAP account types to resolve it.

10. Reinstall the Mail App

Reinstalling the Mail app resets it, fixing any problems with its files or settings. This also updates the app to the latest version, making it work better and improving message downloads.

1. Open the iPhone menu and press/hold the Mail app until a pop-up menu appears.
2. Select Delete App from the pop-up, and then confirm to delete the Mail app.

   

3. Restart your iPhone and after it restarts, open the Apple App Store.

   

4. Search for Mail and install the iPhone Mail app.
5. Open the Mail app and set it up according to your needs.
6. Check if the Mail app can download messages from the servers.

11. Check the Mailbox Size Limit on Your Email Account

Many email providers limit how much data your mailbox can hold. If you exceed this limit, your device might not be able to download new messages.

1. Open your email provider‘s website and log in to your account.
2. Look for notifications or settings showing your mailbox usage.
   
3. If you’re near capacity, delete unnecessary emails or archive old messages to free up space.
4. After cleaning up, refresh or restart your Mail app and see if new messages download correctly.

12. Verify Your Email Account’s Server Settings

Incorrect server settings can stop the email app from downloading messages. Checking and updating these settings makes sure your device can connect to the server correctly, so messages load properly.

1. Open the Settings app on your device and go to your email account’s settings.
2. Check the incoming (IMAP/POP3) and outgoing (SMTP) server details, including port numbers and SSL settings.
3. If unsure of the correct settings, visit your email provider’s support website or contact customer service.
4. After verifying and correcting settings, save changes and try downloading emails again.

13. Large Email Attachments May Cause Download Issues

Large attachments can slow down your email app, especially with a weak connection or full storage. Removing these attachments or using a faster connection can help reduce download problems and speed up email loading.

1. Open your email in a web browser or another email client that can handle large emails.
2. Find the email with the large attachment and check its size.
3. If it’s too large, ask the sender to compress the file or use a cloud service to share it.
4. After adjusting the attachment size, re-download the email in your main client to see if it works.