About Email Template Widths

The template options in this article are available for the classic email builder only. To learn about templates in the new email builder, read Design an Email in the New Builder.

Since every email client renders HTML differently, Mailchimp templates are designed using generally well-received code to help make sure emails display correctly across different email clients.

Mailchimp templates are designed to be no greater than 600px wide to fit the display capabilities of most email clients.

The underlying code for the template width cannot be altered automatically through any setting in the Campaign Builder. If it is necessary to create an email wider than 600px, we strongly recommend providing your own code or hiring a designer to create the code for you.

If you'd like to use one of our templates rather than coding your own, there is a workaround that you can use to force your email to stretch beyond the recommended 600px width. This workaround works best with drag-and-drop templates.

To stretch a drag-and-drop template, follow these steps.

1. In the Content section of the Campaign Builder, click Edit Design.
   
2. On the Design step, add a Text content block to each section of the template: preheader, header, body, columns (if applicable), and footer.
3. In each of these Text content blocks, upload an image that is more than 600 pixels wide to force the template to stretch. We recommend making this a thin image that is either transparent or the same color as your campaign background so it isn't noticeable.

If your template has columns or any padding, then you'll need to adjust the width of the graphic to total up to the template width you want.

After stretching the campaign to a width larger than 600px, we recommend testing the campaign in as many clients as possible to ensure that it displays as intended.