Short answerTo preview an HTML email as a link, convert the template's HTML to a link and share it for review. Reviewers see the design in their browser; for final checks, still send test emails, because mail clients render HTML differently from browsers.
Why share a link, not a test email
Test emails get lost, land in spam or go to the wrong person. A link is quick to send to a client, a manager or a translator, it opens in any browser, and if you fix something the same link shows the new version — no “use the third email, not the second”.
How to do it
- Export the HTML from your email builder (most have “Export HTML” or “Download”).
- If images are uploaded to the builder's CDN, the code already contains full
https://image URLs — paste it into HTML code to link. - If images are local files, put the HTML and an
imagesfolder in a ZIP and upload it. - Add a password if the campaign is confidential, then share the link.
What a browser preview cannot tell you
- Outlook desktop renders HTML with a Word engine and ignores much modern CSS.
- Gmail strips some styles and clips messages larger than about 102 KB.
- Dark mode in mail apps may invert colours.
- Merge tags like
{{first_name}}show as raw text — fill in sample values for review links.
Use the link for content and design sign-off, then do a final round of real test sends.
Simulate the inbox width
Most templates are 600 px wide. Ask reviewers to check the link on their phone too — or use the width switcher in our HTML previewer before converting.