Why Your Fonts Don't Work in Email templates—and How to Fix Them (With Examples!)

Decoding Fonts in Email: A Practical Guide for Marketers

"I spent hours designing this email, but the font looks completely different when I preview it!" If you’ve ever said this, you’re not alone.

In the world of email marketing, font rendering is one of the most frustrating issues — especially when your beautiful, branded font gets replaced with Times New Roman or Arial in your subscriber's inbox. 😓

Fonts may seem like a small thing, but in the world of email design, they can make or break your brand's look. Let’s break down why it happens and how to fix it with practical tips and code examples.

Why Fonts Break in Emails

Emails aren’t like websites. They don’t have full support for custom fonts or modern CSS. Here’s why:

Limited Font Support

Most email clients only support web-safe fonts by default. Anything fancy, like Google Fonts or custom brand fonts, may be ignored.

Outlook Is a Rebel

Microsoft Outlook uses the Word rendering engine, which doesn’t recognize external fonts—even Google Fonts. It defaults to Times New Roman or Arial.

Missing Fallbacks

If your code doesn’t have a proper fallback font stack, clients that don’t support your main font will show the default one (often ugly 😬).

Understanding How Fonts Work in Email Clients

There are three types of fonts to consider:

1. Web-Safe Fonts

Universally supported. Examples: Arial, Georgia, Times New Roman, Verdana.

2. Web Fonts (Google Fonts)

Examples: Roboto, Open Sans, Montserrat. Supported only in Apple Mail, iOS Mail, some Android clients.

3. Custom/Embedded Fonts

Rarely supported. Not recommended for emails.

Best Practices to Fix Font Rendering Issues

1. Use Fallback Fonts

<p style="font-family: 'Roboto', Arial, sans-serif;">
  This text will show Roboto if supported, otherwise Arial.
</p>

2. Target Outlook with Conditional Comments

<!--[if mso]>
<style type="text/css">
  h1 { font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; }
</style>
<![endif]-->

3. Use Inline Styles

<p style="font-family: 'Lato', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
  Inline styled fonts for better support.
</p>

4. Import Web Fonts Where Supported

<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:400,700" rel="stylesheet" />

5. Fix Outlook Dark Mode Text Colors

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
  <tr>
    <!--[if mso]>
    <td bgcolor="#FAFAFA" style="padding: 20px;">
    <![endif]-->
    <!--[if !mso]><!-->
    <td style="background-color: #FAFAFA; padding: 20px;">
    <!--<![endif]-->
      <p style="color: #E60000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
        This is red text that behaves better in dark mode.
      </p>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

Using Custom Fonts in Email (With Fallbacks)

If you really want to use a branded font like Montserrat or Open Sans, here’s how to do it right.

Step 1: Import the Font

<style type="text/css">
  @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Montserrat');
</style>

Note: This only works in clients that support <style> and external font URLs (like Apple Mail and some Android clients).

Step 2: Use the Font in Your Inline Styles

<td style="font-family: 'Montserrat', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
  Your email content goes here.
</td>

Fallback Example: If Montserrat doesn’t load, the email will fall back to Arial, then to sans-serif.

Font Support Matrix

Font Type	Apple Mail	Outlook (Windows)	Gmail	iOS Mail	Android
Web-Safe Fonts	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Google Fonts	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅
Embedded Fonts	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

Reliable Font Stacks

Purpose	Font Stack
Modern Sans-Serif	'Roboto', Arial, sans-serif
Clean Business Look	'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif
Editorial Style	Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif
Monospace Feel	'Courier New', Courier, monospace

Example Block with Conditional Font Fallback

<!--[if mso]>
<style type="text/css">
  .fallback-text { font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
  <tr>
    <td style="font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" class="fallback-text">
      Your email copy goes here.
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

Final Thoughts

By knowing where fonts break and how to plan fallbacks, you can keep your emails looking polished and professional across every inbox. Want more email design tips like this? Follow this blog and stay tuned!

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