Why are my Gmail emails going to the wrong tabs?

Gmail's filtering system malfunctioned, causing emails from the Promotions or Social tabs to incorrectly appear in the Primary inbox.

What is causing the Gmail inbox overload today?

A glitch in Gmail's filtering system has mixed promotional and social emails into the Primary inbox, leading to an overloaded inbox for many users.

How can I fix emails going to the wrong Gmail tab?

Users can manually drag misfiled emails to the correct tab and set preferences for future messages, though a wider fix from Google is anticipated.

Home / Technology / Gmail Filter Fiasco: Inbox Overrun!

Gmail Filter Fiasco: Inbox Overrun!

24 Jan

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Summary

Gmail's filtering system malfunctioned, mixing emails between tabs.
Users experienced an influx of promotional and social emails in their primary inbox.
Google's support team has not yet provided a clear resolution to the issue.

Gmail's email filtering system experienced a significant malfunction on January 24, 2026, causing messages typically categorized into the Promotions or Social tabs to incorrectly appear in the Primary inbox. This widespread glitch has led to user frustration, with many describing their inboxes as "overloaded" and the situation as "extremely annoying." Social media platforms, particularly X, saw a surge of complaints regarding the broken filters and the "weird" behavior of spam detection. Users reported promotional emails and newsletters being mixed with critical communications. Google's support team, responding to user inquiries, has been directing affected individuals to support pages or requesting direct messages for troubleshooting, indicating a lack of an immediate fix. The tabbed inbox feature, a staple since 2013, aims to separate marketing content from essential messages. While users can manually correct misfiled emails by dragging them to the appropriate tab and setting preferences, the expectation is for Google to implement a swift resolution to prevent ongoing manual sorting.