Google Workspace email problems have a specific diagnostic order worth following, because several of the most common causes are Workspace-platform-specific rather than generic email issues.
Step 1: Check Google's Workspace Status Dashboard
Before troubleshooting your own configuration, check Google's public Workspace Status Dashboard for any active service disruption — Google's own infrastructure occasionally has regional or service-specific outages, and ruling this out first saves time chasing a configuration problem that doesn't actually exist.
Step 2: Verify MX Records Still Point to Google
A domain-level change (a DNS provider migration, an accidental edit) can silently revert or alter MX records without anyone noticing until mail stops flowing. Confirm current MX records still match Google's expected values exactly — this is a frequent, easily overlooked cause after any unrelated DNS or hosting change.
Step 3: Check the Specific User's Storage Quota
A single user hitting their storage limit affects only that person, which can look confusing if you're troubleshooting "email isn't working" as if it's domain-wide when it's actually one full mailbox. Check the specific affected user's storage in the Admin console before assuming a broader problem.
Step 4: Look for Forwarding Loops or Misconfigured Rules
A forwarding rule set to send mail to an address that itself forwards back, or a filter rule that unintentionally deletes incoming mail matching overly broad criteria, causes mail to seem to vanish. Check Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, and Filters and Blocked Addresses, for anything that doesn't match what you'd expect.
Step 5: Check Third-Party App Permissions
If a connected app (a CRM, a marketing tool) suddenly can't send or read mail through a user's Workspace account, a revoked or expired OAuth permission is a common, Workspace-specific cause — check Security > API controls in the Admin console for any app whose access shows as revoked or needing re-authorization.
Step 6: Check for Admin-Level Restrictions
Workspace admins can set organization-wide sending or receiving restrictions (a compliance rule, an accidentally-enabled outbound gateway setting) that affects specific users or groups without being obvious from the affected user's own account settings. If only certain users or a specific department is affected while others work fine, an admin-level group policy is a likely cause worth checking before assuming individual misconfiguration.
If All of the Above Check Out
At that point, Google's own support (or your Workspace reseller's support, if purchased through one) is the right next step with a specific, already-narrowed description of what you've ruled out — a support ticket that says "MX confirmed correct, no storage issue, no forwarding rule, status dashboard clean" gets a faster, more targeted response than a vague "email isn't working."
Keeping a Simple Incident Log
For a team that hits Workspace issues more than rarely, keeping a short log of what happened, which step in this checklist found the cause, and how it was resolved builds a reference that speeds up diagnosis the next time a similar symptom appears — most recurring email issues in a given organization trace back to a small, repeatable set of causes specific to that domain's own configuration history.
