Due to added security and firewalls in Outlook, occasionally, an email creative may not load properly.
To troubleshoot blank images in a test email, we will need a screenshot of the received test, the web browser, and the email platform.
Other recommended troubleshooting steps:
- Test Emails: Send test emails to different email platforms (Gmail or others) and check if the images load correctly in each.
- Check URLs: Ensure that the URLs of your images are accessible and correctly formatted.
- Review HTML/CSS: Double-check your HTML code and CSS styles to ensure they are properly set up for email rendering.
- Verify Hosting: Confirm that the images are hosted on a reliable server with proper permissions.
The images in a test email may not be populating in the inbox due to several reasons:
- Image Hosting: If the images are hosted on a server that is not accessible or has restricted access, email platforms may not be able to display them. Ensure that the images are hosted on a public server or use a trusted image hosting service.
- Image URLs: Check the URLs of the images in your email. Sometimes, incorrect URLs or URLs with special characters may cause the images not to load. Ensure that the URLs are correct and properly formatted.
- Email Client Settings: Some email clients have settings that prevent images from loading automatically for security reasons. Users have to explicitly choose to display images. This could be the case in the test email or for some recipients in the live email send.
- HTML and CSS Issues: Incorrect HTML or CSS coding in the email template can also prevent images from displaying. Ensure that your HTML is properly structured and that CSS styles are correctly applied.
- Spam Filters: Aggressive spam filters may sometimes strip images from emails, especially if they are linked to suspicious or blacklisted domains. Make sure your email content is not triggering spam filters.
- Browser or Device Issues: Sometimes, images may not load due to compatibility issues with specific browsers or devices. Test your email across different platforms to see if this is the case.
For those having image issues, this may be related to security settings of Outlook, which prevent the images from being downloaded automatically in HTML email messages or RSS items. You can try to change this setting by going to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Automatic Download, and clearing the checkbox that says Don't download images automatically in HTML email messages or RSS items. There are also these steps to enable/disable images:
1. Open the Outlook app and compose a new email.
2. Go to the File tab in the ribbon > Options > Mail > Editor Options.
3. Go to the Advanced tab > Check the box for Show picture... Then choose OK.