Email subject lines · 7 limits

How much of your subject line each inbox shows

Gmail on Android shows about 33 characters of a subject line, iPhone Mail about 48 and desktop Gmail up to about 88. Here is every inbox side by side, with the preview text too.

Check all 7 at once

Last reviewed · How we measure

Email subject lines: every limit
ScreenLimitWhen it’s too longWhere the number comes fromReviewed
iPhone Mail subjectApple Mail · iPhoneabout 48 characters (354px)Cut on screen with “…”Measured on devices · source
iPhone Mail preview textApple Mail · iPhoneabout 98 characters (716px over 2 lines)Cut on screen with “…”Measured on devices · source
Gmail app subject (iPhone)Gmail · iPhoneabout 37 characters (236px)Cut on screen with “…”Measured on devices · source
Gmail subject (Android)Gmail · Androidabout 33 characters (211px)Cut on screen with “…”Measured on devices · source
Gmail preview text (Android)Gmail · Androidabout 36 characters (233px)Cut on screen with “…”Measured on devices · source
Gmail subject (desktop)Gmail · Webabout 88 characters (562px)Cut on screen with “…”Measured on devices · source
Outlook subject (web)Outlook · Webabout 51 characters (351px)Cut on screen with “…”Measured on devices · source

Inboxes cut subject lines by width, and phones are where many emails are seen first, so the phone limit is the one to design for. If your offer sits past the cut, the people reading on that phone never see it.

Preview text (the preheader) fills whatever room the subject leaves. Use it to finish the subject’s thought instead of repeating it. On iPhones with Apple Intelligence, Mail may show a short AI summary instead of your preview text, so the subject line has to carry the offer on its own.

Personalised subjects change length with every name. Test with a long first name, not a short one.

Other channels

FAQ

Email subject lines: questions

What is the ideal subject line length?

Short enough that the offer shows on the tightest inbox you care about, which is about 33 characters for Gmail on Android. Longer subjects are fine if the important words come first.

Do emojis count?

Yes, and they’re wide: an emoji takes about the room of two letters in most inboxes.

Does the preview text show on every inbox?

Most phone and desktop inboxes show some preview text after or under the subject. How much depends on the room the subject leaves.