Missing images in an email

Troubleshooting issues that can prevent images from showing in an email, and tips for ensuring they display consistently in a variety of email clients

While the are a few reasons why images don't show up in an email that you've sent, the problem is typically specific to the viewer's email program. Fortunately, there are ways to both help contacts who let you know that the images in your emails aren't showing up and to prevent image issues from occurring in the first place.

• Reasons why your email images don't display
• Steps you can take to prevent image issues

Reasons why your email images don't display

Any of the following can stop images from displaying in your email:

• Email program settings -  Most email clients have a setting that lets users display or block images automatically, while some email clients are preset to automatically disable certain types of images. Have your contact check the settings in their email client to make sure images aren't disabled. If they're not sure how, they need to contact or visit the support page for their email client.
• Firewall or spam filter - A firewall or security program on your computer may be blocking the images. Have your contact check the firewall or security program settings to make sure images aren't disabled. If they're not sure how, they need to contact or visit the support page for their firewall or spam filter.
• ISP or mail server issue - An ISP or mail server is blocking your images and you need to safelist our IP address.
• Improper image URL - If you didn't insert an image from your Library, and instead linked to an image hosted elsewhere, the image URL needs to include http://, the domain name, and a file extension (JPEG, GIF, or PNG). For example:

  http://www.webdomain.com/imagename.jpg

  An IP Addresses (ex. - 192.168.0.4) won't work as the domain name. To create a shorter URL for your image, try a third-party link shortener like TinyUrl or Bitly.
• Private server - Your images shouldn't be hosted on a private website that requires a login to view its content. Only people with access to that website are able to see images stored there. Make sure the images are hosted with public access, or make sure all your recipients have permission to view images stored privately. You may need to consult with your webmaster or IT Department.

Start at the top of the list and check each issue, one at a time, until you narrow down the problem.

Steps you can take to prevent image issues

Before you send your email with images to your contacts, it's a good idea to:

• Add a "Web Version" link - If you add a link to let contacts view the email as a webpage, contacts who can't see images can instead click to see your email's full HTML version.
• Send a test to a few accounts - Different email programs have variations in the way emails are displayed. For best results, set up a few free email accounts in the most common email programs (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, etc...) and send yourself a test email to check for image issues.
• Include an image description - Some image issues are beyond your control. Make sure you always include an image description so that if an image can't be seen, you're reader still has an idea of what they're missing.

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