Gmail links not working on Android? Check these solutions

Opening email links shouldn’t be an issue, regardless of what device you have. However, some users report that Gmail links are not working on Android. It seems that some of them can’t open links in certain emails while others have a hard time opening links at all. We made sure to list some common solutions below.

Table of contents:

1. Make sure that the email is not marked as Spam
2. Use the default browser to open links
3. Clear Gmail local data and reset app preferences
4. Uninstall updates from Android WebView and update the app

Why won’t my email links open?

Check if the emails in question are not spam. After that, disable the in-app browser, clear Gmail data, and reset the Android Webview.

1. Make sure that the email is not marked as Spam

If your Gmail client marked some emails as Spam (or you did it by accident), you won’t be able to open links they contain for security reasons. So, make sure to check if the email or the sender is not flagged as spam, and try opening links again.

If that doesn’t work, try disabling the built-in Gmail browser and using the default browser to open email links.

2. Use the default browser to open links

By default, Gmail on Android will use the built-in web browser to open email links. It usually works like so many other apps that use built-in browsers. However, you can try switching to the default browser and give it another go. It doesn’t really matter if the default browser is Chrome or some different browser.

Here’s how to disable the default Gmail browser on your Android:

1. Open Gmail.
2. Tap on the hamburger menu (3 vertical lines) and open Settings.
3. Tap General settings.
4. Uncheck the Open web links in Gmail.

3. Clear Gmail local data and reset app preferences

The next step you can take is clearing local data from the app and resetting app preferences. Besides resetting the app, you’ll reset to the default opening links associations and, hopefully, fix the issue in the process.

Here’s how to clear data from Gmail and reset app preferences on your Android:

1. Tap Settings.
2. Open Apps.
3. Open Gmail.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear Data and confirm.
6. Get back to Apps and tap on the 3-dots menu in the top right corner.
7. Tap Reset app preferences and confirm.
8. Open Gmail and check if you can open links in emails.

4. Uninstall updates from Android WebView and update the app

Finally, if none of the previous steps worked for you and Gmail links are still not working (opening) on Android, make sure to reset the Android WebView and try again. Not so long ago, a lot of users had a hard time with apps that rely on Android WebView to open web links.

In the meantime, Google fixed the problem with an updated version of the app. That’s why we suggest updating the app or rather, going a step further, uninstalling updates and then updating the app.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Play Store.
2. Search for Android WebView and expand the app.
3. Tap Uninstall.
4. Restart your device and get right back to the Play Store.
5. Update Android WebView.

Also, you can always use the desktop site mode in Chrome (or another Android browser) and access Gmail for Web that way. While in Chrome, just tap on the 3-dots menu and check the Desktop Site box. Look for Gmail and try accessing email links that way.

With that said, we can call it a wrap. Thank you for reading and feel free to share alternative solutions or questions in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.