If Gmail no longer shows a message beside your inbox, turn the reading pane back on. On a computer, open Settings > See all settings > Inbox, enable Reading pane, choose Right of inbox or Below inbox, and select Save changes.
Turn the Gmail reading pane back on
Google calls the side-by-side message view the reading pane. Its Gmail Help page describes previewing an email through different view options before opening it. The steps below apply to Gmail on a computer:
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Open Gmail and select the Settings gear.
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Select See all settings.
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Open the Inbox tab and scroll to Reading pane.
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Check Enable reading pane.
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Choose Right of inbox to show the selected message beside your message list, or Below inbox to show it beneath the list. No split leaves the inbox without a reading pane.
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Select Save changes.
Google also says the reading-pane controls are available in the Quick settings sidebar. For the full instructions, see Google’s guide to previewing emails.
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Check what kind of preview disappeared
“Preview” can refer to more than the reading pane. The setting above controls the view that displays a selected email alongside the inbox. It does not establish a fix for snippet text in the message list or for attachment previews. If one of those is what changed, the reading-pane steps may not match the problem.
If you use Gmail on a phone
Google describes its inbox-personalization instructions as primarily for the web and points mobile users to separate guidance. The computer steps here are not a confirmed set of instructions for the Gmail app. If the reading pane setting is missing or does not match what disappeared, note whether you use desktop web, mobile web, or the Gmail app before looking for device-specific help. Google’s inbox personalization guide includes the web and mobile scope note.
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If enabling the pane does not restore it
The cited Google help pages explain where the setting is, but do not establish why a pane might remain absent after it is enabled. Confirm that you selected a split mode other than No split and saved the change. If the symptom persists, identify the interface you are using and whether the missing feature is the reading pane, message-list snippets, or an attachment preview; the documented setting alone does not confirm a cause or remedy for those other cases.
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