This message has been partially downloaded issue

Question

I connected my gmail account - ******@scorevolunteer.org to my Microsoft Outlook for Mac software. Everything was working well until recently when I started receiving the following message -

"This message has been partially downloaded from server" I tried using the Outlook web application. It required that I set up a outlook.com email which I set up as ******@outlook.com. I then tried to link the account to my GMail account but it doesn't give me the option to add an account.

I also deleted my security software thinking it was causing the problem but that hasn't helped. Can you please help me.

Thank you

Answer 1

The partial download message usually indicates Outlook is not fully syncing with Gmail. For a Gmail account in Outlook for Mac, focus on fixing the connection between Outlook and Google rather than using an Outlook.com address as a middle layer.

Use these steps that are supported in the context:

1. Verify IMAP is enabled in Gmail
   • In a browser, sign in to the Gmail account.
   • Select Settings (gear icon) → See all settings.
   • Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
   • Under IMAP access, make sure Enable IMAP is selected.
   • Select Save Changes.
2. Confirm server settings match Google’s IMAP/SMTP requirements In Outlook for Mac, open the Gmail account settings and verify they match:
   • Incoming mail (IMAP) server: imap.gmail.com
     • SSL: Yes
     • Port: 993
   • Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: smtp.gmail.com
     • SSL: Yes
     • TLS: Yes (if available)
     • Authentication: Yes
     • Port for SSL: 465, or Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587
   • Username: full Gmail address
   • Password: Gmail password (or app password if using that in Google).
3. Reconnect the Google account to the Microsoft cloud if needed If Outlook still has trouble syncing, remove the Gmail account from Outlook for Mac and add it again using the built‑in Google account flow so that Outlook can re‑establish permissions with Google.
4. If using Outlook.com as a connector If the Gmail account is being connected through Outlook.com instead of directly in Outlook for Mac, open Manage Connected Accounts in Outlook.com and ensure the Gmail account is configured there with the same IMAP/SMTP settings above.

If, after these steps, messages still show as partially downloaded, remove the Gmail account from Outlook for Mac and re‑add it directly as a Google/IMAP account so Outlook can rebuild the local cache from the server.

---

References:

• Fix problems connecting your Google account to the Microsoft Cloud
• Connected email accounts like Gmail and Yahoo not working in Outlook.com