gap
CSS property · 6 supported, 6 partial, 3 unsupported across 15 clients
Client Support
| Client | Category | Engine | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail | webmail | Gmail Web | Partial |
| Gmail Android | mobile | Gmail Mobile | Partial |
| Gmail iOS | mobile | Gmail Mobile | Partial |
| Outlook 365 | webmail | Outlook Web | Partial |
| Outlook (New) | desktop | Outlook Web | Unsupported |
| Outlook Classic | desktop | Microsoft Word | Unsupported |
| Outlook iOS | mobile | Outlook Mobile | Partial |
| Outlook Android | mobile | Outlook Mobile | Partial |
| Apple Mail | desktop | WebKit | Supported |
| Apple Mail iOS | mobile | WebKit | Supported |
| Yahoo Mail | webmail | Yahoo | Unsupported |
| Samsung Mail | mobile | Samsung | Supported |
| Thunderbird | desktop | Gecko | Supported |
| HEY Mail | webmail | WebKit | Supported |
| Superhuman | desktop | Blink | Supported |
Client-by-client behaviour for gap
Fully supports gap (6): Apple Mail, Apple Mail iOS, Samsung Mail, Thunderbird, HEY Mail, Superhuman.
Partial support (6): Gmail, Gmail Android, Gmail iOS, Outlook 365, Outlook iOS, Outlook Android. Expect rendering quirks unique to each engine — partial support typically means a subset of values, an ignored shorthand, or sanitizer-specific rewrites.
No support (3): Outlook (New), Outlook Classic, Yahoo Mail. Plan fallbacks for these clients before relying on gap in production sends.
Fixes & Workarounds
Outlook (New)
UnsupportedUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Outlook Classic
UnsupportedUse cellpadding/cellspacing on tables, or padding on cells.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Yahoo Mail
UnsupportedUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Gmail
PartialUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Gmail Android
PartialUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Gmail iOS
PartialUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Outlook 365
PartialUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Outlook iOS
PartialUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Outlook Android
PartialUse padding/margin on child elements instead of gap.
Before
<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px;">
<div>Item 1</div>
<div>Item 2</div>
<div>Item 3</div>
</div>After
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 1</td>
<td style="padding-right: 16px;">Item 2</td>
<td>Item 3</td>
</tr>
</table>Use padding or margin on child elements instead of gap
Production guidance for gap
gap is a CSS property. Across the email client matrix, 6 of 15 tracked clients support it fully, 6 only partially, and 3 not at all. The clients most likely to require a workaround for this feature are Outlook (New), Outlook Classic, Yahoo Mail. 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 gap 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.