<div>
HTML element · 14 supported, 0 partial, 0 unsupported across 15 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 |
| Apple Mail | desktop | WebKit | Supported |
| Apple Mail iOS | mobile | WebKit | Supported |
| Yahoo Mail | webmail | Yahoo | Supported |
| Samsung Mail | mobile | Samsung | Supported |
| Thunderbird | desktop | Gecko | Supported |
| HEY Mail | webmail | WebKit | Supported |
| Superhuman | desktop | Blink | Unknown |
Client-by-client behaviour for <div>
Fully supports <div> (14): Gmail, Gmail Android, Gmail iOS, Outlook 365, Outlook (New), Outlook Classic, Outlook iOS, Outlook Android, Apple Mail, Apple Mail iOS, Yahoo Mail, Samsung Mail, Thunderbird, HEY Mail.
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
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Try Emailens FreeSupport data last updated Apr 27, 2026 · synced from caniemail.com via @emailens/engine.