Why Gmail clips emails
When an email's HTML is bigger than 102KB, Gmail shows only the first part and a "[Message clipped] View entire message" link. Most people never click it. Whatever falls below the cut is lost: often the footer, the unsubscribe link (a legal requirement) and the tracking pixel, so your open rate is undercounted too.
The limit is on the HTML code, not the images. Images hosted on a server don't count; images embedded in the code as base64 do.
What makes an email heavy
- Template code: nested tables and the same inline styles repeated on every cell.
- Link tracking: your email platform rewrites every link into a longer tracking link when it sends, so the sent email is bigger than the one you built.
- Comments and spacing: left in by builders and designers.
- Embedded images: base64 images can be hundreds of kilobytes each.
- Personalisation: product feeds and dynamic blocks can add a lot per recipient.
How to get under the limit
Remove comments and spacing (the slimmed copy does this), host images rather than embedding them, cut repeated modules, and simplify the template's code. Then send a test to a Gmail address and check the bottom of the email.
Frequently asked questions
What size does Gmail clip emails at?
Gmail clips messages whose HTML is over 102KB, showing a "View entire message" link instead of the rest.
Do images count towards the 102KB limit?
Images hosted on a server don't; only the HTML code counts. Images embedded as base64 inside the HTML do count, and are usually the cause of very large emails.
Why is my sent email bigger than my HTML?
Your email platform rewrites every link with tracking when it sends, and may add personalisation, so the sent version is larger. The checker adds an allowance per link for this.
Is the slimmed HTML safe to use?
It only removes HTML comments (keeping Outlook's conditional comments) and extra spaces. Send yourself a test before using it, as you would with any change.
Is my HTML uploaded?
No. The size is measured in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.