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Does CSS ::placeholder Work in HTML Email?

Styles the placeholder text inside an input or textarea element.

Quick Answer

Does ::placeholder work in HTML email?

The CSS ::placeholder property is supported in Apple Mail, Yahoo! Mail, Samsung Email, Thunderbird, and others. It is NOT supported in Gmail, Outlook (Windows), ProtonMail. Always include a safe fallback for unsupported clients.

Which Email Clients Support CSS ::placeholder?

CSS support for ::placeholder across email clients

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

Notes

  • #1 Not supported with non Outlook accounts.
  • #2 The pseudo-element is supported but `<input>` elements are not.
  • #3 Partial. Only supported on type selectors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related CSS Properties

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::placeholder.

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