Understanding Gmail email clipping

What is Gmail email clipping?

Gmail automatically clips emails that exceed approximately 102KB in size by truncating the message content and displaying a "[Message clipped] View entire message" link at the bottom of the email. Since this clipping occurs at a specific byte count instead of within a section of your content, it can cause broken HTML tags, incomplete CSS styles, and overall malformed email layouts that compromise appearance and readability.

What counts toward the limit

Included in the size calculation: Gmail only considers the raw HTML file size, which includes all text, such as tracking codes, URLs (including image URLs), style tags, headers, footers, and body content.

Image files are excluded: Since images are loaded from external sources, they are not included in the weight of the email. However, any code or URLs used to display an image in an email contribute to the message size, but the size of the image file itself does not.

Deliverability & compliance risks

Tracking pixel loss: When emails are clipped, the tracking pixel used to calculate open rates may also be clipped, resulting in incorrect tracking of opens.

Loss of engagement: Clipped messages often have lower clickthrough and conversion rates because recipients may miss calls-to-action, special offers, or key information that appears below the clipping point. These recipients may consider clicking "View entire message" as too much effort and lose interest.

Spam reports and compliance issues: When emails are clipped, they are frequently cut before the physical address or unsubscribe link. While not necessarily a violation of CAN-SPAM or GDPR, the subscriber may view these missing items as non-compliant and report the message as spam, which can lead to broader issues with deliverability.

Design & content factors

Complex template structure: Heavy email templates with extensive HTML structures, nested tables, and CSS styling can significantly increase file size. Repeating similar styling across multiple content blocks or articles can also add code overhead.

Imported formatting: If you are using the visual editor and copying content from an external source, ensure it is plain text without hidden elements from Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

HTML comments: While potentially minor, HTML comment tags and text should be evaluated to see if they are necessary or can be removed to reduce file size.

Implementation checklist

Pre-campaign deployment

• Verify email size is under 102KB and preferably under 90KB to allow for some margin of error
• Perform test sends across multiple inboxes such as Gmail desktop, mobile, and iOS app interfaces
• If a large email must be sent, validate that all CTAs appear above potential clipping points
• Consider adding an additional unsubscribe link toward the top of an email as a fail-safe

Template optimization

• Remove HTML comments and deprecated code fixes
• Consolidate similar content blocks and sections
• Minimize device-specific hidden content
• Audit and streamline nested table structures

Content strategy

• Prioritize the most important content toward the top of the email
• Replace lengthier content with "read more" links
• Optimize link usage to reduce tracking code overhead
• Paste content as plain text to avoid hidden formatting