(and smaller is better!)
Here’s something most email platforms won’t tell you: if your marketing email is over 102KB in size, Gmail is going to cut it off. You’ll see a little “[Message clipped] View entire message” link at the bottom of the email, and everything after that gets hidden.
This might not sound like a big deal. But when you’re trying to track opens, clicks, or include a big call to action at the end of your email, it becomes a serious problem. Gmail clips the message before your tracking pixel loads. So your open rate data is wrong. Your best content might not even be seen. And your email looks like it was sliced in half with no explanation.
Let’s dig into why this happens and what you can do to stop it.
Why 102KB Matters
Gmail uses a simple rule. If your email’s HTML code is larger than 102KB, it clips the message. It does not matter how good your content is or how clean your subject line reads. If it’s too big, it gets cut.
This limit applies to everything inside the body of your email. That means:
- All your text
- Every image reference
- HTML tables and divs
- Inline styles and CSS
- Tracking code
- Hidden preview text
Attachments don’t count toward this limit. It’s just the content of the email itself. But it adds up fast, especially if you’re using a drag-and-drop builder. Many email editors pack your messages with bloated code behind the scenes, and suddenly your neat newsletter is too heavy to land properly.
What Happens When Gmail Clips Your Email
Clipped emails confuse both humans and machines. Here’s what happens:
- Your tracking pixel doesn’t load. Gmail cuts the message before that tiny invisible image at the bottom has a chance to fire. That means your ESP will think no one opened the email, even if they did.
- Your call to action disappears. If you’ve put your big “Apply Now” button or product offer at the bottom, it may never be seen.
- Your message looks incomplete. The reader sees a link that says “View entire message.” That extra click is just enough friction to lose their attention.
- Your open rate drops. With fewer pixels loading, your data becomes inaccurate. You can’t tell what’s working.
Even if you’ve nailed your subject line, delivered it at the perfect time and written a brilliant message, clipping kills your results.
How to Keep Emails Under 102KB
The good news is this problem is easy to fix. You just need to make your emails lighter. Here’s how:
1. Clean your code. Use a tool like HTML Minifier to remove unnecessary spaces, comments and junk code. Some email builders add lots of hidden styles that do nothing.
2. Keep it short. You don’t need to include five job listings, a testimonial, a case study, a blog teaser and a footer with three addresses. Send shorter, more focused messages.
3. Use external images. Don’t embed images directly into the HTML. Just link to them using hosted URLs.
4. Avoid extra styles. Inline styles are fine in small amounts, but don’t go overboard. Nested tables, repeated styles and hidden content all bloat your message.
5. Test your emails. Send yourself a test using Gmail. If you see the clipping notice, your email is too large. Try to keep it under 80KB to be safe.
6. Place your tracking pixel earlier. Some ESPs allow you to move the pixel higher in the body of the message. This helps make sure it loads even if the email is clipped.
How to Check Your Email Size
Many email platforms will show you the final size of your HTML message before you send. If they don’t, you can right-click the preview and “View Source,” then save the HTML and check the file size.
You can also test by sending to a Gmail address and looking for the clip message. It’s a quick way to spot problems before your campaign goes live.
TL:DR
This one small rule from Gmail can ruin your email’s success without you ever noticing. But staying under 102KB is easy once you know the signs. Clean up your templates, trim your content and test before sending.
Better inbox placement starts with knowing the rules and 102KB is one of the biggest ones to follow.
Need Help Making Your Emails Lighter and Smarter?
At Quinset, we help recruitment agencies and smart marketers build fast, lean emails that land in inboxes and stay out of the spam folder. We also offer warmup tools, branded tracking links and DMARC reporting through Powermail.
Not sure if Gmail is clipping your messages? Let’s have a look. We’ll help you fix it fast.
