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Images aren't showing in an email

Resolve broken, blocked, or missing images so your Edition displays correctly in the inbox.

Symptom​

Images that looked fine while you were building the Edition appear as empty boxes, red X placeholders, alt text, or "download pictures" prompts when the Broadcast arrives in a subscriber's inbox. The problem may affect every image, only some, or only certain mail clients (commonly Outlook).

Likely causes​

  • Images blocked by default. Most mail clients hide remote images until the subscriber clicks "show images." This is expected behavior, not a fault in your Edition.
  • Broken or unresolved image URL. An image was uploaded to a draft, deleted, or moved after it was placed, so the link no longer points to a live file.
  • Local or private image source. An image was pasted or referenced from a path that only you can reach (your computer, an internal server, or a login-protected site).
  • Blocked file type or size. Very large images, or formats some clients don't support (for example, WebP or SVG in Outlook), fail to display.
  • Personalization in the image path. A token that didn't resolve can produce an invalid URL.

Fixes​

  1. Confirm it isn't just image blocking. Send yourself a test Broadcast and choose "show images." If it renders, add descriptive alt text and design the layout to read well with images off. (Confirm the exact test-send steps in your account.)
  2. Re-upload through the editor's image tool. Always add images with the built-in image or media library so they are hosted on a public URL, rather than pasting from your desktop or another site.
  3. Check for broken links. Open the Edition and re-select any image showing a placeholder; replace anything that was deleted or edited after placement.
  4. Use supported formats and reasonable sizes. Prefer JPG or PNG, keep files well under a few hundred KB where possible, and set explicit width so clients scale them correctly.
  5. Verify personalization tokens. If an image URL contains a token, preview against a real subscriber to confirm it resolves. See Personalization tags.
  6. Re-test after each change across at least one webmail and one desktop client before you resend.

Still stuck?​

If a hosted image still won't render after re-uploading and testing, capture the affected mail client, a screenshot, and the Edition name, then contact your account support team so they can inspect the image URL and delivery.

Canonical terms: Author, Edition, Folder (Project Folder), Broadcast. See the Glossary.