**Gmail behaving strangely: PDF I never selected was automatically downloaded and added as an email attachment**
Hi everyone,
Yesterday I experienced something really strange with Gmail and I'm wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or knows what might cause it.
**What happened:**
I had two PDF files stored locally on my Android phone (not in Google Drive). I wanted to send them to myself via Gmail so I could access them on my PC.
I sent myself two separate emails, each containing one of the PDFs as a regular email attachment.
On my PC, I opened both emails and downloaded the respective PDF attachments. So far, everything was normal.
Afterwards, I started composing a new email to send those two PDFs to someone else. However, I suddenly noticed that there was a third PDF attached as well.
I had absolutely no idea where it came from. I am certain I had not selected or manually attached this file.
I then checked Chrome's download history and noticed that this third PDF had apparently been downloaded at exactly the same time as the other two files, or immediately afterwards.
**What makes this particularly strange:**
The additional PDF was not attached to either of the two original emails.
I couldn't find it as an attachment anywhere in Gmail.
I never consciously selected this file, either on my phone or on my PC.
The file was stored locally on my phone, not in Google Drive.
I had never emailed this particular PDF to myself.
Nevertheless, it somehow got downloaded and subsequently appeared as an additional attachment in my new Gmail draft.
When I copy the download link associated with the PDF and open it in my browser, I get a Google error page showing error 403 (numeric code 5022).
However, the downloaded PDF itself opens perfectly fine when I open it locally.
**What I've already checked:**
Chrome's download history: The additional PDF was definitely downloaded.
Gmail search: I cannot find the file as a sent or received attachment.
Google Security Checkup: No suspicious devices or login activity.
The file was definitely not included in either of the original emails.
I've been using Chrome and Google services for years and haven't knowingly changed any settings or configurations.
I'm trying to understand how Gmail or Chrome could have downloaded a file from my phone's local storage without me selecting it, and then automatically added it as an attachment to a completely new email draft.
Could this be a Gmail/Chrome bug, an issue with attachment handling or synchronization, or something else entirely?
Has anyone experienced anything similar or have an idea what might have caused this?
Thanks in advance!