Skip to main content

Troubleshoot HTML Email Template Issues

Troubleshoot HTML email template issues​

Divi Form Builder’s HTML email templates are self-managed. Use these steps to fix common formatting problems. Minifying the HTML before pasting it into your form settings often resolves layout issues.

Quick triage order​

  1. Send a plain test template to confirm delivery.
  2. Minify your HTML template and retest.
  3. If delivery fails entirely, switch to Troubleshoot email delivery issues.

Why minify HTML?​

WordPress can insert extra whitespace or turn line breaks into escaped tags (e.g. </br>), which can break your email layout. Minifying HTML removes unnecessary whitespace and line breaks so the template stays intact when saved.

Step-by-step: Minify your HTML​

  1. Copy your raw HTML — In your code editor, select all of the HTML for your template.
  2. Use an HTML minifier — Open an online minifier (e.g. HTML Minifier). Paste your HTML, enable options like “Remove comments,” “Collapse whitespace,” and “Minify inline CSS,” then click Minify.
  3. Copy the minified output — Copy the single-line or tightly-packed result.
  4. Paste into Divi Form Builder — In the form’s Email settings, find the HTML Template field, replace the content with your minified HTML, save, and send a test email.

Common symptom: </br> in output​

  • Cause: WordPress may escape closing <br> tags when HTML contains new lines.
  • Impact: The email shows the literal &lt;/br&gt; instead of a line break.
  • Fix: Minification removes raw line breaks so WordPress does not misinterpret them.

Divi Email Template Buddy​

Use the Divi Email Template Buddy GPT to troubleshoot HTML, spot broken tags, and generate email-ready templates.

Verify the fix​

  • Send a test submission and confirm the email arrives.
  • Confirm line breaks and spacing render correctly in major inboxes.
  • Confirm no escaped tags (like &lt;/br&gt;) appear in output.

What's Next​