Email is the primary channel for communicating with your audience, so your emails must look great and reflect your brand.
Omnisend Email Builder simplifies design with drag-and-drop tools, pre-built templates, and mobile-first layouts – no design skills needed.
In this article, you'll learn how to access the Email Builder, choose a template, add layouts and items, and save your design.
Before You Begin
Use a desktop or laptop. The Email Builder is not optimized for mobile devices and may not function properly on small screens.
Configure Brand Assets once to automatically apply your logo, colors, and button styles to every email. Learn more about Brand Assets.
Explore available Items (text, images, buttons, products, etc.) in this guide.
Check out the Email Builder FAQ for common questions.
Accessing the Email Builder
The Email Builder can be accessed through Campaigns or Automation Workflows:
Through Campaigns:
Go to Campaigns → + New campaign → Create email.
Enter your subject line, sender name, and sender email.
Click Choose Email Template to open the Email Builder.
Through Automations:
Go to Automation → + New Workflow or select an existing workflow.
Add or edit an Email step in your workflow.
Click Edit Content or Choose Email Template to open the Email Builder.
Step 1. Pick the Template
Browse mobile-first email templates or filter by goal (Welcome, Promotion, Product Launch, etc.) to find the one that fits your needs.
To build from scratch: Filter by Other Goals and choose the Plain Text or HTML template. Then add your own Layouts and Items from the left sidebar.
To create a Gmail-style email: Use an HTML/Text block with a large width setting (e.g., 1400px). Note: The unsubscribe button will still appear (required by law).
How It Works:
Use an HTML/Text block instead of a plain text template.
Set the block width to a high value (e.g., 1400px) to create a more email-client-like appearance.
Be mindful that extremely large widths may cause a horizontal scrollbar on some screens.
The unsubscribe button will still be included, as required.
Step 2. Start Building Your Email
⚠️ Important: Always add a Layout first from the Layouts tab on the left. Items (text, images, buttons) must be placed inside layouts. If drag-and-drop isn't working, check that you've added a layout first.
How to Add a Layout
Click Add Elements on the left.
Switch to the Layouts tab.
Drag a layout (single column, two columns, etc.) onto the canvas.
How to Add Items
Reopen Add Elements on the left.
Drag Items (text, image, button, product, etc.) into the sections of your layout.
💡 Tip: Check this guide to learn about all available Items.
Customize Your Layout
Left-hand controls (icons on the layout): Duplicate, delete, move, or save the entire layout.
Right-hand controls (icons on individual items): Move, delete, save, or style a specific item.
Step 3. Design Your Email
Use the Email settings panel on the right to style your email:
Width: Adjust canvas width (default: 600px).
Colors: Set background and canvas colors.
Buttons: Choose button style (rounded, sharp edges, etc.).
You can change the width of the email and adjust theme settings, including background and canvas colors in the background settings and button style in the buttons settings.
Undo/Redo
Use the undo/redo buttons in the top-right corner. Unlimited undo steps let you revert to the beginning.
Note: Undo history resets if you reload the page. Save your template regularly to avoid losing progress.
Leave Spaces Intentionally
You can leave layout sections empty to create focused, intricate designs.
Visibility Settings
Show or hide specific items on mobile vs. desktop for better responsiveness.
Why Optimize Separately?
Better readability: Resize fonts and buttons for easier mobile interaction.
Improved design control: Use different image sizes or text spacing on mobile.
Higher engagement: Well-optimized mobile emails improve click-through rates.
Identify key items that need adjustment
Images, text alignment, and button sizes can appear differently on mobile vs. desktop.
If an email looks good on a desktop but not on mobile, consider using separate items for different devices
How to Set Visibility
Click the item you want to adjust.
Go to Layout (right panel) → Display settings.
Choose:
All devices (default)
Mobile devices only
Desktop devices only
Tip: Use the Preview tool to check how your email appears on desktop and mobile.
Step 4. Save Your Design
Save as Template
Click the dropdown in the top-right corner. Select Save as template.
Name your template.
Saved templates appear under Saved Templates when you create a new campaign or automation.
Save Individual Layouts or Items
Save entire layout: Click the Save icon on the left (layout controls).
