I’m creating HTML emails and noticed that Gmail removes inline style attributes from my email elements. When I check the original source using Gmail’s “Show original” feature, the HTML looks correct, but the actual displayed version has many style attributes stripped out.
I’ve been testing different scenarios and it seems like Gmail removes styles when:
An element has both a class attribute and inline styles
Table elements seem to lose all inline styles no matter what
This is causing my email layout to break only in Gmail while other email clients like Yahoo display everything correctly. I can see the difference when inspecting elements with browser dev tools.
Has anyone else run into this problem? What are some reliable ways to work around Gmail’s CSS filtering? I need my emails to look consistent across all major email clients.
Gmail’s CSS filtering can indeed be challenging when creating email templates. To improve consistency, it’s best to primarily use table layouts and include any CSS in the head while applying specific inline styles where necessary. Be cautious with conflicting class attributes, as Gmail is sensitive to them. I recommend avoiding shorthand CSS since it’s often stripped; for instance, instead of ‘margin: 10px 0’, use ‘margin-top: 10px’ and ‘margin-bottom: 10px’. For more complex designs, consider nesting tables rather than using divs with inline styles, as Gmail typically renders traditional table designs more reliably. Always test on the web version, mobile app, and across themes to ensure compatibility.
Gmail’s CSS filtering is a nightmare when you’re trying to keep email designs consistent.
I’ve stopped fighting Gmail’s quirks manually. Instead, I use automated email testing that checks how emails look across different clients before sending.
Automation does the heavy lifting. I built a workflow that converts problematic CSS into Gmail-friendly alternatives, tests across multiple clients, and A/B tests different versions to see what works better.
For quick fixes: stick with CSS properties Gmail accepts - width, height, color, font-size, and text-align work every time. Avoid float, position, and display properties since Gmail strips them.
But the real game changer? Automating everything. Set up workflows that optimize HTML for different email clients, run compatibility checks, and send test emails to multiple accounts for verification.
This cuts hours of manual testing and catches problems before customers see them. Automation handles the tedious optimization while you focus on design and content.
This is a common issue when dealing with Gmail due to its stringent security and rendering policies. To mitigate problems, it’s advisable to utilize table layouts extensively, as they tend to work better with Gmail’s filters. For best results, include your CSS in the head and limit inline styles to basic properties like font and background color. Avoid using complex layout CSS inline, as it is often stripped away. Attributes such as bgcolor, cellpadding, and cellspacing should be your go-to options for tables, since they are generally more reliable in preserving your desired structure.
gmail’s css support is awful. i’ve had some luck with !important declarations, but they’re not reliable. try styling td elements directly instead of divs - gmail seems to strip div styles aggressively. also check for webkit-specific properties since gmail kills those instantly.