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CSS Properties

direction

CSS property · 21 supported, 0 partial, 0 unsupported across 21 clients

direction is one of only 6 of 298 tracked features that render identically in all 21 email clients (support data as of Sep 2, 2026).

  • 7/7 webmail, 6/6 desktop, 8/8 mobile clients support direction fully.
  • Across all clients, only 6 of 298 tracked HTML/CSS features render identically everywhere.

Source: caniemail.com (MIT), via the Emailens engine. Last tested upstream Oct 5, 2021, synced by Emailens Sep 2, 2026.

direction sets the base writing direction of text and is essential for right-to-left languages like Arabic and Hebrew. Email clients honor direction at the document and element level, but bidirectional text mixing can cause client-specific rendering quirks, especially around punctuation.

Client Support

ClientCategoryEngineSupport
GmailwebmailGmail WebSupported
Gmail AndroidmobileGmail MobileSupported
Gmail iOSmobileGmail MobileSupported
Outlook 365webmailOutlook WebSupported
Outlook (New)desktopOutlook WebSupported
Outlook ClassicdesktopMicrosoft WordSupported
Outlook iOSmobileOutlook MobileSupported
Outlook AndroidmobileOutlook MobileSupported
Outlook for MacdesktopWebKitSupported
Apple MaildesktopWebKitSupported
Apple Mail iOSmobileWebKitSupported
Yahoo MailwebmailYahooSupported
Yahoo Mail AndroidmobileYahooSupported
Yahoo Mail iOSmobileYahooSupported
Samsung MailmobileSamsungSupported
ThunderbirddesktopGeckoSupported
HEY MailwebmailWebKitSupported
Proton MailwebmailProtonSupported
AOL MailwebmailAOLSupported
FastmailwebmailFastmailSupported
SuperhumandesktopBlinkSupported

Client-by-client behaviour for direction

Fully supports direction (21): Gmail, Gmail Android, Gmail iOS, Outlook 365, Outlook (New), Outlook Classic, Outlook iOS, Outlook Android, Outlook for Mac, Apple Mail, Apple Mail iOS, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Mail Android, Yahoo Mail iOS, Samsung Mail, Thunderbird, HEY Mail, Proton Mail, AOL Mail, Fastmail, Superhuman.

When to use direction in email

  • Setting direction: rtl on <html> for Hebrew or Arabic newsletters.
  • Mirroring layout columns in localized templates where the entire visual order should reverse.
  • Embedding mixed-direction content (English brand + Arabic body) using <bdi> or direction overrides.

Rendering behaviour and edge cases

  • Outlook on Windows handles direction at the <body> level reliably, but partial overrides on individual <td> cells can produce alignment glitches.
  • Gmail respects direction but does not flip table-column order automatically , you must restructure HTML to match the reading order.
  • Mixing direction with text-align: start / end is more reliable than literal left/right keywords.

Recommended fallback strategy

Set direction on <html> or <body> rather than fighting it cell-by-cell. Use logical alignment values (start/end) and pair direction with explicit lang attributes to give clients the strongest signal for right-to-left rendering.

Related Features

!important accent-color align-items animation aspect-ratio backdrop-filter background background-blend-mode

Check your own HTML for direction

Paste your own, or run the sample below. Analyzed in this page, with no signup and nothing stored.
Zero-Friction Engine Preview

Test your direction layout across 21 email clients

Preview rendering, catch CSS issues, and see how direction displays across Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail. Free, no account needed.

Instant live preview · No signup required · 21 email engines

Last tested upstream: · Last synced by Emailens:

caniemail.com (MIT) records Oct 5, 2021 as the last time direction was tested in a real client, 4 years before this sync. Syncing copies that result forward, it does not re-test it. Carried in @emailens/engine data v0.12.2.