Amy Lockwood
Amy Lockwood
Updated On: Feb 07, 2025
Email Signature Support

Will Microsoft's New Outlook Finally Support Any Font in HTML Email Signatures?

With Microsoft planning to phase out Classic Outlook in favor of New Outlook, many users are wondering whether they will finally be able to use any font in their HTML email signatures.

Will Microsoft's New Outlook Finally Support Any Font in HTML Email Signatures?

Classic Outlook has long been notorious for its outdated rendering engine, which often caused formatting inconsistencies in email signatures. However, even with New Outlook taking over, the ability to use any font in email signatures still depends on several factors, including support across different email clients.

New Outlook: A More Modern Rendering Engine

New Outlook is based on WebView2, which utilizes Microsoft's Edge Chromium engine for rendering emails. This means it has much better HTML and CSS support than Classic Outlook, theoretically allowing for improved web font compatibility. However, the real challenge isn’t just Outlook’s capabilities, it’s the inconsistencies across email clients.

Can You Use Any Font in New Outlook?

  • New Outlook may support web fonts, especially if it allows linked font files via CSS (@font-face or <link> to Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts`).
  • However, most email clients do not fully support web fonts, meaning that while it may work in Outlook, recipients using Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or even Outlook for Windows (non-web version) may not see the font correctly.

How Email Clients Handle Web Fonts

‍Web fonts work in only a handful of email clients, including:

✅ Apple Mail (Mac/iOS)
✅ Outlook for Mac
✅ Some versions of New Outlook
✅ Certain Android email apps‍

However, many major email clients still do not support web fonts, including:

❌ Gmail (removes external font links)
❌ Outlook for Windows (except New Outlook)
❌ Yahoo Mail
❌ Most mobile email apps

What Happens If a Font Isn’t Supported?

‍If an email client doesn’t support a web font, it will fall back to a system-safe font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana. This can cause formatting issues in email signatures if a web font was expected to display.

‍Best Practices for Email Signatures in New Outlook

‍Since web fonts may still have limited compatibility, here’s what you can do:

  • Use email-safe fonts (Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Georgia) for universal compatibility.
  • If using a custom font, always specify a fallback font: font-family: 'Custom Font', Arial, sans-serif;
  • Convert branding elements like taglines into images instead of relying on fonts.
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Why Does Gmail Block Web Fonts in Emails?

‍Gmail is one of the biggest obstacles to widespread web font adoption in email signatures. Unlike Outlook or Apple Mail, Gmail blocks web fonts entirely, even if they are from Google Fonts. But why?

‍Security Risks

  • Web fonts require linking to external files, which poses a security risk.
  • Attackers could inject malicious code into stylesheets or exploit font-loading vulnerabilities.

Performance & Speed

  • Loading external font files would slow down Gmail’s performance.
  • Gmail prioritizes fast-loading emails, stripping out anything unnecessary, including web fonts.

Consistency in Email Rendering

  • Gmail enforces strict styling rules to ensure emails look the same across devices.
  • If web fonts were allowed, emails could appear inconsistently depending on the recipient’s internet connection or device.

Privacy & Tracking Prevention

  • Some marketers use web fonts for email tracking, embedding tracking pixels within font files.
  • Gmail blocks remote fonts to protect user privacy and prevent unauthorized tracking.

How to Work Around Gmail’s Font Restrictions?

‍Since Gmail blocks web fonts, you should:

  • Stick to email-safe fonts (Arial, Tahoma, Times New Roman, etc.).
  • Use images for branding elements (like logos) instead of relying on custom fonts.
  • Always include fallback fonts in your HTML email signature like: font-family: 'Custom Font', Arial, sans-serif;

So while New Outlook may finally support web fonts, widespread adoption is still limited by Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and other email clients. The safest approach remains using email-safe fonts and fallback options to ensure a consistent experience for all recipients. As email technology evolves, there’s hope for better font support in the future, but for now, email signature design should still prioritize compatibility over aesthetics.

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