- You can also try manually changing heights, font sizes and line-heights to achieve the same outcome. Another fairly simple fix is the ghost break. Much like ghost tables, the ghost break is a way to force a line break that is only for the problem clients.
- Airmail 3 For Mac Remove Vertical Line From Forwarded Email 0 Comments Airmail 3 for Mac is available on the Mac App Store for $9.99 for new customers and as a free update to existing customers.
- Open Mac Mail Preferences. Whilst in Mac Mail, from the top menu bar click on Mail and then Preferences. Fonts and Colors. Click on the Fonts and Colors tab and uncheck the “Color quoted text” checkbox. Now click on the Composing tab. Uncheck the “Increase quote level” checkbox.
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Developing emails can be tough, we know that. We also know that Outlook 2016 is one of the worst culprits for making it tougher. One of the most notorious email bugs is the 1px line bug; it’s a scourge of many perfect email designs.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a hard-and-fast rule for fixing this bug. However, there are some steps you can take to try and minimize its effect on your email.
An example of the bug from our most recent newsletter. Luckily, we tested the design and saw the issue before sending it out.
Have an iMac Mountain Lion 10.8.2 using Apple mail. When I forward email I get a blue vertical line to the left of the forwarded mail or if I reply to an email & leave the received email in the replys string, I get a blue vertical line the length of the received mail.
What Is the Outlook Line Bug?
Outlook 2016 will add extra lines to our emails. These lines will inherit the background set on your <body> tag, often causing the issues illustrated above. To make matters worse, this bug seems to happen at random, although it does appear more regularly on Windows 10 machines, compared to Windows 7.
Why Do the Lines Appear?
The bug has caused so many headaches that it led to a TechNet post trying to alert Microsoft’s attention to it. What makes this bug especially perplexing is that although it happens on Outlook 2016, it does not appear on Outlook 2007, 2010 or 2013, all of which share a common rendering engine (Microsoft Word).
Although we don’t know the exact reason for this odd behavior, the leading theory is that it has to do with heights that are odd numbers. If we discover any new information, we’ll be sure to update this post.
How Do I Fix the Lines?
You can develop emails in many different structures and formats. While this is great for us developers (it gives us the freedom to code however we like), it does mean that there are some inherent trial and error in fixing bugs like this.
1. Adjusting Heights and Font Sizes
For some folks, the fix is as simple as changing font sizes from odd numbers to even numbers. For example, if you have a font size of 13px or 15px, try converting it to 14px.
You can also try manually changing heights, font sizes and line-heights to achieve the same outcome.
2. Ghost Breaks
Another fairly simple fix is the ghost break. Much like ghost tables, the ghost break is a way to force a line break that is only for the problem clients.
3. Using Non-Breaking Spaces
Other developers have reported that the issue is down to Outlook 2016 converting white space. The suggested fix for this is to include a non-breaking space ( ) before you close your table cell (<td>).
![Airmail Airmail](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126644563/768695375.jpeg)
4. Using Microsoft-Specific Code
Microsoft-specific code can get quite detailed, but this snippet is fairly simple. All we’re doing is targeting Outlook and collapsing the borders. Just add this code to your head:
It’s worth noting that depending on how you structured your email this may not be the right fix for you. When we tested this solution it worked on some emails, but on others, it had an adverse effect on the overall rendering of the design.
![Airmail 3 For Mac Remove Vertical Line From Forwarded Email Airmail 3 For Mac Remove Vertical Line From Forwarded Email](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126644563/103432431.jpeg)
5. Matching the Background
Less of a fix and more of a “cover-up,” this solution is what we used in our March newsletter.
We discussed earlier that the lines inherit the color from the <body> tag. So, by setting the background color of the <body> to the same color as our problem section, we essentially cover up the lines. They’re still there, yes, but your subscribers won’t see them. We also want to only target the problem clients. There’s no need to change the background color of clients that render the email correctly.
Simply add this code to the <head> of your email with the background color changed to match the problem section.
Tell Us About Your Experience with the Outlook 2016 Line Bug
We’re hoping Microsoft will address this bug in the future but, in the meantime, we’ll need to use a workaround. What have your experiences been? Do these solutions fix your issues? Have you developed another solution? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook, or in the comments below.
Testing Your Fix
The most important part of fixing any email bug is testing your solution and verifying that you’ve resolved the issue. Try Email on Acid free for seven days and get instant access to email testing in more than 70 email clients. Be confident before you hit “send.”
Author: Alex Ilhan
Hailing all the way from England, Alex brings his email development expertise along with an endless stream of cups of tea and British cynicism. Follow him on Twitter: @omgitsonlyalex.
Airmail 3 For Mac Remove Vertical Line From Forwarded Email Addresses
Author: Alex Ilhan
Airmail 3 For Mac Remove Vertical Line From Forwarded Email Messages
Hailing all the way from England, Alex brings his email development expertise along with an endless stream of cups of tea and British cynicism. Follow him on Twitter: @omgitsonlyalex.