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Does CSS Universal selector * Work in HTML Email?

The universal selector (`*`) allows to apply styles to every elements.

Quick Answer

Does Universal selector * work in HTML email?

The CSS Universal selector * property is supported in Gmail, Outlook (Mac / Web), Apple Mail, Yahoo! Mail, and others. It is NOT supported in Outlook (Windows). Always include a safe fallback for unsupported clients.

Which Email Clients Support CSS Universal selector *?

CSS support for Universal selector * across email clients

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

Notes

  • #1 Partial. Not supported with non Google accounts.
  • #2 Buggy. The first `<head>` in the HTML is removed, so `<style>` elements need to be in a second `<head>` element.
  • #3 Not supported. The selector is removed and left prefixed with the outer most parent element.

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Universal selector *.

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