Save single item: Click the Save icon on the right (item controls).
Find saved layouts and items in the Library tab.
💡 Learn how to Use Universal Layouts to Keep Email Content Consistent.
Troubleshooting
Drag-and-drop not working?
Add a Layout first (see Step 2).
Refresh your browser (undo history will reset).
Try a different browser (Chrome recommended).
Disable browser extensions temporarily.
Check that third-party cookies and JavaScript are enabled.
HTML block keeps disappearing?
Keep the <p></p> tags even if empty – they're required for validation. If the block vanishes, your HTML may have validation errors. Use an HTML validator to fix formatting issues.
Text color control not visible?
Select plain text (not a hyperlink) inside a Text item. Look for the styling toolbar in the right panel. The color picker should appear alongside bold, italic, and other formatting options.
Undo button unreliable?
Reloading the page wipes undo history. Save your template regularly (top-right dropdown → Save as template) to avoid losing progress.
FAQ
Why can't I drag items into my email?
You must add a Layout first. Items (text, images, buttons) should be placed inside layouts. Go to Add Elements → Layouts, drag a layout onto the canvas, then drag items into the layout sections.
If drag-and-drop still doesn't work after adding a Layout:
• Refresh your browser (note: undo history will be lost).
• Clear cache and cookies.
• Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) or incognito mode.
• Check that JavaScript and third-party cookies are enabled.
If the issue persists, contact our support with your browser version and OS.
Is drag-and-drop available on the Free plan, or is it limited to paid plans?
All Email Builder features, including drag-and-drop, are fully available on the Free plan. There are no restrictions. If you're having trouble, make sure you've added a Layout first (see above).
Can I create an email from scratch without a template?
Yes. During template selection, filter by Other Goals and choose the Plain Text or HTML template. These give you a blank canvas. Then build your layout using the Layouts and Items tabs.
Why does my custom HTML block keep disappearing?
HTML blocks may disappear if the code has validation errors. Keep the <p></p> tags even if empty – they're required. Avoid removing essential HTML structure. Use an HTML validator to check your code before pasting it into the builder. Also, note that reloading the page may cause unsaved HTML blocks to vanish.
The undo button doesn't work. How do I recover deleted content?
The undo button (top-right corner) resets if you reload the page. If undo history is lost, you'll need to manually re-add the deleted content. Tip: Save your email as a template frequently (top-right dropdown → Save as template) to prevent losing progress.
Why can't I insert images from my library?
If the "Select" button in your image library is hard to see or missing, try switching the view layout using the grid/list toggle button at the top of the library. If the problem persists, contact support.
Can I use the Email Builder on my phone or tablet?
The Email Builder is optimized for desktop and laptop use only. Building emails on mobile or tablet may cause functionality issues like unresponsive drag-and-drop. Use a desktop browser (Chrome recommended) for the best experience.
How do I delete a layout or item in my email?
Use the left-hand controls (icons that appear when you hover over a layout) to delete entire layouts. Use the right-hand controls (icons for individual items inside layouts) to delete single items like text or images. Both have a trash icon for deletion.
What's the difference between Product Listing and Product Recommender?
Product Listing: You manually select which products to show. Product info is static (captured when you create the email). No limit on number of products.
Product Recommender: Automatically pulls up to 12 products based on logic you choose (e.g., best sellers, similar to past purchases). Product info is dynamic (updates at send time). Personalized per recipient.
Use Product Listing for specific, curated promotions. Use Product Recommender for personalized, dynamic suggestions.
How do I insert layouts between existing content?
Layouts can only be placed at the top or bottom of existing content. To add a layout in the middle:
Hover over existing layout → click 'Move down' to create space.
Drag the new layout into the space.
Or use Undo to rebuild your structure from scratch.
How do I stack blocks vertically or place items side by side in my email?
Use multicolumn layouts for flexibility:
• For side-by-side items (e.g., image + text): Add a 2-column layout, then drag items into each column.
• For vertical stacking: Add single-column layouts one after another. Drag items into each layout.
You can also hover over a layout and use the Move up/down controls to reorder sections.
Have any questions? Contact our Support team at [email protected] or via in-app chat.