If you copy-paste content from a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or web page into the Instantly email editor, your message may contain unwanted styles or hidden HTML. There are four ways to fix this.
Clean HTML
The Clean HTML feature removes unnecessary HTML tags from your email body while preserving your text formatting (color, size, etc.). It strips out extraneous HTML structure like div IDs that aren't relevant in an email, cleaning your code to match what you'd get if you composed the email directly in Gmail.
Your email content and any clickable links will remain unchanged. You can find this option in the sequence editor toolbar.
Clear Formatting
If your email has issues like missing paragraph spacing, inconsistent styles, or a visible white text background in preview, the Clear Formatting feature strips all formatting at once.
Select all text in the editor.
Click "Clear Formatting" in the text editor bar under the "More Text" section.
Click Preview to verify your email looks correct.
Save your changes.
Delivery Optimization (Text-Only Mode)
The Delivery Optimization feature strips all HTML formatting and sends your email as plain text, which also improves deliverability.
To enable at the campaign level:
Go to the Campaign --> Options tab.
Scroll down to find Delivery Optimization.
Enable Send all emails as text-only or Send first email as text-only
Click Save
Once enabled, images will be removed, and HTML links will be converted to plain URLs displayed next to the linked text.
Always Send First Email as Text-Only (Workspace Level)
You can apply text-only formatting to the first email of every campaign in your workspace:
Go to the Advanced Deliverability setting
Enable Always Send First Email as Text-Only.
This setting applies to all campaigns in the workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clear formatting in an active campaign?
How do I clear formatting in an active campaign?
To clear format in old or already active campaigns, please follow the steps below:
Select all text in the editor and press Cmd+X (Mac) or Ctrl+X (Windows) to cut it.
Then paste it back without styling using Shift+Cmd+V (Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+V (Windows).
How long does it take for changes to take effect?
How long does it take for changes to take effect?
Changes can take up to a few hours to fully apply. Emails already processed for the current day may still be sent with the old formatting. To prevent this, always pause the campaign before making changes, save your edits, then resume the campaign.