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Gmail Bug Report: How to Deal With Stuck Filter Chips That Won't Delete

#gmail #bug #ux #productivity

Gmail Bug Report: Persistent Filter Chips That Won't Delete

If you're a Gmail power user, you may have encountered a frustrating UI bug where filter chips like 'is:starred' and 'is:drafts' appear at the top of your inbox and refuse to go away—no matter what you do.

The Problem

Two persistent filter chips appear at the top of the Gmail inbox:

  • is:starred
  • is:drafts

These chips won't delete, persist across browser refreshes, and appear in multiple sessions. There's no visible delete button, and no UI method seems to remove them.

What Makes This Frustrating

  1. No Delete Button: The chips don't have a visible X button or delete option
  2. Toggle Behavior: Clicking on the chip only toggles it ON/OFF instead of removing it
  3. Persistent: Hard refresh (Cmd+Shift+R) doesn't remove them
  4. Confusing UX: Users may think their inbox is being filtered when it's not
  5. Space Wasting: These chips take up valuable inbox UI space

What I Tried

  • Looking for X button on the chips ❌
  • Right-clicking for context menu ❌
  • Clicking the chip to delete it ❌
  • Using keyboard shortcuts ❌
  • Hard refreshing the browser ❌
  • Checking Settings > Filters & Blocked Addresses ❌
  • Using Chrome DevTools to inspect ❌

None of these methods worked.

Technical Analysis

These chips appear to be:

  • UI elements stuck in the interface (not active filters)
  • Possible leftover from advanced search state
  • Potentially debugging code left in production
  • A feature that wasn't fully implemented

The actual inbox content displays normally (showing all emails), which suggests these are just visual artifacts rather than functional filters.

Impact on Users

  • Confusing user experience
  • Suggests unfinished feature or debugging code
  • Wastes valuable UI real estate
  • Creates doubt about whether the inbox is actually filtered
  • Affects usability and trust in the interface

Reporting This Bug

I've reported this issue to Google through:

  1. Official Gmail Feedback: Direct report to Gmail development team
  2. Google Support Community: Public post for community visibility
  3. Dev.to: This article for developer awareness

Next Steps

If you're experiencing this issue:

  • Report it through Gmail's built-in feedback (Support > Send feedback to Google)
  • Comment on the public discussion in the Google Support Community
  • Share this article with others experiencing the same problem

Call to Action

Has anyone else encountered this Gmail bug? If you have, please:

  • Report it officially to Google
  • Share your experience in the comments below
  • Help increase awareness so Google prioritizes fixing it

This is a small but persistent UX issue that affects the Gmail experience for power users. Every report helps!

Have you seen this bug? Let me know in the comments below! 👇

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