Rarely, this error message pairs with another stating “Cannot Get Mail” and when one is fixed the other pops up instead. Some services seem more prone to this happening than others, for example Mail app with Outlook and Hotmail seem to more frequently encounter the “message not downloaded” error message compared to Gmail.

There could be any number of reasons from this, from how the services are configured, to behind the scenes stuff, to temporary blips in communication between the device and server, to brief server downtime, or a hiccup in your internet connection. Why does “This message has not been downloaded from the server” error happen? Now relaunch Mail app and return to the email message that was showing the message download error, it should be able to download just fine now, allowing you to read the email message.įor example, here’s a loaded email message that, before restart, had failed to load:Īnd the example message with the “This message has not been downloaded from the server” error message: Restarting iPhone or iPad often remedies the “message not downloaded” mail error, and it’s actually the first troubleshooting trick I use when I run into this error in Mail app somewhat regularly on my iPhone.įor modern iPhone & iPad with Face ID: Press Volume Up, then press Volume Down, then press and hold down the Power/Lock button until you see the  Apple logo on the screen to force a restart.įor older iPhone & iPad models with Home buttons: Press and hold the Home button and Power button until you see the  Apple logo. Now relaunch Mail app and try to open the email message again. On the latest iPhone and iPad models without a Home button, swipe up from the very bottom of the screen to pull up the app switcher, locate the Mail app, then swipe up on Mail app to force quit it. Sometimes quitting and relaunching the Mail app is enough to resolve the ‘message not downloaded’ problem. 2: Quit and relaunch Mail app on iPhone or iPad This goes without saying, but your iPhone or iPad must be online with an active internet connection to be able to retrieve email.Ĭonfirm you have a wi-fi or cellular connection that is active (by visiting a website like this one). If you encounter the “message not downloaded from server” error message in Mail on iPhone or iPad, read along to fix and troubleshoot the problem so that you can see the email as intended.

Mac mini mail server