Convert Images to Email-Compatible Formats
Not all email clients support modern image formats like WebP and HEIC. If your recipients can't view your attached images, convert them to universally compatible JPEG format with ImageGates. Every email client from Gmail to Outlook supports JPEG perfectly.
Image formats that render in every email client
Email clients lag far behind browsers in format support. Outlook on Windows uses the Word rendering engine and cannot display WebP or AVIF, so anything modern must be avoided in email regardless of what the recipient's browser supports.
Exact specifications:
- Universally safe: JPG, PNG, GIF
- Unsupported in Outlook desktop: WebP, AVIF, SVG
- Maximum display width: 600 px
- Target total image weight: under 500 KB per email
- Gmail clipping threshold: 102 KB of HTML
What causes a rejected or degraded result:
- Using SVG logos, which are stripped by most clients.
- Relying on background images, unsupported in several Outlook versions.
- Omitting alt text, so blocked images leave the message blank.
Preparation order that avoids rework:
- Convert every asset to JPG or PNG before building the email.
- Resize to a 600 px display width, supplied at 2× for retina.
- Test in Outlook desktop, Gmail web and Apple Mail before sending.
How to use this tool
- Upload image — Select your WebP, HEIC, or other modern format image.
- Convert to JPG — ImageGates converts to JPEG — the universal email image format.
- Attach to email — Download and attach the JPG file to your email.
Guide
Email image compatibility varies widely across clients. While modern web-based clients support most formats, desktop apps and older clients may struggle with newer formats.
Format compatibility across email clients: - JPG: Universal (100% support) - PNG: Very high (99% support) - GIF: Very high (99% support) - WebP: Mixed (web clients yes, some desktop apps no) - HEIC: Low (most email clients don't display inline) - AVIF: Very low (almost no email client support) - SVG: Blocked by most clients for security
Best practices for email images: 1. Always use JPG for photographs in emails 2. Use PNG only when transparency is needed 3. Keep total email size under 10MB 4. Compress images before attaching 5. Use inline images sparingly — they increase email size
Frequently asked questions
Does Gmail support WebP images?
Gmail displays WebP images inline in the web app, but recipients using older email clients or Outlook desktop may not be able to view them. Converting to JPG ensures universal compatibility.
Can Outlook display PNG images?
Yes, Outlook supports JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP. However, PNG files are often much larger than JPG for photographic content. Convert to JPG to reduce attachment size.
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