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Pseudo-Classes & Selectors

:type-selector

selector or pseudo-class · 12 supported, 2 partial, 0 unsupported across 15 clients

Type selectors target elements by tag name (e.g., a, p, h1). They have low specificity and are commonly used as resets or base typography. In email, type selectors live in <style> blocks and apply only on clients that preserve them, which excludes most Outlook builds.

Client Support

ClientCategoryEngineSupport
GmailwebmailGmail WebSupported
Gmail AndroidmobileGmail MobilePartial
Gmail iOSmobileGmail MobilePartial
Outlook 365webmailOutlook WebSupported
Outlook (New)desktopOutlook WebSupported
Outlook ClassicdesktopMicrosoft WordSupported
Outlook iOSmobileOutlook MobileSupported
Outlook AndroidmobileOutlook MobileSupported
Apple MaildesktopWebKitSupported
Apple Mail iOSmobileWebKitSupported
Yahoo MailwebmailYahooSupported
Samsung MailmobileSamsungSupported
ThunderbirddesktopGeckoSupported
HEY MailwebmailWebKitSupported
SuperhumandesktopBlinkUnknown

Client-by-client behaviour for :type-selector

Fully supports :type-selector (12): Gmail, Outlook 365, Outlook (New), Outlook Classic, Outlook iOS, Outlook Android, Apple Mail, Apple Mail iOS, Yahoo Mail, Samsung Mail, Thunderbird, HEY Mail.

Partial support (2): Gmail Android, Gmail iOS. Expect rendering quirks unique to each engine — partial support typically means a subset of values, an ignored shorthand, or sanitizer-specific rewrites.

Behaviour unverified in: Superhuman.

When to use :type-selector in email

  • Setting a base font-family on every <p> and <td> in the document.
  • Resetting <a> color and underline globally before applying inline overrides.
  • Establishing default <li> spacing for all unordered lists.

Rendering behaviour and edge cases

  • Type selectors have very low specificity and are easily overridden by inline styles or class selectors.
  • Outlook strips <style> blocks, so type selectors are inert there.
  • Gmail honors type selectors when <style> survives but rewrites class names that interact with them.

Recommended fallback strategy

Treat type selectors in <style> as a baseline that may not apply. Always set critical typography inline on each text-bearing element. Use type selectors for non-critical refinements only.

Fixes & Workarounds

Gmail Android

Partial

":type-selector" is not supported in this email client.

Gmail iOS

Partial

":type-selector" is not supported in this email client.

Related Features

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Support data last updated Apr 27, 2026 · synced from caniemail.com via @emailens/engine.