Email Header Size Guide
Complete reference for email header dimensions. Covers logo headers, standard banners, hero sections, and preheader bars. Includes a custom size checker, email type recommendations, and Outlook compatibility tips.
Email Header Dimensions Reference
Logo Header
RecommendedlogoBest for: Simple logo placement at top of email
Just your logo centered or left-aligned. Clean, professional, and takes minimal space. Best for transactional emails and newsletters where content is the focus.
Logo + Navigation Bar
logoBest for: Logo with category links below
Common in e-commerce: logo on top, then navigation links (Shop, Sale, New Arrivals). Keep nav items to 4-5 max. Use live text for links, not images.
Standard Email Header
RecommendedheaderBest for: Logo + tagline or brief message
Room for logo and a one-line message or date/issue number. Works well for weekly newsletters and digest-style emails.
Full-Width Header Banner
RecommendedheaderBest for: Branded header with imagery
The most common email header size. Enough room for a background image, logo overlay, and headline text. Works universally across email clients.
Tall Header / Hero Section
heroBest for: Product launches, event announcements
Makes a big visual impact but pushes content below the fold on mobile. Use only when the image IS the primary message.
Hero with CTA
heroBest for: Feature announcement with call-to-action
Header image + headline + CTA button area. Works for product announcements where you want immediate action. Keep the CTA as live HTML, not part of the image.
Preheader / Utility Bar
RecommendedpreheaderBest for: View in browser link, date, unsubscribe
Tiny bar at the very top. Usually plain text (not an image) with links like 'View in browser' or 'Add us to contacts'. Should always be HTML text.
Retina Logo Header
RecommendedlogoBest for: Sharp logo on high-DPI displays
Design at 2x (1200×120), display at 600×60 via HTML width. Your logo will look crisp on iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. Keep the file compressed.
Retina Full Header
headerBest for: Crisp header on retina screens
2x version of the 600×200 standard header. Display at 600×200 in HTML. Compress aggressively — you can use JPEG quality 60-70% for retina because extra pixels compensate.
Mobile-Optimized Header
headerBest for: Mobile-first email design
For campaigns where 70%+ of opens are on mobile. Scales up on desktop but may look slightly soft. Consider using a responsive approach with separate mobile/desktop images.
Check Your Custom Header Size
Enter your header dimensions to get feedback and optimization tips.
Header Structure: Anatomy of an Email Top Section
1. Preheader / Utility Bar
Height: ~30pxContent: View in browser, unsubscribe link, date
Use HTML text, not an image. Many people don't realize this section exists, but it's important for deliverability and accessibility.
2. Logo Bar
Height: 40-80pxContent: Company logo, optionally navigation links
Keep your logo under 200px wide and always include alt text. If images don't load, recipients should still see your brand name.
3. Header Image / Banner
Height: 120-200pxContent: Branded imagery, headline, date/issue number
This is where visual impact happens. Use a strong background image with overlaid text (as live HTML, not baked into the image).
4. Hero Section (optional)
Height: 250-350pxContent: Large product image, main CTA, key message
Only use for product launches or major announcements. In regular newsletters, this pushes content too far down.
Header Size by Email Type
Newsletter / Weekly Digest
600 × 120pxClean and consistent. Logo + issue number or date. Readers should recognize it instantly.
Product Launch / Announcement
600 × 300pxGo big. This is your moment. Show the product prominently with a strong headline.
Sale / Promotional
600 × 200pxDiscount or offer should be impossible to miss. Bold text, bright colors, clear CTA.
Transactional (Receipt, Confirmation)
600 × 60pxJust the logo. Transactional emails should be functional, not marketing-heavy. Get to the content fast.
Welcome / Onboarding
600 × 200pxWarm, inviting imagery. Set the tone for the relationship. Include a clear next-step CTA.
Re-engagement / Win-back
600 × 250pxEmotional appeal. 'We miss you' or an incentive to return. The header should hook them before they delete.
B2B / Professional
600 × 80pxConservative and clean. B2B recipients often prefer text-heavy emails. A subtle header earns credibility.
Event Invitation
600 × 250pxEvent name, date, location — all visible in the header. Make it feel special and worth attending.
Common Header Mistakes
Making the header image the entire email
Keep important content (especially CTAs) as live HTML text. If images don't load, your email shouldn't be blank.
Baking text into the header image
Overlay text using HTML/CSS positioned over the image. Image-only text can't be read by screen readers, selected, or translated.
Using a hero section for every email
Reserve large hero images for special occasions. Regular newsletters with 300px headers feel heavy and slow.
Forgetting the Outlook rendering engine
Outlook doesn't support background images via CSS background-image. Use VML (Vector Markup Language) for Outlook-compatible background images.
Not setting width and height attributes
Always set explicit width and height on <img> tags. This prevents layout shift while images load and helps Outlook render correctly.
Using non-standard fonts in header images
When you use fancy fonts in image text, they won't match the live text below. Either use web-safe fonts throughout or commit to the mismatch intentionally.
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About this tool
The email header is the first thing recipients see when they open your email. Getting the dimensions right means it looks professional across every email client — from Gmail on a phone to Outlook on a desktop. Too tall and you push content below the fold. Too short and your branding gets lost. Wrong width and things break in unexpected ways.
This guide covers four types of email headers: preheader utility bars, logo bars, standard header banners, and hero sections. Each has a different purpose and optimal size. You'll also find a custom size checker that validates your specific dimensions and gives you feedback on compatibility.
For the complete picture on email image dimensions, also check our email banner size guide (focused on campaign-specific banners) and email signature size guide (for the other end of your email). Make sure your total email stays under clipping limits with our email size checker.
Once your header is sized right, use our dark mode preview to make sure it doesn't look weird on dark backgrounds, and our contrast checker to verify any text overlays remain readable.
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