Why Choose Keith Thomas
• 20 years of experience as a Senior Apple Support Specialist at Apple Computer UK HQ.
• Former Apple Computer UK Mac Support Specialist and Apple Authorised Service Provider background.
• Established and Independent since 2010 for on‑site Apple Support Service – no call centres, no outsourcing, no hardware repairs. Over 25,000+ Apple problems resolved. Unique on-site Apple Support Service. backed up with Independent Apple Telephone Support Assistance.
• Trusted by home users, small businesses, and professionals across London and the South East UK.• Clear, honest, software‑only support. No Hardware Repairs. Expert Apple Consultancy Service.
Apple Mac Mail Keeps on Downloading GMail Messages
If Apple Mac Mail keeps on downloading messages, especially when using a Google GMail account that has a lot of messages and a lot of sent messages and a high number of deleted messages and Gmail account has been left with the default online account settings, then the problem of Apple Mac if it keeps on downloading email messages, then this can be optimised to simply limit or reduce the amount of messages that are downloaded to Apple Mac Mail,and or the number of iMap labels can be limited.. This can stop Apple Mac Mail from downloading messages.
Gmail Keeps Downloading Emails on Mac? Expert On‑Site Fixes by Keith Thomas
If Gmail in Apple Mail keeps downloading endlessly, never finishes updating, or constantly shows “Downloading Messages…”, this is a very common issue — and it’s caused by how Gmail works, not by your Mac.
Contact Keith Thomas by Telephone: 07800 940756 or by Text to: 07800 940756, or simply complete an online website contact form 24/7
Keith Thomas, an independent Apple Mac Support Specialist with over 20 years of experience, providing on‑site Apple Mac software support across London and the South East.
Keith Thomas can help fix Gmail problem for clients every right across London and the South East UK, and the good news is that it can be resolved with the correct Gmail and macOS settings.
Why Does Mac Mail keeps on Downloading Messages Especially GMail Emails on a Mac
Gmail does not use standard IMAP. Instead of folders, Gmail uses labels, and Apple Mail has to translate those labels into IMAP folders. This creates heavy background activity, especially if:
- The Gmail account is large
- “All Mail” is still exposed to IMAP
- Over 10,000 Emails on a Gmail Account – Apple Mac Mail is not designed for this!
- many labels are visible!
- Sent, Trash, and Spam are exposed
- Gmail’s category folders (Social, Promotions, Updates, Forums) are enabled
- Auto‑expunge is still turned on
- Apple Mail’s index has become corrupted
- Spotlight is indexing Mail at the same time
Any one of these can cause Apple Mail to download endlessly.
Several combined will make the problem significantly worse.
The Most Common Cause: Gmail’s “All Mail” Folder
“All Mail” contains every message you’ve ever sent or received.
If it is visible to IMAP, Apple Mail downloads your entire mailbox twice:
- once in Inbox
- once in All Mail
This is the number one cause of endless downloading.
Other Gmail Settings That Cause Endless Downloading
Too many labels which has iMap ticket or on, which can be easily be disabled
Every Gmail label becomes a separate IMAP folder. Apple Mail tries to sync all of them, which overwhelms Gmail’s IMAP connection limit.
Gmail’s category folders
Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums are large and constantly changing. If they are visible to IMAP, Mail keeps downloading.
Sent, Trash, and Spam
These folders are large in Gmail. Apple Mail already manages its own Sent and Trash, so Gmail’s versions only duplicate data.
Is Auto‑expunge ON?
If Auto‑expunge is enabled, Gmail rewrites message states constantly. Apple Mail sees these changes and re-downloads messages repeatedly.
macOS Settings That Make the Problem Worse
Even with Gmail configured correctly, macOS Mail can still struggle if:
- Mail Privacy Protection is enabled
- Spotlight is indexing the Mail folder
- the Envelope Index is damaged
- Mail is set to download all attachments
- Mail is checking for new messages too frequently
These settings increase background load and slow down Gmail sync.
How Keith Thomas Fixes Gmail Endless Downloading
When visiting a client on‑site, I follow a precise, proven routine:
- Check Gmail IMAP settings
- Hide All Mail from IMAP
- Hide unused labels
- Hide category folders
- Hide Sent, Trash, and Spam
- Turn off Auto‑expunge
- Set IMAP folder size limits to 1000 from 20,000 or fom Unlimited
Optimise macOS Mac Mail settings for Gmail accounts
- Disable Mail Privacy Protection
- Exclude Mail from Spotlight
- Rebuild the Envelope Index if needed – Use the Apple Mac Mail Rebuild option in Mac Mail
Once these steps are completed, Gmail stops downloading endlessly and Apple Mail becomes fast and stable.
Why This Problem Happens on Mac but Not on iPhone
iPhone Mail uses a different sync engine to Apple Mac Mail that:
- downloads less
- indexes less
- opens fewer IMAP connections
- handles labels more efficiently
macOS Mail uses the full desktop IMAP engine, which is heavier and more sensitive to Gmail’s IMAP quirks.
When to Call Keith Thomas for On‑Site Support
Professional help is recommended if:
- Gmail never finishes downloading
- Apple Mail constantly shows “Updating…”
- Mail freezes when switching folders
- Gmail has thousands of emails or many labels
- You rely on Gmail for business or Google Workspace
- You want the problem fixed properly without trial and error
Keith Thomas provides on‑site Apple Mac software support across:
- London
- Surrey
- Hampshire
- Berkshire
- Wiltshire
On‑Site Apple Mac Support for Gmail and Apple Mail
If Gmail keeps downloading endlessly on your Mac, Keith Thomas can fix it quickly and professionally.
You’ll receive expert, software‑only Apple Mac support from Keith Thomas, Established 2010, with over 20 years of Apple experience.
Contact Keith Thomas by Telephone: 07800 940756 or by Text to: 07800 940756, or simply complete an online website contact form 24/7
How can I stop Apple Mac Mail from downloading GMail messages?
Apple Mac mail supports iMap technology and GMail supports its own technology, however you can customise how Gmail works with Apple Mac Mail to help stop it from having to keep on downloading Gmail messages. This is done online by making changes to the Gmail account settings.
Why does Apple Mac Mail keep on downloading my email messages, I use a Google Gmail email account email address?
If you have a large amount of Gmail email messages, and the Gmail online account settings are left as the default settings, then Apple Mac Mail has a huge task to keep the Gmail account emails updated
Contact Keith Thomas by Telephone: 07800 940756 or by Text to: 07800 940756, or simply complete an online website contact form 24/7