Outlook GIF Checker
Outlook 2007–2019 on Windows shows only the first frame of an animated GIF. Drop yours in to see exactly what those readers get.
Drop an animated GIF hereCheck an animated GIF
It's read in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Example result buy-more-fall-sale.gif
Older Outlook readers will miss your message
Outlook 2007–2019 on Windows shows only the first frame, and this one is close to empty.
This is the whole message for these readers. It never animates.
Every frame, at the timing in the file. Includes Outlook for Mac, Outlook on the web, mobile and the new Outlook for Windows.
- Frames
- 4
- Length
- 4.5 s
- Size
- 13 KB
- Dimensions
- 600 × 240
Checks
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Fix
First frame works on its own
11% of busiest frameYour first frame has much less on it than your other frames, about 11% of the busiest one (frame 4). Older Outlook readers see a mostly empty banner. Move the headline, offer and button into frame one.
How to build a first frame that works -
Pass
File size
13 KBLight enough to load quickly, even on mobile data.
-
Note
Sharpness at 600px
1.0× a 600px columnAt 1× it can look soft on retina phones and laptops. Export at 1200px wide and set width="600" in the HTML.
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Pass
Frame timing
600–1600 msEvery delay is long enough that clients play it as designed.
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Pass
Looping
ForeverLoops forever. Consider 2–3 loops that stop on the offer, so it doesn’t keep pulling the eye.
Every frame
- Outlook shows this
- Busiest frame
Why Outlook freezes GIFs
Outlook 2007 through 2019 on Windows doesn't use a browser to draw email. It uses Microsoft Word. Word can show a GIF but can't play one, so it draws frame one and stops there.
Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook for Mac and the new Outlook all animate, so most of your list sees the motion. The readers who don't are opening your promo in desktop Outlook at work, and it still has to sell to them.
The fix
Make frame one a complete email. Put the headline, the offer and the call to action in it, so a reader who sees nothing else still knows what's on sale and where to click.
Later frames add motion, not information. Skip the fade-in from a blank background and the logo reveal: in Outlook, that's all anyone sees.
Keep it light
An animated GIF is often the heaviest thing in an email, and every frame adds to it. Aim for under 1 MB so it loads fast on a phone.
Fewer colors and fewer frames shrink a file the most. A banner rarely needs more than 64 colors or a dozen frames.
Frequently asked questions
Which versions of Outlook don’t play animated GIFs?
Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 on Windows show only the first frame. Outlook for Microsoft 365 on Windows plays a GIF three times, then stops and shows a play button. Outlook for Mac, Outlook on the web, the Outlook mobile apps and the new Outlook for Windows play GIFs the way a browser does.
Why does Outlook show only the first frame?
Those versions of Outlook lay out email with Microsoft Word, not a browser. Word can display a GIF but has no way to play it, so it draws frame one and stops.
How should I design the first frame?
As a finished banner: the headline, the offer and the button text, readable on their own. Many animations build up to the full message. Reverse that: open on the complete message, then use the later frames for motion, like a price that pulses or a product that rotates in.
Can I show Outlook a different image instead?
Yes. Wrap a static image in an <!--[if mso]> conditional comment and hide the GIF from Outlook with <!--[if !mso]><!-->. Outlook on Windows gets the still image and everyone else gets the animation. It’s more HTML to maintain, so a strong first frame is usually the simpler fix.
Does this tool upload my GIF?
No. The GIF is read and decoded by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, and nothing is stored.
Still have questions? Contact us →
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