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Does CSS :active Work in HTML Email?

Styles an element while it is being activated, such as while a button is being pressed.

Quick Answer

Does :active work in HTML email?

The CSS :active property is supported in Outlook (Mac / Web), Yahoo! Mail, Thunderbird, ProtonMail, and others. It is NOT supported in Gmail, Outlook (Windows). Always include a safe fallback for unsupported clients.

Which Email Clients Support CSS :active?

CSS support for :active across email clients

Email ClientDesktopMobile / WebNotes
Gmail✗ No✗ No
Outlook (Windows)✗ No?
Outlook (Mac / Web)✓ Yes✓ Yes
Apple Mail~ Partial✗ No
Yahoo! Mail✓ Yes✓ Yes
Samsung Email?✗ No
Thunderbird✓ Yes?
ProtonMail✓ Yes✓ Yes
Fastmail✓ Yes?

Notes

  • #1 Partial. Only supported on type selectors.
  • #2 Partial. Supported with mouse clicks. Not supported with keyboard input.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related CSS Properties

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:active.

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