# Why a Test Send Isn't Enough: See Your Newsletter in Real Gmail and Outlook Inboxes

Source: https://www.tryletterhead.com/blog/test-newsletter-gmail-outlook.html

Every newsletter team has a version of the same ritual. Send a test to yourself, scroll through it, maybe forward it to a coworker and ask who has Outlook.

It's better than nothing. But it shows you one inbox, on one screen, the way your own account treats your own email.

## What a test send misses

- **Other inboxes.** Gmail and Outlook display the same HTML differently. If you only check one, you only know about one.

- **Other screen sizes.** A layout that looks fine on a desktop can stack badly in a narrow window.

- **Gmail's clip.** Gmail cuts off emails with more than about 102KB of HTML. You might not notice in your own copy if you know what's below the cut.

- **Your readers' view.** Your own account may know you, trust you and show your images by default. A reader's may not.

## What to check before every send

- **Links.** Every link goes somewhere, and to the right place.

- **Weight.** The HTML is well under Gmail's ~102KB limit.

- **Layout.** Columns, buttons and images hold up on a desktop screen and in a narrow window.

- **Images.** They load, they're the right size, and they have descriptions for readers who don't load images.

- **Inboxes.** It looks right in the inboxes most of your readers use, at least Gmail and Outlook.

Run steps 1 and 2 through [Preflight's email check](../tools/preflight.html) first. It's instant and doesn't use up anything.

## See it in real inboxes

For steps 3 to 5, you want screenshots from real inboxes, not a simulation.

_Free tool · Inbox preview_

See your email in real Gmail and Outlook inboxes.

Paste your HTML and get screenshots from real Gmail and Outlook.com inboxes, on a desktop screen and at phone width. No signup.
[Preview your email](../tools/inbox-preview.html)

Inbox preview sends your HTML to our own Gmail and Outlook.com test inboxes, opens it there and takes screenshots on a desktop screen and at phone width. A few minutes later you get the screenshots, plus whether Gmail clipped it.

## What it doesn't cover

Inbox preview shows Gmail and Outlook.com on the web. It doesn't show the Gmail or Outlook phone apps, Outlook for Windows or Mac, or Apple Mail. Phone width means the web inbox in a narrow window.

If you need to see dozens of email clients and devices for every send, that's what paid testing suites are for. We wrote up [Inbox preview vs. Litmus](../compare/litmus.html) to help you decide.

## In Letterhead

Letterhead's composer checks every issue before you send: links that won't work, bounce risk, readability and Email Weight, with what's making it heavy.

## Frequently asked questions

**How do I preview an email in Outlook before sending?**
Paste your HTML into the [Outlook email preview](../tools/outlook-email-preview.html), which photographs it in a real Outlook.com inbox. You can also send a test to an Outlook.com address you own.

**Is Inbox preview free?**
Yes. One preview a day, no signup.

**What happens to the email I paste?**
It's sent to our test inboxes and stays there. The screenshots are deleted after a week, so don't paste anything confidential.

#production #testing #how-to

_Keep reading_

## More on this topic.
[How to Send a Newsletter in Gmail + Pros & Cons
Learn how to create and send newsletters using Gmail, from choosing a Google Docs template to personalizing with mail merge. Discover workarounds and key limitations.
Read the post](../blog/how-to-send-a-newsletter-in-gmail-pros-cons.html)[Why Gmail Clips Your Newsletter (and How to Stay Under 102KB)
Gmail cuts off emails with more than about 102KB of HTML, hiding your last stories and your unsubscribe link. What makes newsletters heavy and how to slim them down.
Read the post](../blog/gmail-clipping-newsletter.html)[How to Run an Email Deliverability Test in 30 Minutes
Run a 30-minute email deliverability check to spot issues early, protect your sender reputation, and keep emails out of spam with this step-by-step guide.
Read the post](../blog/email-deliverability-test.html)

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