Outlook Email Broken Layout Fix: Resolve Default Image Blocking Layouts for Transactional & System Notifications
Transactional emails (receipts, password resets, shipping alerts) carry critical operational data. Spacing collapses or broken buttons can block users from completing essential user journeys. Below is the targeted integration guide to fix Default Image Blocking Layouts inside Outlook 2013 templates when using SendGrid.
Technical Breakdown
Outlook 2013 uses the Microsoft Word (MSO) which lacks support for standard rendering rules. This causes Default Image Blocking Layouts elements to break or collapse when rendering templates.
SendGrid Behaviors
SendGrid's template parser automatically injects custom style tags that can override inline styles. Always use inline style definitions and define clear target widths. Because system notifications are triggered frequently, ensure your CSS rules are completely inlined to guarantee readability in high-volume, automated delivery queues.
Remediation Code Block
To resolve this, always define explicit width and height attributes on your images to preserve their layout boxes when blocked. Add robust alternative (ALT) text styled with CSS font-sizes and colors, and encode vital brand logos directly as Base64 data URIs. In your SendGrid campaign manager, make sure you configure your links to run via {{{unsubscribe}}}.
<img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAADIA..." width="150" height="40" alt="Company Logo" style="display: block; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #111111; font-weight: bold; border: 0;">Live Code Sandbox Test
How to Deploy inside SendGrid
Copy the fixed VML or table wrapper code block from the remediation box above.
Open SendGrid Design Editor, toggle the view mode to Code Editor, or insert a custom 'Code' module block inside your drag-and-drop layout. Drop the corrected code inside the box.