Why does my forwarded email not render properly?

Why does my forwarded email not render properly?

Why Does My Email Look Different When I Forward It?

You sent a beautiful email campaign, but when you forwarded it to a co-worker or another address you manage, the design looked... off. Columns collapsed, fonts changed, or entire sections disappeared. What happened?

The Short Answer

When you use your email client’s “Forward” button, the forwarded version of your message is reprocessed by that email client’s rendering engine. This can alter the original HTML structure and styling—often in unpredictable ways.

Once the email leaves Delivra and is forwarded through an inbox (like Outlook, Gmail, or Apple Mail), Delivra no longer controls how it’s displayed. Because of this, we can’t support rendering issues caused by forwarding.

What to Do Instead

To ensure your email looks just as good when someone passes it along, we recommend using the Forward to a Friend link that’s included in your email’s footer.

  • This link triggers a web-based version of your email to be sent directly from Delivra

  • The formatting remains intact because it bypasses the email client’s rendering filters

If you’re not already including a Forward to a Friend link in your campaigns, let us know—we can help you set it up.

Best Practices

  • Avoid using your inbox’s forward button when testing or sharing email designs

  • Use Delivra’s test send feature or Forward to a Friend link for consistent rendering

  • Always preview your message across multiple clients during the design phase

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