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Does CSS background Work in HTML Email?
Shorthand property for setting all background properties in a single declaration.
Quick Answer
Does background work in HTML email?
The CSS background property is supported in all major email clients tested. You can use it with confidence in your HTML emails.
Which Email Clients Support CSS background?
CSS support for background across email clients
| Email Client | Desktop | Mobile / Web | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — |
| Outlook (Windows) | ~ Partial | ? | — |
| Outlook (Mac / Web) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — |
| Apple Mail | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — |
| Yahoo! Mail | ~ Partial | ~ Partial | — |
| Samsung Email | ? | ✓ Yes | — |
| Thunderbird | ✓ Yes | ? | — |
| ProtonMail | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — |
| Fastmail | ✓ Yes | ? | — |
Notes
- #1 Partial. Does not support multiple values. The comma between two values is removed.
- #2 Partial. Does not support the `/ value` shorthand for `background-size`. But it can be used in the `background-size` property instead.
- #3 Partial. Only `background-color` values are supported.
- #4 Partial. Images URL must be between quotes.
- #5 Partial. Does not support multiple values. The entire property is removed if so.
- #6 Partial. Does not support the `/ value` shorthand for `background-size`.
- #7 Partial and buggy. Removes the entire `style` attribute or `<style>` tag when a `url()` function with a valid image URL is present. See [Gmail rolling out changes that strip CSS with background images](https://freshinbox.com/blog/gmail-rolling-out-changes-that-strip-background-image-css/) and [Gmail and background images](https://parcel.io/blog/gmail-and-background-images).
Frequently Asked Questions
Related CSS Properties
Test Your Email Now
Paste your HTML and see how it renders in clients that don't support background.