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Markdown to email guide

Convert Markdown to Outlook-Compatible HTML

Outlook desktop renders email with Word's engine and strips <style> blocks, so Markdown must become HTML with every style inlined. What survives Outlook, what does not, and the conversion.

Direct answer

Outlook-compatible HTML means every style is inline on the element, because Outlook desktop renders with Microsoft Word's engine and strips <style> blocks and most modern CSS. Convert the Markdown so headings, paragraphs, lists, and links each carry their own style attribute, then paste the result as rich text or use the HTML source in your sending tool.

Open Markdown to Email converter

When to use this

  • Recipients are on corporate Outlook and past emails arrived with broken formatting.
  • You send HTML email through a tool and need markup that survives the Word rendering engine.
  • A Markdown draft includes headings, lists, and links that must render identically for Outlook users.

Steps

  1. Draft in basic Markdown: headings, bold, italic, lists, links, inline code. Skip anything exotic.
  2. Convert — the output puts font, size, color, and spacing inline on every element.
  3. For a one-off email, press Copy Rich and paste into the Outlook compose window.
  4. For a campaign, copy the HTML source into your sending tool's code view.
  5. Test-send to a real Outlook desktop account; the web preview is not the same renderer.

Example conversion

Markdown input
## Contract renewal — action needed

Hi Morgan,

The **Acme renewal** is due *March 31*.

1. Review the updated terms
2. Sign via [DocuSign](https://example.com/sign)
3. Reply here to confirm

The rate is unchanged at `$1,200/mo`.
Email HTML output
<h2 style="margin:20px 0 10px;font-size:20px;color:#222;">Contract renewal — action needed</h2>
<p style="margin:12px 0;line-height:1.6;color:#374151;">Hi Morgan,</p>
<p style="margin:12px 0;line-height:1.6;color:#374151;">The <strong>Acme renewal</strong> is due <em>March 31</em>.</p>
<ul style="margin:12px 0;padding-left:20px;"><li style="margin:4px 0;">Review the updated terms</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Sign via <a href="https://example.com/sign" style="color:#2563eb;text-decoration:underline;">DocuSign</a></li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Reply here to confirm</li></ul>
<p style="margin:12px 0;line-height:1.6;color:#374151;">The rate is unchanged at <code style="background:#f3f4f6;padding:2px 6px;border-radius:3px;font-size:13px;">$1,200/mo</code>.</p>

Common mistakes

  • Do not rely on <style> blocks, CSS classes, or external stylesheets — Outlook desktop strips all three.
  • Do not use CSS Outlook's Word engine ignores: max-width, flexbox, grid, border-radius, and background images all fail.
  • Do not trust Outlook on the web as a test — it renders differently from Outlook desktop, and desktop is the strict one.

FAQ

Why is Outlook the hardest email client to format for?
Outlook desktop on Windows renders HTML with Microsoft Word's engine, not a browser engine. Word supports a narrow, dated subset of CSS, so markup that looks fine in Gmail and Apple Mail can collapse in Outlook.
What CSS survives Outlook desktop?
Inline styles for font-family, font-size, color, basic margins and padding, text-decoration, and simple borders. Layout CSS — flexbox, grid, max-width, floats — is unreliable or ignored, which is why email layouts still use stacked blocks and tables.
Do numbered lists from Markdown work in Outlook?
Yes. Ordered and unordered Markdown lists convert to list markup with inline margins, and Outlook renders both. Deeply nested lists are riskier; keep nesting to two levels.
Is the new Outlook (and Outlook on the web) less strict?
Yes — both use a browser-based renderer closer to Gmail's. But you rarely control which Outlook a recipient runs, so authoring to the desktop engine's rules keeps the email safe everywhere.

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