Outlook nuances: tips for a better email experience

Modified on Wed, 5 Mar at 10:15 AM

Outlook is a popular email client used by millions of people worldwide. However, there are some nuances that can affect your email design and formatting. In this article, we'll discuss some common issues and provide tips to help you avoid them.

Background image - Email client compatibility

According to our tests, the following clients do not support background images:

Outlook desktop on Windows (However, background images work on Outlook 2011 & Outlook 2016 on OS X, and on outlook.com)
Lotus Notes 7
free.fr email client
T-Online.de email client
Xfinity / Comcast email client

We always recommend setting a background colour similar to your background image. This way your design will still work if your background image fails to display.

Unicode appearing in Outlook emails

Unicode are bits of formatting from other programs that do not translate when copied into Audience Republic.

Avoid Copy-Paste: Do not copy and paste directly from programs like Microsoft Word or Outlook, as these can include hidden formatting that doesn't work well with emails.
Paste as Plain Text: If you need to use text from these programs, they should first paste it into a basic text editor like Notepad, which removes any special formatting. After that, they can copy from Notepad and paste it into Beefree.
Format in Audience Republic: Once the text is in Audience Republic, format using the tools provided.

Check and Set Character Encoding in Microsoft Outlook:

Open Microsoft Outlook and go to File > Options.
In the Outlook Options window, select Advanced from the left-hand menu.
In the International options section, ensure Automatically select encoding for outgoing messages is set to Unicode (UTF-8).
Click OK to save the changes.

To Check Character Encoding Settings on a Mac:

Open System Preferences and navigate to Language & Region.
Click on the Advanced button.
Under Character Encodings, select Unicode (UTF-8).
Click OK to save your changes.

To Repair Microsoft Outlook:

Close Outlook.
Open the Control Panel and go to Programs and Features.
Select Microsoft Office and click Change.
Choose Repair and click Continue.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair.

To Reinstall Microsoft Outlook:

Uninstall Outlook from your computer.
Download and install the latest version of Outlook from the Microsoft website.

My images appear oversized in Outlook

Outlook has identified this issue and recommended the following fixes:

1. Make sure that your image size settings are set to Manual width rather than Auto width.

2. Try to change the DPI settings of your image files. DPI stands for "dots per inch," and it affects how large or small an image appears on your screen. If your DPI settings are too high, you may end up with enlarged images in your email signature or messages. You can use an image processing tool such as Photoshop to change the DPI setting on the image. Alternatively, you can use an online tool such as [this one] to resize your images and reduce their DPI.

3. Another option is to disable the automatic resizing of images in Outlook. Outlook may resize large images to fit the message window, but this can cause distortion or quality loss. You can turn off this feature by going to File > Options > Mail > Compose messages > Editor Options > Advanced > Display email content. Then, uncheck the box that says "Automatically resize pictures to fit the message window" and click OK.

4. Ensure your Outlook is up-to-date. Sometimes these issues are resolved by software updates.

It should be noted that Audience Republic makes every effort to resolve any problems on our platform that are under our control. Audience Republic cannot, however, alter how emails appear after they are sent in Outlook or other email clients because these are Outlook-specific problems.

Forwarded emails not including URLs, links or embedded images

If you are experiencing issues with forwarded emails in Outlook where links, URLs, or embedded images are not being included, the following steps may help you resolve the problem:

1. Check Email Format

Emails can be sent in different formats: Plain Text, HTML, or Rich Text.

Links and embedded images might not display correctly in Plain Text emails.
To ensure proper functionality, set your email format to HTML or Rich Text, as these formats support links and embedded content.

How to Check:

In Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail > Compose Messages and ensure the format is set to HTML or Rich Text.

2. Review Email Client Settings

Your email client's settings may affect how forwarded emails handle links, images, and attachments.

Ensure that the settings are configured to include all content (attachments and inline images) when forwarding emails.

How to Check:

In Outlook, navigate to File > Options > Mail > Replies and Forwards and verify the settings under "When forwarding a message." Ensure all content is preserved.

3. Use an Alternative Method

If the issue persists, consider using other methods to share the content:

Upload the image or file to a cloud storage service (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) and include the shared link in the email.
Use a different tool or software for screenshots that integrates more reliably with email clients.

4. Update and Troubleshoot

Outdated email clients or browsers can sometimes cause functionality issues.

Steps to Resolve:

Ensure your email client and operating system are up to date. Check for updates in Outlook under File > Office Account > Update Options.
If you’re using a web-based email client, try a different browser or clear your browser’s cache and cookies to resolve temporary issues.

White lines appearing in my email White lines appearing in Outlook are a known issue caused by how Outlook renders HTML emails differently. Similar cases have been discussed here:

Here are some common causes of this issue, along with suggestions to help minimise it:

Line Height Inconsistencies
- Why it happens: If the line-height isn’t explicitly set, Outlook may add extra spacing between text lines.
- Fix: Set a consistent line-height throughout your email content.
- Tip: Set all text line-heights to multiples of 4px for better consistency.
Padding/Margin Collapse Issue
- Why it happens: Outlook doesn’t collapse margins like Gmail, leading to extra white space.
- Fix: In the email builder, use padding: 0; on text elements.
Use Even-Numbered Values for Font Size, Line Height, Padding, and Margins
- Why it helps: Outlook sometimes misaligns odd-numbered pixel values, causing inconsistent spacing.
- Fix: Make sure all font sizes, padding, and margins are set to even numbers.
- Tip: Set all other textbox and content widths and heights (including padding, borders, etc.) to multiples of 4px.
Example:

font-size: 14px;
line-height: 20px;
padding: 8px;
margin: 4px;

4. Split Large Text Blocks into Smaller Paragraphs

Why it helps: Outlook can misinterpret long paragraphs, leading to unexpected gaps.
Fix: Break text into smaller sections instead of long paragraphs

5. Make sure you’re using the latest version of Outlook to reduce this issue:

Outlook is regularly releasing updates and bug fixes for this, so using the latest version will help reduce issues.

6. Send a real email to your internal team only to test it in Outlook before sending it to your recipients.
To test the email send itself, create a new message list that contains the personal email addresses of your internal team members. This will provide a better representation of the sending process when sending a message to your contacts.

Check out our support guide: Best practice: testing your email

Still need help?