Help Saved Gmail attachment gone from download folder after email deleted?

reisb · Apr 1, 2015

This happened on several phones. Turbo and Razr HD Maxx

I will save an attachment from an email. Say a pdf file. It is in my download folder.
If I delete the email that it came from, the entire file is now gone from download folder. I try to keep files I need and clean inbox by deleting emails.

Is there a way to avoid this?

doogald · Apr 1, 2015

Using the GMail app? I just did several trials on a Droid Maxx (similar enough to both phones) and the files remained in the downloads folder. I cannot replicate the issue.

If you use Google Drive, one of the options when you save a file is to save to Google Drive. Does that also erase the file for you?

reisb · Apr 1, 2015

Are you sure? I tried it again. Sent myself an excel file from a juno account. Deleted the email, opened ES file explorer, checked download folder, and it was still there. Checked a few minutes later and still there. Just checked again (hours later) and it's gone.

I have not tried saving to Drive yet.

I'm thinking either you didn't wait long enough or maybe the file manager has something to do with it although I think I just used stock "files" app on Razr.

doogald · Apr 1, 2015

It's still there, from 11:15am.

Thom · Apr 1, 2015

Maybe the OP has another app that is doing periodic "cleaning"?

Try running in Safe Mode for a while and see if it stops being deleted.

... Thom

reisb · Apr 2, 2015

What app would do that? I don't have any cleaning apps that I know of.

Thom · Apr 2, 2015

Very familiar sentiment ... try running in Safe Mode and see if there is a change.

... Thom

doogald · Apr 2, 2015

My attachment from yesterday is still there (again, it was saved from a message, and then I sent the message to trash on my phone.) I also have several from other Gmail messages, and though I'm not sure I've deleted those messages or not, with a 14 day sync cycle I am sure that they have rolled off the phone.

There are apps from a company called MetaCtl on the Play Store (here is their web site: https://metactrl.com/ ) that can automate syncing to online Cloud services like Dropbox, Google+, Box, OneDrive, and the syncs can be one way up (in other words, the files will not be deleted from the cloud service if they are deleted from your phone). I use the DropSync app for Dropbox for a number of folders and files on the phone, mostly for disaster recovery - if my phone needs to be factory reset I can get the settings and storage for all of my important apps, as well as my custom ringtones, backups for Nova Launcher and Action Launcher, downloaded podcasts and settings from BeyondPod, etc. These apps are reliable and if you can't solve this problem perhaps this is the answer?

Good luck, I do hope that you figure out what is going on.

reisb · Apr 2, 2015

That is so weird. Thom, how do I run safe mode?

Another question for doogald, are you sure your gmail app is deleting the emails as opposed to archiving? I know the default on the app is to archive. If that was done, then I assume it would stay.

I had to manually go into Gmail settings - general - gmail default action and change from archive to delete. Maybe that's the issue???

Thom · Apr 2, 2015

With power on ... press power button ... when dialog appears long press on Power off ... when dialog appears select OK,

... Thom

doogald · Apr 2, 2015

reisb said:
That is so weird. Thom, how do I run safe mode?

Another question for doogald, are you sure your gmail app is deleting the emails as opposed to archiving? I know the default on the app is to archive. If that was done, then I assume it would stay.

I had to manually go into Gmail settings - general - gmail default action and change from archive to delete. Maybe that's the issue???

Absolutely. I have the trash icon on the status bar when I open a message or select one from a label or mailbox, so I can either archive or delete. I use both options often (in fact, I triage my mail often by selecting known trash from my mailboxes and trashing them unread; I archive rarely, and only for messages I know I want to keep - that's probably only a few percent of my total mail). In the case of the message we are talking about, I am 100% sure that I sent it to trash. I carefully found a message with an attachment that I knew I could delete so that I could test this for you.

Safe mode: long press power as you would normally to show the power off option. However, rather than tapping "power off", long-press it until a dialog pops up asking if you want to restart in safe mode.

reisb · Apr 3, 2015

Problem is with safe mode on, I don't have access to ES explorer app and don't have a default file manager. So I can't check if file is still there.

ES explorer does have a clean option under settings, but everything is unchecked. What file manager are you guys using?

reisb · Apr 3, 2015

I clicked on the most recently saved file from the stock downloads folder while in safe mode.

It said, file or folder not found.

So maybe its a setting in gmail app?

doogald · Apr 3, 2015

I use ES File Explorer, but to check the downloads folder, doesn't the Turbo have a "Downloads" icon in the App Drawer? That goes right to a list of files in the downloads folder, and should work in safe mode.

reisb · Apr 3, 2015

That's what I ended up doing and it said file didn't exist. So something else is causing the issue.

I was thinking a gmail setting maybe? I unchecked auto download attachments to see if that helps...this is really annoying. My RAZR did the same same thing

doogald · Apr 3, 2015

reisb said:
I unchecked auto download attachments to see if that helps...t

Good idea. Maybe that's the problem, because I haven't used that option. I only save attachments when I need them (if I autodownloaded attachments my storage would be full pretty fast.)

reisb · Apr 3, 2015

doogald said:
Good idea. Maybe that's the problem, because I haven't used that option. I only save attachments when I need them (if I autodownloaded attachments my storage would be full pretty fast.)

That's the weird part. It was checked but never downloaded files that I'm aware of. I would click 3 dots and hit save.

We'll see.

reisb · Apr 3, 2015

reisb said:
That's the weird part. It was checked but never downloaded files that I'm aware of. I would click 3 dots and hit save.

We'll see.

Well that didn't work...I have no idea...

reisb · Apr 8, 2015

reisb said:
Well that didn't work...I have no idea...

I have noticed if I open the attachment and then click save as from quickoffice, the file remains.

Clicking the download button directly in the Gmail email causes file to disappear if I delete the email. Not confirmed for all, but for the last 2 i tried to save.

doogald · Apr 8, 2015

Actually, I do have auto download attachments turned on. And my attachments that I save to downloads never delete when the original email is deleted. I'm not sure why you are having a problem that I can't replicate. I hope you find the solution somehow.

apoon204 · Apr 14, 2015

Hi resib,

I am having exactly same problem after upgrading my HTC Butterfly 2 to Lollipop 5.0.
Have you figure out any idea so far?

Thanks,
Arno

reisb · Apr 14, 2015

I've been opening file and saving from app instead of from gmail.

Help Saved Gmail attachment gone from download folder after email deleted?

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