# Draft and column errors

Source: https://yamm.com/help/usage/troubleshooting/draft-and-column-errors/

Fixes for errors caused by your Gmail draft or your spreadsheet's structure: a draft YAMM can't read, a missing or mis-named `Merge status` column, and mail merges stopped by an unusually high bounce rate or sending-limit issue.

## Error: 'Your draft wasn't created in Gmail'

![Draft not created in Gmail](https://yamm.com/help/images/docs/usage/troubleshooting/draft-and-column-errors/error-your-draft-wasn-t-created-in-gmail-1.png)

You created the draft from another tool (Mixmax, Outlook, etc.). Even though the email is saved in your **Drafts** folder, the format contains invisible HTML, headers, or metadata that YAMM can't read.

**Fix:** create a new draft directly in Gmail, or edit your current draft to force Gmail to update the format.

## Error: 'We couldn't find the Merge status column'

![Couldn't find merge status column](https://yamm.com/help/images/docs/usage/troubleshooting/draft-and-column-errors/error-we-couldn-t-find-the-merge-status-column-1.png)

If you see *"We couldn't find the 'Merge status' column. Please select a valid sheet and try again"* but the column is visible, there's an issue with the **named ranges** in your sheet.

1. **Data** > **Named ranges...**

   ![Merge status column issue](https://yamm.com/help/images/docs/usage/troubleshooting/draft-and-column-errors/error-we-couldn-t-find-the-merge-status-column-2.png)

2. Delete the named range called `merge_status_xxx`.

3. Make sure the column containing your campaign statuses (`EMAIL_SENT`, `EMAIL_OPENED`, …) is named `Merge status`.

4. Click **Open tracking report** in the YAMM menu again.

   ![Track report merge status](https://yamm.com/help/images/docs/usage/troubleshooting/draft-and-column-errors/error-we-couldn-t-find-the-merge-status-column-3.png)

## Why was your mail merge stopped?

![Message saying the mail merge was stopped because of too many bounces](https://yamm.com/help/images/docs/usage/troubleshooting/draft-and-column-errors/why-was-mail-merge-stopped-1.png)

YAMM detected an unusually high amount of bounces and stopped the mail merge to avoid Google rate-limiting or deactivating your account. See [What are bounces?](https://yamm.com/help/usage/track-campaign/bounce-rate/index.md#what-are-bounces).

If bounces aren't the issue, you may have reached your Google account sending limit:

| Common reason | Explanation | Learn more |
| - | - | - |
| **You exceeded your daily sending limit** | Sending via POP/IMAP, signed in to the wrong Google account, or using other mail merge tools at the same time. | [I don't have quota left](https://yamm.com/help/usage/troubleshooting/quota-issues/index.md#why-is-your-quota-lower-than-expected) |
| **More than 10 recipients marked your email as spam** | Google temporarily reduces your quota if 10+ recipients marked the email as spam, or if 10+ emails fell into recipients' spam folders. | [Anti-spam rules](https://yamm.com/help/usage/create-campaign/avoid-spam-issues/index.md#how-to-avoid-being-flagged-as-spam) |
| **Your account is recent and sent too many emails too quickly** | Google flags suspicious activity if a new account immediately starts sending to many recipients. | [Limits for sending and receiving mail](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22839?hl=en), [What is spam?](https://yamm.com/help/usage/create-campaign/avoid-spam-issues/index.md#what-is-spam) |

Warning: Quota renewal is entirely handled by Google. If Google rate-limits your account, there is nothing YAMM can do to reset it. To request a reset, [contact Google support](https://workspace.google.com/support/) directly.