Learn how to preview and test emails in Klaviyo using the current template editor so you can confirm layout, personalization, and inbox rendering before you send.
You will learn
This article covers how to preview an email in the current template editor, how to check personalization with a real profile or event, and how to send tests when you need a more realistic rendering check.
Before you begin
The exact preview options available depend on what you are editing: an email template, a campaign email, or a flow email. Event data is only available when the message supports event-based personalization.
Preview an email in the template editor
- Open the email you want to review in Klaviyo’s template editor.
- Click Preview in the top-right corner.
- Use the Desktop and Mobile toggles to check the layout in each view.
- Review the message content, links, images, spacing, and any conditional content before returning to the editor.
Preview personalization with a real profile or event
A layout preview only shows part of the picture. If your email uses personalization, preview it with real data before you send.
- For templates and campaigns, choose a real profile so you can see how profile-based variables render.
- For flow emails that support event data, preview with a recent event so you can confirm event-based variables render correctly.
- If the preview does not look right, verify that the selected profile or event actually contains the data referenced in your message.
Send a test email
Use a test send when you want to see how the message renders in an actual inbox. This is the best way to check spacing, fonts, and client-specific rendering before a live send.
- Preview emails are useful for inbox rendering checks, but some dynamic content does not behave the same way it does in a live send.
- If you need to validate live links, unsubscribe behavior, or other send-time behavior, use a live test instead of relying only on preview.
Share a preview link
This feature is only available for paid Klaviyo accounts.
If you need feedback from a teammate, run an inbox test and share the resulting preview link. This is useful when someone needs to review the message without editing it directly.
The sharing link expires after 6 days, or immediately if you disable preview link sharing. Previewers can see all the versions of the message you selected when you ran the inbox test.
Preview email limits
When previewing an email, you can add up to 30 recipients at one time. In addition to this per-preview limit, accounts have a monthly email limit.
Monthly email preview limits are applied per account relative to your email billing plan. Preview limits vary based on the total number of profiles covered by your plan.
| Plan size | Preview email limit (per billing cycle) |
| 0-250 contacts (free plan) | 100 preview emails |
| 251-500 contacts | 500 preview emails |
| 501+ contacts | 1/10th of your plan's sending capacity |
To see your current billing plan:
- Click your account name in the bottom-left corner of Klaviyo.
- Select Billing.
- Scroll down to the Profiles + email section and note your plan size.
For any plans over 500 contacts, your preview limit is based on your plan size. For example, if your plan accounts for 5,001-5,500 contacts, then your total permitted number of emails is 55,000. This means your email preview limit is 5,500 emails.
Send a live campaign to a preview list
If you need the most realistic possible check for a campaign email, send the message to a small internal preview list.
- Create an internal list for reviewers.
- Add yourself and any teammates who should review the email.
- Send the campaign to that list instead of your real audience.
A live test is the best option when you need to verify send-time behavior that does not fully appear in preview mode.
Messages sent as campaigns will not contain the dynamic event content available within metric-triggered flows. To send a live metric-triggered flow email that populates all event details, you must trigger the flow yourself by taking the trigger action.
Test across inboxes
If you are concerned about how your email renders across devices and clients, use Klaviyo’s built-in inbox testing, in partnership with Mailgun. This is especially helpful for image-heavy layouts or messages with more complex formatting. Learn how to use inbox testing with Klaviyo.
Mobile optimization relies on media queries, which are fully supported by Apple Mail for Android and iOS and Samsung Email for Android, and partially supported by Gmail for iOS and Android and other mobile email apps. Learn more about support for media queries.
Even with inbox testing, review both desktop and mobile versions of the message in the editor before you send.