<div>
HTML element · 20 supported, 0 partial, 0 unsupported across 21 clients
The <div> element is a generic block-level container and is supported by every email client. However, it is far less reliable than <table> for layout purposes , Outlook on Windows applies inconsistent margin and padding to divs, and several clients reset block-level styles at div boundaries. Best practice in email development is to use tables for layout and divs only for grouping styled content within a cell.
Client Support
| Client | Category | Engine | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail | webmail | Gmail Web | Supported |
| Gmail Android | mobile | Gmail Mobile | Supported |
| Gmail iOS | mobile | Gmail Mobile | Supported |
| Outlook 365 | webmail | Outlook Web | Supported |
| Outlook (New) | desktop | Outlook Web | Supported |
| Outlook Classic | desktop | Microsoft Word | Supported |
| Outlook iOS | mobile | Outlook Mobile | Supported |
| Outlook Android | mobile | Outlook Mobile | Supported |
| Outlook for Mac | desktop | WebKit | Supported |
| Apple Mail | desktop | WebKit | Supported |
| Apple Mail iOS | mobile | WebKit | Supported |
| Yahoo Mail | webmail | Yahoo | Supported |
| Yahoo Mail Android | mobile | Yahoo | Supported |
| Yahoo Mail iOS | mobile | Yahoo | Supported |
| Samsung Mail | mobile | Samsung | Supported |
| Thunderbird | desktop | Gecko | Supported |
| HEY Mail | webmail | WebKit | Supported |
| Proton Mail | webmail | Proton | Supported |
| AOL Mail | webmail | AOL | Supported |
| Fastmail | webmail | Fastmail | Supported |
| Superhuman | desktop | Blink | Unknown |
Client-by-client behaviour for <div>
Fully supports <div> (20): 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.
Behaviour unverified in: Superhuman.
When to use <div> in email
- Wrapping styled text content inside a <td> for additional padding or background-color.
- Grouping related inline elements with shared dark-mode color overrides.
- Hosting media query targets inside an Outlook-conditional fallback wrapper.
Rendering behaviour and edge cases
- Outlook on Windows applies margin and padding to divs inconsistently , never use a <div> for spacing critical to layout.
- Some clients collapse adjacent divs that have background-color set when content height is zero.
- Yahoo Mail's sanitizer occasionally rewrites class names on div elements, breaking class-based selectors.
Recommended fallback strategy
Use <table> for any structural layout and reserve <div> for inline content grouping inside cells. Always verify Outlook rendering before relying on margin or padding applied to a <div>.
Related Features
Test your email across all 21 clients
Preview rendering, catch CSS issues, and get actionable fixes. Free.
Try Emailens FreeSupport data last updated Apr 27, 2026 · synced from caniemail.com via @emailens/engine.