Why do my emails look broken in Outlook?

Because desktop Outlook renders HTML with Microsoft Word's engine. A quirk that ignores much of modern CSS. Rounded corners, background images, custom fonts, and flexbox layouts all degrade or vanish for Outlook recipients.

Free · no signup · last reviewed August 29, 2026

Because desktop Outlook renders HTML with Microsoft Word's engine. A quirk that ignores much of modern CSS. Rounded corners, background images, custom fonts, and flexbox layouts all degrade or vanish for Outlook recipients.

Fixes, in order of sanity: send simpler emails (plain-text-style marketing mail sidesteps the entire problem and converts better for service businesses anyway); if you need design, use your platform's templates (they carry Outlook-conditional code) and preview specifically for Outlook before sending; build layouts on tables, never floats.

The strategic read: if your audience is business owners, a meaningful share reads in Outlook. Design for the constraint or, better, write like a person and stop needing the design.

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Everything here is free to use yourself. That’s the point. If you’d rather a senior marketer just handle it, in your accounts and your name: 20-minute call, no pitch deck.

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