Skip to main content
Emailens
CSS Properties

vertical-align

CSS property · 21 supported, 0 partial, 0 unsupported across 21 clients

vertical-align is one of only 6 of 298 tracked features that render identically in all 21 email clients (support data as of Sep 2, 2026).

  • 7/7 webmail, 6/6 desktop, 8/8 mobile clients support vertical-align fully.
  • Across all clients, only 6 of 298 tracked HTML/CSS features render identically everywhere.

Source: caniemail.com (MIT), via the Emailens engine. Last tested upstream Dec 21, 2020, synced by Emailens Sep 2, 2026.

vertical-align controls how inline-level and table-cell elements align relative to their baseline or container. In email, it is most often used on table cells to anchor content to top, middle, or bottom, but its inline-element behavior is one of the most misunderstood corners of CSS.

Client Support

ClientCategoryEngineSupport
GmailwebmailGmail WebSupported
Gmail AndroidmobileGmail MobileSupported
Gmail iOSmobileGmail MobileSupported
Outlook 365webmailOutlook WebSupported
Outlook (New)desktopOutlook WebSupported
Outlook ClassicdesktopMicrosoft WordSupported
Outlook iOSmobileOutlook MobileSupported
Outlook AndroidmobileOutlook MobileSupported
Outlook for MacdesktopWebKitSupported
Apple MaildesktopWebKitSupported
Apple Mail iOSmobileWebKitSupported
Yahoo MailwebmailYahooSupported
Yahoo Mail AndroidmobileYahooSupported
Yahoo Mail iOSmobileYahooSupported
Samsung MailmobileSamsungSupported
ThunderbirddesktopGeckoSupported
HEY MailwebmailWebKitSupported
Proton MailwebmailProtonSupported
AOL MailwebmailAOLSupported
FastmailwebmailFastmailSupported
SuperhumandesktopBlinkSupported

Client-by-client behaviour for vertical-align

Fully supports vertical-align (21): Gmail, Gmail Android, Gmail iOS, Outlook 365, Outlook (New), Outlook Classic, 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.

When to use vertical-align in email

  • Aligning small icons next to text in a navigation row using vertical-align: middle.
  • Top-aligning content in side-by-side card columns so they share a consistent header row.
  • Bottom-aligning footnote content in a multi-row receipt.

Rendering behaviour and edge cases

  • On <td>, vertical-align maps to the valign attribute and is reliably honored across clients.
  • On inline elements, vertical-align aligns to the surrounding text baseline , not the parent's box, which surprises web developers.
  • Outlook on Windows sometimes ignores middle alignment when row heights are unequal across columns.

Recommended fallback strategy

Use the valign HTML attribute alongside vertical-align CSS on table cells. For inline-element alignment, prefer wrapping the content in a <td> rather than fighting baseline math.

Related Features

Check your own HTML for vertical-align

Paste your own, or run the sample below. Analyzed in this page, with no signup and nothing stored.

Zero-Friction Engine Preview

Test your vertical-align layout across 21 email clients

Preview rendering, catch CSS issues, and see how vertical-align displays across Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail. Free, no account needed.

Instant live preview · No signup required · 21 email engines

Last tested upstream: · Last synced by Emailens:

caniemail.com (MIT) records Dec 21, 2020 as the last time vertical-align was tested in a real client, 5 years before this sync. Syncing copies that result forward, it does not re-test it. Carried in @emailens/engine data v0.12.2.