Why Sent Emails Might Appear in Your Drafts Folder and How to Stop It

If you’re noticing that some of your sent emails are ending up in your Drafts folder instead of your Sent folder, you’re not alone, and you’re definitely not imagining things. This is a surprisingly common issue across different platforms, particularly with Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, and mobile apps like iOS Mail. Fortunately, there are several well-known causes, each with its own fix.

Let’s break down what’s going on and how to stop your Drafts folder from becoming the unintentional Sent folder.

It’s Not Always a Bug, Sometimes It’s a Feature

Before diving into technical fixes, it’s worth checking whether your email client is doing this on purpose.

Undo Send Feature

• Many platforms (like Outlook and Gmail) offer an “Undo Send” feature.
• When enabled, the system saves the email temporarily in Drafts before sending it.
• Normally, this is seamless, but if something interrupts the send process (like closing your laptop too fast), the email can get stuck there.

Solution: Disable or shorten the Undo Send time.

• In Outlook.com: Settings > Mail > Compose and reply > Undo Send.
• In Gmail: Settings > General > Undo Send > Set to 0 seconds (or disable).

Common Causes and Fixes

1. Unstable Internet Connection

Your message may be written and queued to send, but if your connection drops at the wrong moment, the app saves the message to Drafts.

Solution:

• Reconnect to a stable Wi-Fi or cellular network.
• Confirm the email didn’t send despite being in Drafts. (Check your Sent folder).
• Resend from Drafts if needed.

2. Server or Sync Glitches

Especially with IMAP-based accounts or Exchange servers, poor synchronization can result in messages being saved locally as drafts even after being sent.

Symptoms:

• Emails stuck in Drafts even after sending.
• Email appears in both Drafts and Sent folders.
• Some sent messages don’t show up at all in Sent.

Solution:

• Restart the email app.
• On Outlook: remove and re-add your account to re-sync settings.
• For Gmail or Apple Mail, ensure IMAP is enabled and properly configured.
• Check your mail server’s status page for any known issues.

3. Storage Capacity Issues

If your mailbox is full, especially common in enterprise accounts or Outlook/Exchange setups, the client may silently fail to send and drop your draft back into Drafts.

Solution:

• Free up space by deleting old emails or attachments.
• Empty your Deleted and Junk folders too.
• For Microsoft users, do this online if the desktop client isn’t cooperating.

4. Bad or Malformed Email Addresses

If the “To” field contains improperly formatted or invalid addresses, the email client may refuse to send the message without always telling you why.

Real-world example:

A user copied two email addresses into the field without separating them properly, causing the email to silently fail and save as a draft.

Solution:

• Double-check for stray characters, commas, or angle brackets.
• Always separate multiple email addresses with semicolons or commas, depending on your client.

5. Conflicting Add-ins or Software

Outlook add-ins, antivirus programs, or third-party firewalls can interfere with outgoing email behavior.

Solution:

• Disable unnecessary Outlook add-ins one at a time.
• Temporarily disable your antivirus and try resending an email.
• Add your email client to any “safe list” or exception in your firewall.

6. Outlook Profile or Data Corruption

A corrupted Outlook profile or PST/OST file can lead to weird symptoms like sent emails ending up in Drafts.

Solution:

• Run the Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe).
• Create a new Outlook profile and re-add your account.
• Back up your mail before attempting repairs.

7. Rules and Filters

Outlook and other clients allow for automated rules. Sometimes, these rules accidentally move emails to Drafts or stop them from sending.

Solution:

• In Outlook: Go to Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts and review each rule.
• Disable any rule that mentions drafts, delays, or specific keywords you’re not intentionally targeting.

Mobile-Specific Causes

iOS Mail:
If you’re using the Apple Mail app on iPhone or iPad and you’ve enabled “Store Drafts on Server,” it could lead to conflicts where sent emails appear in Drafts on one device and not on others.

Fix:

• Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > [Your Account] > Advanced > Store Drafts on Server.
• Disable this option.

This simple setting has resolved headaches for many users.

Other Things to Check

• Deleted the Original Thread? If you reply to an email and then delete the original conversation thread, some email clients may treat your reply as unsent and return it to Drafts.
• Shared/Delegated Mailboxes: Sending as a delegated user or shared mailbox can behave differently, depending on permissions and synchronization.
• Delayed Send Settings: You may have a delay rule enabled, check that as well.

The Bottom Line

Your sent emails winding up in the Drafts folder might seem like a glitch, but it’s usually a symptom of something deeper: a sync delay, a faulty setting, a malformed address, or even low storage. In some cases, it’s user error, closing the app too quickly or not realizing you’re offline.

To resolve the issue, work through the following checklist:

• Check Undo Send and Draft settings.
• Confirm the email address is correct.
• Look for it in Sent anyway, sometimes it sends and saves a copy to Drafts.
• Free up mailbox space.
• Try sending from the web version instead of a desktop app.
• Clear app caches on mobile, or reinstall the app.

And if all else fails, contact your email provider’s support team or your workplace IT department, they can check server logs and find out exactly what’s going on.

The key is not to assume the email didn’t send just because it’s in Drafts. Always check your Sent folder first. That alone could save you a lot of re-sending and second-guessing.