float
CSS property · 10 supported, 3 partial, 2 unsupported across 15 clients
Client Support
| Client | Category | Engine | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail | webmail | Gmail Web | Supported |
| Gmail Android | mobile | Gmail Mobile | Partial |
| Gmail iOS | mobile | Gmail Mobile | Partial |
| Outlook 365 | webmail | Outlook Web | Supported |
| Outlook (New) | desktop | Outlook Web | Unsupported |
| Outlook Classic | desktop | Microsoft Word | Unsupported |
| 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 | Partial |
| Samsung Mail | mobile | Samsung | Supported |
| Thunderbird | desktop | Gecko | Supported |
| HEY Mail | webmail | WebKit | Supported |
| Superhuman | desktop | Blink | Supported |
Client-by-client behaviour for float
Fully supports float (10): Gmail, Outlook 365, Outlook iOS, Outlook Android, Apple Mail, Apple Mail iOS, Samsung Mail, Thunderbird, HEY Mail, Superhuman.
Partial support (3): Gmail Android, Gmail iOS, Yahoo Mail. Expect rendering quirks unique to each engine — partial support typically means a subset of values, an ignored shorthand, or sanitizer-specific rewrites.
No support (2): Outlook (New), Outlook Classic. Plan fallbacks for these clients before relying on float in production sends.
Fixes & Workarounds
Outlook (New)
UnsupportedUse table cells with align attribute for side-by-side content.
Outlook Classic
UnsupportedUse table cells with align="left" or align="right".
Before
<img src="photo.jpg" style="float: left;
margin-right: 16px;" width="200" />
<p>Text wraps around the image.</p>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td width="200" valign="top" style="padding-right: 16px;">
<img src="photo.jpg" width="200"
style="display: block; border: 0;" />
</td>
<td valign="top">
<p>Text next to the image.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>Use table align attribute instead of CSS float
Gmail Android
PartialUse table cells with align attribute for side-by-side content.
Gmail iOS
PartialUse table cells with align attribute for side-by-side content.
Yahoo Mail
PartialUse table cells with align attribute for side-by-side content.
Production guidance for float
float is a CSS property. Across the email client matrix, 10 of 15 tracked clients support it fully, 3 only partially, and 2 not at all. The clients most likely to require a workaround for this feature are Outlook Classic. Each of them needs a tailored fallback — see the per-client examples above for the specific code fix Emailens recommends.
When in doubt, ship a baseline that renders without float and treat it as progressive enhancement on clients where support is verified. Emailens automatically detects cross-client divergence on this feature when you preview an email, so you can see exactly which template paths break before a campaign goes out.
Related Features
Test your email across all 15 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.