Fix: Oops, the System Encountered a Problem Gmail Error

Connecting to a stable internet may be the quickest fix

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Key notes

  • Gmail is one of the most used and popular email clients worldwide and comes with many issues.
  • Users who reported that the system encountered a problem may need to switch browsers.
  • Before trying any complicated fixes, try a different internet connection, which may fix the error. 
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You found this article because while using Gmail; you got hit with the error message, oops the system encountered a problem #001. So let us tell you all you should know about this error.

Gmail is one of the most popular email clients, helped in no small way by the massive popularity of its parent, search monolith Google. But the Mail User Agent (MUA) is not without issues.

Some users have had to battle one pesky issue: the system encountered a problem error.

There are several possible causes for this error. But essentially, the error prevents you from enjoying the conveniences you have come to expect from your email client.

Why does my email say oops, something went wrong?

For some people, the issue crops up somewhat infrequently; it works well for a stretch, and then the oops message comes back out of the blue.

However, for others, it happens so frequently that they lose access to their email. This is not good and may mean you miss important correspondence with severe implications for your work.

Different users have observed this error get triggered when performing the following functions:

  • Opening messages
  • Deleting old emails
  • Moving emails to folders

Just as there are many possible causes for this error, there are several fixes. First, we will go through the usual and sneakier suspects, which aren’t as easy to isolate.

You will want to consider and check off each one until the problem is fixed.

Before you try the fixes, we will consider whether you access your email through your browser or a desktop application. Therefore, you may want to check if it is still correctly configured and if the case is the latter.

You could even uninstall it and reinstall a more up-to-date version.

The following are the different iterations to this error you may encounter:

  • Oops… the system encountered a problem (#001) Gmail
  • Gmail oops, the system encountered a problem #2007
  • Oops… the system encountered a problem (#001) Gmail Firefox
  • Gmail, oops the system encountered a problem in 2009
  • Oops… the system encountered a problem (#2014) Gmail
  • Oops, the system encountered a problem (#2005)

Please note that the fixes discussed in this article should fix most Gmail oops errors regardless of the error message.

Quick Tip:

If clearing cookies and cache data from your browser do not resolve the problem, the next best option may be to switch browsers.

One great browser that you should try is Opera One. It is fast and robust, thanks to the Chromium engine. But it has none of its well-known limitations, such as high resource demand.

Opera One

Eliminate errors by using this modern and performance-oriented browser!

How do I fix the system encountered a problem error?

1. Clear your browser’s caches and cookies

  1. Launch your browser.
  2. Click on the menu, select More tools, and Clear browser data.
    oops the system encountered a problem #001 gmail
  3. Select a Time range, tick the options for Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files, then click the Clear data button.
    oops the system encountered a problem #001 gmail

Both cache and cookies improve your browsing experience, but both can sometimes hurt it.

Caches are files that store information on the individual pages you visit, so the browser won’t have to make database calls and load page objects the next time you visit the same page.

This reduces the time it takes your browser to load pages. Speaking of which, if Google Chrome is slow, check these 9 solutions to speed up the Chrome browser.

But cache data takes disk space and may include info from unimportant pages or malware. So it would help if you cleared them regularly.

On the other hand, cookies are applications websites use to store browsing information every time you visit. They can then use this information to personalize your browsing experience, including the ads you see.

Both cookies and cache can get corrupted and end up causing this oops the system encountered a problem error.

Clearing cookies and caches will also help solve other Chrome issues like the page not responding error.

Clearing cache and cookies data from your browser will hopefully eliminate all the corrupted data that could be causing the oops the system has encountered a problem error.

2. Check your Internet connection

Some Gmail features struggle to load if your internet connection is prolonged. If there is something you can do to improve your internet speed, try that first.

Or you could try switching to an Ethernet, wireless, or Wi-Fi connection, depending on what you use currently, to see if this is the source of your problem.

But in most cases, this is rarely the issue. When it is, you can tell by the slow speed at which the Gmail application itself loads on your PC. If this is true for you, consider this next fix.

3. Switch to the Basic HTML version of Gmail

  1. Launch your browser.
  2. Visit the HTML Gmail site.
  3. Click on I’d like to use HTML Gmail.
    oops the system encountered a problem #001 gmail

Gmail is a feature-rich program that takes a while to load completely. On the other hand, the HTML version is lighter, often loads quicker, and requires fewer system resources than the standard version since it mainly contains plain text.

The HTML version was created for older, unsupported browsers and sluggish internet connections.

There is a drawback to utilizing this watered-down version of Gmail, however. If you choose it, you will be without features like Chat, Rich Formatting, Keyboard Shortcuts, Spell-Checker, and others.

4. Disable browser extensions and add-ons

  1. Launch your browser.
  2. Click the menu, select More tools, then Extensions.
  3. Toggle off the switches for each extension.

If you’re thinking about switching browsers, you may first want to ensure that the issue isn’t being brought on by an extension you just installed.

On occasion, third-party software, such as browser add-ons and extensions, might conflict with other programs and settings on your computer.

Occasionally, a patch or update on outdated compatible software might introduce bugs like this oops the system has encountered a problem error that wasn’t there previously.

Make a record of all the extensions you installed when this issue first appeared. Then, disable them one at a time till you figure out the faulty one.

Go to the previous extensions you have had. There’s a possibility that a recent update to one of them is what’s causing your Gmail issue.

5. Temporarily disable antivirus and other Internet security programs

  1. Click on the Start menu, type Windows security, and then click on the Windows Security app.
    oops the system encountered a problem #001 gmail
  2. On the left pane, click on Manage Settings.
    oops the system encountered a problem #001 gmail
  3. Turn off Real-time protection.

Some people who have faced the oops the system encountered a problem in Gmail have reported the problem going away after disabling their internet security software, like your anti-malware and antivirus tools.

Like you have done with your extensions, the good thing is you won’t have to disable your internet security software permanently. Instead, disable them once and check if the error still recurs.

Some users have reported the Avast antivirus software to cause this problem, so you may not have to disable it.

There is no specific fix for the oops the system encountered problem #001 in Gmail; the aim is to find the cause of the issue and find a way of isolating it or disabling it.

In extreme cases, you may consider browser resets, but please note that this may lead to data loss.

Before Google can develop a more permanent solution, the best option is to try all different solutions that have worked for others, as discussed here.

More about the topics: Gmail issues