---
title: "Inline CSS and safe fallbacks"
description: "Inline critical presentation, keep selectors simple, and design fallbacks for clients that remove style blocks or ignore unsupported properties."
canonical: https://specification.email/spec/rendering/inline-css/
category: rendering
status: recommended
sources:
  - title: "CSS support in email clients"
    url: "https://www.caniemail.com/features/"
    publisher: "Can I Email"
---

# Inline CSS and safe fallbacks

> Inline critical presentation, keep selectors simple, and design fallbacks for clients that remove style blocks or ignore unsupported properties.

## What it is

Inlining copies essential CSS declarations onto each element because some clients strip, scope, or incompletely support embedded styles.

## Why it matters

A message that depends on one style block can degrade into unreadable content when the block is removed.

## How to implement

Inline typography, spacing, colors, and table rules that are essential to comprehension. Use a build tool to inline consistently, then retain media queries and supported progressive rules in a style block.

## Common mistakes

- Inlining before template rendering, leaving dynamic elements unstyled.
- Relying on shorthand properties with uneven support.
- Letting an inliner overwrite dark-mode or responsive declarations.

## Verification

Inspect delivered HTML to confirm critical declarations are present. Remove all style blocks and confirm the message remains legible and actionable.