When you compose a new email in Gmail, you have two options: plain text and rich text. But you can’t really write native HTML code there.
If you want to send out a HTML email, you can do as follows:
- Build the html page in Dreamweaver, Frontpage or any of your favorite editor
- Upload to a web server so you can view it in your browser
- In your browser, use Ctrl-A (windows) to select all, then Ctrl-C to copy everything
- In gmail browser, click on “Compose Mail”, make sure “rich text” is selected, then use Ctrl-V to paste. Tah-Dah, you have the html email right in your compose box!

You write very well.
Thanks Oona.
That was incredibly easy…I was expecting to embed HTML code somewhere like you would to with Outlook or Thunderbird. Thanks for the tip!
Nice and short.
But the what about people without access to web server. Is it possible to position the attachment (picture) as part of the message?
I love you!! It is soo easy, it works in yahoo as well. I tried copying html text into the email first but it didn’t work…..
To: Alfie Punnoose
If you do not have access to a webserver, there is another option to use. When composing the page in Dreamweaver or any other WYSIWYG web page editor, us the preview in browser feature. Selecting that will open up a browser window with the page loaded in it. From there you will simply cut and paster the contents as described above.
Hope that helps
or, since you’re already using gmail, first send it to yourself as an attachment, then open the received message and view the attachment as html. then proceed with steps 3 and 4
I don’t get it, why I can make HTML in gmail?, is your gmail different from mine?. I just followed your instructing but nothing happen…
Vic,
Gmail would be the same for you and me. Did you remember to turn on the “Rich formatting ยป” for your gmail editor? One other thing I could think of is the browser difference. If it still not working for you, maybe you can tell me the browser type/version and platform you use?
Thanks.
– Lin
it didnt work for me either. i copied the html code into the email, made sure rich formatting was on and sent it. when i received it all i saw was the code
i’m using firefox on a mac
You don’t paste the code into the e-mail. You copy and paste the output. GMail won’t allow you to directly put in HTML code, but you can copy and paste it’s output into a new e-mail message. When you load the HTML you want to send in your browser, don’t view source, just copy the output directly from the browser window.
I worked for me, But it has some problem. I saved the template as a canned response but when I compose mail and tried to get the same template, some of the images do not appear. What the problem? Can anyone has a solution to this.
I want to put a youtube video in the mail as it is on youtube, I can copy and paste the video and I can send it.
But when you receive it the video isn’t there.
Does anyone know what I have to do different to get it as I want it?
I guess there’s no way to create image maps in GMail.
Is there anybody here knows about something about that?
i use this but the image links are not working
Seems to work for most things, but doesn’t work for hidden audio embeds.