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padding in Outlook Classic

Partial padding is partly supported in Outlook Classic.

Only supported on table cells.

Works in 20 of 21 · partial in 1

Which clients
Works
Gmail, Gmail Android, Gmail iOS, Outlook 365, Outlook (New), 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
Partial
Outlook Classic

Your reader in Outlook Classic may not see padding the way you wrote it, even if it looks right where you tested it.

The fix for Outlook Classic

Use MSO font-width trick for reliable button padding in Outlook

after 
<!--[if mso]>
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"
  style="border-collapse: collapse;">
  <tr>
    <td style="background-color: #6d28d9; padding: 0;
               mso-padding-alt: 12px 32px;">
      <!--[if mso]>
      <i style="letter-spacing: 32px; mso-font-width: -100%;
                mso-text-raise: 18pt;" hidden>&#8202;</i>
      <![endif]-->
      <a href="https://example.com"
        style="background-color: #6d28d9; color: #fff;
               mso-text-raise: 9pt; text-decoration: none;
               font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;
               font-weight: bold;">Click Here</a>
      <!--[if mso]>
      <i style="letter-spacing: 32px; mso-font-width: -100%;"
         hidden>&#8202;</i>
      <![endif]-->
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>
<![endif]-->
<!--[if !mso]><! -->
<a href="https://example.com"
  style="background-color: #6d28d9; color: #fff;
         padding: 12px 32px; display: inline-block;
         text-decoration: none;">
  Click Here
</a>
<!-- <![endif]-->
Show the original
before 
<a href="https://example.com"
  style="background-color: #6d28d9; color: #fff;
         padding: 12px 32px; display: inline-block;
         text-decoration: none;">
  Click Here
</a>

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What Outlook Classic does with padding

The Emailens probe for padding on 3 real installs counted as Outlook Classic, captured 14 Oct 2026. It shows the problem, not the fix. Where padding is supported it shows: text inset 20px inside the border.

Outlook Classic

caniemail: padding is partly supported in Outlook Classic.

Emailens live preview of Outlook Classic Our live preview The same probe in the Emailens live preview of Outlook Classic

Partial. Only supported on table cells.

Every account includes one free real-device check in classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac and Apple Mail, after you verify your email and run one preview, while this month's free capacity lasts. How real-device checks work →

@emailens/engine 0.18.22 on the original code

Outlook Classic drops this padding. Put it on a table cell, or set mso-padding-alt on one.

caniemail record, tested upstream 25 Jul 2019

  • Partial. Only supported on table cells.
  • Buggy. Vertical padding will be the same for all cells of a same row, adopting the biggest value.

Your next question

Every feature in Outlook Classic · padding in every client

Questions

How many email clients support padding?
It works in 20 of 21, partial in 1.
What do I use instead of padding in Outlook Classic?
Use MSO font-width trick for reliable button padding in Outlook.
Does padding work in AOL Mail?
padding works in AOL Mail. Closest to Outlook Classic: AOL Mail, which agrees on 206 of the 298 features both are tested on.

To see what else in your email Outlook Classic does not support, paste the whole email.

The checker needs a computer screen.

Real captures 14 Oct 2026 on 10 installs · caniemail (MIT) via @emailens/engine 0.18.22 · tested upstream 25 Jul 2019 · data last changed 10 Nov 2026 · Outlook (New) cells are the engine's mapping