How To fix Images Not Showing Up in Your Email

So, you opened an important email that you need for work ASAP, and the worst has happened. No images are showing. Technical problems in emails are always extremely frustrating. The most infuriating ones are simple errors that make the mail unusable.

Images not showing in emails can be caused by various factors, from internet issues, incorrect settings, configuration problems, full storage, and more obscure kinks. Here you can find the most common solutions for three popular email platforms.

Before we delve deeper into each platform, ensure you have a stable internet connection, as most email platforms won’t load images properly on slower broadband.

Images Not Showing Up in Emails on Outlook

Outlook is one of the most used email programs, especially in the workplace. However, it’s not without issues, and sometimes the images won’t show and you have no idea why. Sometimes it can be something minor like a slow internet connection. Make sure to cover all possibilities. Getting that out of the way, here are some solutions that should solve the problem.

Outlook Safe Mode and Add-Ins

Sometimes add-ins make it difficult for Outlook to show all images. To disable them you have to open Outlook in safe mode, which we’ve outlined below:

1. Right-click on the Windows icon and then click on “Run.”
   
2. Type “Outlook.exe/safe” and then press Enter.
   
3. Click on “Ok.”
   

Check the problematic emails to see if the images have appeared. If you can see them now, you will need to disable add-ins.

If you have an updated version of Outlook, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to “Menu” in the top-left. Select “Add ins”
   
2. Select “Manage Add-ins” from the list of options. Uncheck the box next to the add-in you want to disable.
   

Alternatively, follow these steps for Outlook 2016 and earlier:

1. For Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016, go to “File” in the top-left corner and click on “Options.” For Outlook 2007, select “Tools” then “Trust Center.”
2. Select the “Add-Ins” tab on the left.
   
3. Select “Manage COM Add-ins” option then click on “Manage.” In the new window, select which add-ins you want to disable
   

Each time you remove an add-in, restart Outlook and check if the problem is fixed. If not, you have to go back and repeat the process. Uncheck all the add-ins one by one and find the one that is faulty and then disable it.

Remove Blocking of Images

To this open the Outlook app and then follow these instructions:

1. Select File and then “Options.” Then click on “Trust Center” and go to “Trust Center Settings.” On the left, click on “Automatic Download.”
   
2. If the “Don’t download pictures automatically in HTML e-mail messages or RSS items” box is checked, just uncheck it.
   
3. Then go to “OK.”
   

When you are done check if the problem is resolved.

Picture Placeholder Setting

When the Picture Placeholder setting is enabled it could be possible that that is what prevents your images to be properly shown in your emails. To fix it just disable this option:

1. Open Outlook and click on “New Mail.” Select “File” and then “Option.” Click on “Mail.”
   
2. Then choose “Editor Options.”
   
3. On the left click on “Advanced.”
   
4. In the “Display e-mail content,” untick the “Show Picture Placeholder” box.
   

Close everything and restart Outlook. Check if the images are now visible in your emails.

For Microsoft Outlook 2007

If you have this problem in Outlook 2007 follow these steps:

1. Open Outlook 2007 and go to “Tools.” In the drop down-menu, select “Trust Center.”
   
2. Go to “Automatic Downloads.”
   
3. Uncheck the “Don’t download pictures automatically in HTML e-mail messages or RSS items” box if it’s checked.
   
4. Select “OK.”
   
   

Images Not Showing Up in Yahoo Email

Difficulties like not being able to open or view images in an email on Yahoo are usually due to weird settings and minor bugs. Those issues are very common and can be resolved by simple changes:

• If you are using any ad-blocking app for your browser, disable it and check if that is the cause of this problem.
• Check JavaScript and make sure it is enabled on the Yahoo site.
• Clear the browser cache and force images to re-download.
• Try using a different browser.
• Check your internet connection. A slow internet connection will make uploading images or opening them difficult and sometimes even impossible.

Security Feature

The tricky part about Yahoo mail is that it has a security feature that can be overly restrictive when opening or uploading images in emails. Let’s try and fix that:

1. First, go to Yahoo in your browser.
   
2. Then go to “Settings” located on the top right side.
   
3. On the drop-down menu click on “More Settings.”
   
4. On the left, click on “Viewing email” option, then find “Show images in messages” and there you should tick “Always” everywhere except for the spam folder option.
   
5. Save your changes.

Reload the page and check if the images are visible now.

Image Service

It is possible that Yahoo is using an older version of the Image Service that won’t display some images. To update Yahoo Mail you should go to:

1. Yahoo “Inbox”and select “Settings” in the upper-right corner.
   
2. Go to “General” tab, find “Mail Features”,and select “Image Service.”

After you are done reload the page and see if the problem is fixed by sending an image or receiving one.

Images Not Showing Up in Emails on Gmail

Like any email website, Google Gmail has its quirks too. There could be some minor issues that prevent Gmail to display images in emails.

• Clear your browser cache. This may prevent some uploading issues.
• Try changing the browser.
• Disable your adblocking add-on or plugin.
• Check your Internet connection.
• Try contacting the sender. Maybe they have some issues with their computer or email configurations.

If you have already tried these fixes and it didn’t help, try this instead:

1. Go to Gmail using your browser.
   
2. On the top right corner click on Settings and then click on “See all Settings.”
   
3. Find the “Image” section and select “Always display external images.”
   
4. Click on “Save changes” and reload the page.
   

Gmail Not Showing Images on Android

If the Gmail app is not displaying images on your Android, here is what you should try:

1. Open the Gmail app.
   
2. Swipe right from the left edge to open the navigation pane, and select “Settings” from the bottom of the menu.
   
3. Select your account from the account list.
   
4. In the “Data Usage” tab almost all the way to the bottom, tap on “Images.”
   
5. Select “Always show” or “Always display external images.”
   

What you can also try is to reinstall the app, sign out and then back into your account and make sure that your contacts sent images in supported formats.

Minor Problems – Easy Solutions

Following these steps should solve the mystery of disappearing images in email apps and sites. While the issue is common and has a few different causes, it’s usually straightforward to fix.

If this helped you with your email troubles, please let us know in the comment section below. Did you find a new solution? Let other readers know about it as well in the comments.