How to Fix Hubspot Marketing Emails That Look Different in Outlook

When you build marketing emails in Hubspot, they may look perfect in the editor but appear broken or misaligned in Outlook. This happens because Outlook uses the Microsoft Word rendering engine, which does not fully support modern HTML and CSS. In this guide, you will learn how to design, test, and troubleshoot emails built in Hubspot so they display more consistently across Outlook versions.

Why Hubspot Emails Render Differently in Outlook

Even if you follow best practices in Hubspot, Outlook imposes its own limitations. Understanding these constraints is the first step toward reliable email design.

Outlook often causes:

• Unexpected spacing around images, buttons, and sections
• Fonts reverting to defaults like Times New Roman
• Background images not loading or repeating strangely
• Margins and padding being ignored or altered
• Columns stacking or misaligning in complex layouts

These issues are not specific to Hubspot; they affect almost every email service provider because of how Outlook interprets HTML.

Core Principles for Hubspot Email HTML in Outlook

To improve consistency, design your Hubspot email templates with Outlook’s limited support in mind.

Stick to Table-Based Layouts in Hubspot

Outlook handles table-based layouts more reliably than div-based layouts. When building modules in Hubspot:

• Use single-column or simple two-column sections where possible.
• Avoid deeply nested tables and overly complex structures.
• Keep widths explicit, such as 600px for the main email body.

Use Email-Safe Fonts in Hubspot Templates

Outlook may not support web fonts loaded via CSS. To keep text consistent across clients:

• Choose system-safe fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, or Verdana.
• Set clear fallbacks in your Hubspot styles, for example: font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;.
• Test critical headings and CTAs to confirm font behavior in Outlook.

Avoid Unsupported Outlook CSS in Hubspot Emails

Some CSS that works in other clients will fail in Outlook. When formatting content in Hubspot:

• Limit or avoid CSS properties like float, position, and complex background shorthand.
• Rely on simple inline styles for padding, font size, and colors.
• Use solid background colors instead of background images when clarity is critical.

For more detail on rendering limitations, you can review the original Outlook behavior description in the Hubspot knowledge base article.

Design Tips to Make Hubspot Emails Outlook-Friendly

The following practical steps help you avoid common visual problems when working with Hubspot email tools.

Keep Hubspot Email Layouts Simple

Complex designs are more likely to break. To improve Outlook compatibility:

• Use a clean, single-column layout for key messages.
• Reserve multi-column blocks for simple content, such as icon-and-text rows.
• Minimize overlapping elements, gradient backgrounds, and layered imagery.

Format Images Correctly in Hubspot

Images often cause layout shifts in Outlook. In your Hubspot email editor:

• Set explicit width for images instead of relying on percentage-based sizes.
• Avoid very small spacer images; use padding and table cells instead.
• Use display:block; on images to reduce unexpected gaps.

Use Bulletproof Buttons in Hubspot

Buttons built from images alone may break in Outlook. Instead, use buttons based on HTML and inline CSS inside Hubspot:

1. Create a button module that uses a table cell with background color.
2. Place a text link inside the cell and style it with inline fonts, padding, and color.
3. Ensure sufficient contrast so text remains readable if styles change in Outlook.

Testing Hubspot Emails Across Outlook Clients

Never rely on a single preview when validating a Hubspot campaign. Outlook versions can behave differently from each other.

Use Cross-Client Preview Tools with Hubspot

To catch problems early:

• Use Hubspot’s built-in email preview and client testing tools if available on your subscription.
• Supplement with third-party rendering tools that show multiple Outlook versions.
• Check both desktop and web-based Outlook clients when possible.

Send Live Test Emails from Hubspot

Rendering tools are helpful, but real inbox tests are essential:

1. Create a small internal list of test addresses using different Outlook versions.
2. Send test emails directly from your Hubspot campaign to this list.
3. Open each email on actual devices and note layout, fonts, and spacing.
4. Adjust the Hubspot template and repeat until the layout is stable.

Troubleshooting Common Outlook Issues with Hubspot

When you see specific layout problems, targeted adjustments in your Hubspot templates can help.

Fonts Changing in Outlook

If Outlook shows unexpected fonts:

• Confirm your Hubspot styles specify a full font stack with safe fallbacks.
• Use inline styles on headings and important CTAs where consistency matters most.
• Avoid depending on web fonts for critical brand text.

Extra Spacing or Misaligned Elements

Spacing issues often result from padding, margins, or line-height not treated the same way by Outlook. In Hubspot:

• Favor padding inside table cells instead of margin.
• Set explicit line-height values for text elements.
• Check for empty rows or cells that might expand unexpectedly.

Background Images Not Displaying

Outlook has limited support for background images. To ensure readability:

• Use a strong background color that works even without the image.
• Keep important text or CTAs out of image-only areas.
• Consider redesigning the section in Hubspot to rely on solid colors and icons instead.

When to Get Extra Help with Hubspot Email Design

If Outlook problems persist or you need to standardize templates across a large team, external support can save time.

You can work with an experienced email and CRM partner such as Consultevo to audit your Hubspot templates, refine HTML, and implement best practices tailored to your brand.

Summary: Building Outlook-Ready Emails in Hubspot

Because Outlook uses a restrictive rendering engine, perfect visual parity across every email client is not always possible. However, by simplifying layouts, using email-safe fonts, relying on table structures, and thoroughly testing campaigns, you can significantly reduce surprises when sending from Hubspot.

When you design with Outlook limitations in mind from the start, your Hubspot campaigns will look more consistent, deliver a better subscriber experience, and require fewer last-minute fixes before launch.

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