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

Source: Dev.to

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

• No Delete Button – the chips lack an X or delete option.
• Toggle Behavior – clicking the chip only toggles it ON/OFF instead of removing it.
• Persistent – a hard refresh (Cmd + Shift + R) doesn’t clear them.
• Confusing UX – users may think their inbox is being filtered when it isn’t.
• Space‑Wasting – the chips occupy valuable inbox UI space.

What I Tried

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

None of these methods worked.

Technical Analysis

These chips appear to be UI elements stuck in the interface (not active filters). Possible explanations:

• Leftover from an advanced search state
• Debugging code unintentionally left in production
• A feature that wasn’t fully implemented

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

Impact on Users

• Confusing user experience
• Suggests an 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 the issue to Google through:

• Official Gmail Feedback – direct report to the Gmail development team
• Google Support Community – public post for community visibility
• Dev.to – this article for developer awareness

Next Steps

If you’re experiencing this issue:

1. Report it via Gmail’s built‑in feedback (Support > Send feedback to Google).
2. Comment on the public discussion in the Google Support Community.
3. Share this article with others who encounter the same problem.

Call to Action

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

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

Every report helps!