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Hosting images for HTML email designs

By HTML Export

If you wish to export your design as HTML to send via a 3rd party service, you may need to host your images somewhere online. This ensures they will also be displayed in the email template after you have exported the design.

Step 1: Find our where to host your images

Many email service providers (ESPs) do not host the images in your email template for you. In this case, you need to host them yourself. This means all of your images need to be uploaded to a web-based location which is publicly available (i.e. your website or web server), so that your recipients can see them in the email.

The best way to identify this location is by consulting with your IT department or whoever is responsible for running your website. They will help you figure out where you can host your images, give you the specific URL prefix you need to enter into Mail Designer 365, and show you how to upload all the image files.

Step 2: Export your Mail Designer 365 design

When you have finished designing your email template and are ready to export to your ESP, go to "Share" > "Website / HTML."

Exporting a Mail Designer 365 template as a HTML file

In the export window, you will see the option "Prefix image URLs with:". Here, as referenced in the previous step, you should enter the exact URL prefix given to you by the IT department.

After this, fill out the rest of the export fields and then click on "Export" to export your design as a HTML file.

Step 3: Upload images to your web server

Following export, you can proceed to upload your images to the location where they will be hosted from. Follow the URL prefix you entered into Mail Designer 365 and upload all of the images from the HTML export folder to that location.

If you have difficulty uploading files or require permission to access the server, an IT administrator or similar will be able to help.

Now, you can upload your email template to your chosen ESP. You will find a list of our export guides for individual email services here.

A Quick Tour of Mail Designer 365

Background

Layout Blocks

TextScout

Editing Text

Links and Buttons

Configuring Text Styles

Tables

Image Areas

Images

Using Retina Images with your Design

Graphics and Other Objects

Creative Tools

Advanced Design Techniques

Blend Modes

Optimizing your Template for Mobile

Plain Text

Preview your Design

Preparing your Design for Sending

Email Delivery

1:1 Emails

HTML Export

Other Sharing Options

Exporting to other email marketing tools

By Team equinux HTML Export

In addition to integrated sending options for email campaigns, Mail Designer 365 also supports all major email service providers. If your newsletter provider supports custom HTML templates with images, you should be able to export your design from Mail Designer 365 and import the HTML into your tool of choice.

Preparing your design for import

Depending on your service, you may need to import your design in one of the following ways:

‣ Create and upload a compressed zip archive containing all of the files you exported from Mail Designer 365

‣ Upload your HTML file and a separate zip file containing all of your images

‣ Copy & paste the contents of your HTML file and upload your images

‣ Upload all of the exported files individually

Getting help with other email marketing tools

This manual can only outline the basic steps required to upload a design to an email marketing tool. As every newsletter service works differently, you’ll need to consult the documentation provided by your email service provider to see if it is possible to import custom HTML templates and how they recommend you upload your design.

A Quick Tour of Mail Designer 365

Background

Layout Blocks

TextScout

Editing Text

Links and Buttons

Configuring Text Styles

Tables

Image Areas

Images

Using Retina Images with your Design

Graphics and Other Objects

Creative Tools

Advanced Design Techniques

Blend Modes

Optimizing your Template for Mobile

Plain Text

Preview your Design

Preparing your Design for Sending

Email Delivery

1:1 Emails

HTML Export

Other Sharing Options

How to Export Email as Webpage with Mail Designer 365

By Team equinux HTML Export
Want to share your email design as a live, clickable webpage? With Mail Designer 365, you can export email as webpage in just a few steps. This creates an HTML version of your design that can be opened in any browser — ideal for sharing, archiving, or integrating with other platforms.
Exporting your email as a webpage lets you:
  • Provide a browser-friendly version for email clients that don’t support HTML
  • Link to your newsletter directly from your website
  • Reuse your design with other email marketing services

How to Export Email as Webpage with Mail Designer 365

Exporting your email as a webpage creates a standalone HTML file that can be opened in any browser. This is useful for sharing your design online, archiving it, or linking to it directly from your website. Mail Designer 365 makes this process quick and straightforward.

Step 1 – Open Your Design

Launch Mail Designer 365 and open the email design you want to export.

Step 2 – Start the Export Email as Webpage Process

From the toolbar, go to:
Share > Save as Website

This will open the export dialog where you can configure your export settings.

Mail Designer 365 export menu showing the Save as Website option to export email as webpage

Step 3 – Select Export Location

Choose a folder where your exported website files should be saved.

Step 4 – (Optional) Rename the HTML File

You can enter a custom file name for the HTML file into the field "Name of HTML file" (e.g., newsletter-summer-sale.html).

Step 5 – (Optional) Add Image URL Prefix

In most cases, you will upload the HTML file and images together in the same folder on your web server.
If that’s what you’re doing, simply leave this field blank and make sure the checkbox is not selected.

Only use the “Prefix image URLs with” option if your images will be hosted in a different location from your HTML file.

Example (separate hosting):

If your images are uploaded to: https://mywebsite.com/resources/newsletters/2023/business-event

You can enter that URL here, and your exported HTML will reference images like: https://mywebsite.com/resources/newsletters/2023/business-event/image-1.jpg

Mail Designer will use this prefix in all image links inside your exported HTML file.

Important: If you’re not hosting images in a different location than your HTML file and just uploading all files to the same folder, just leave this field blank. If you are using a separate image hosting location, see our tutorial for uploading your images to a separate web server.

Mail Designer 365 export dialog with image URL prefix option to export email as webpage

Step 6 – Finalize and Export Email as Webpage

You’re now ready to export email as webpage and upload the files to your website or server.
Click Export to create your website folder.
Mail Designer will generate a Folder containing:
  • An .html file of your email design
  • All used image in your design

Step 7 – Upload to Your Web Server

Once your design is exported, you can upload the HTML file and images to your web server.
Here’s how to do it:
Option 1: Use an FTP Client
Use an FTP tool like FileZilla, Transmit, or Cyberduck to upload both the .html file and the images folder to your web server.
  • Upload both items to the same folder
  • Make sure folder names and file paths stay exactly the same
Option 2: Use Your Web Hosting Control Panel
If your web host has a control panel (such as cPanel or Plesk), you can usually upload files directly via the File Manager tool.
Important: If you used the “Prefix image URLs with” option during export, make sure your images are uploaded to the correct path that matches the URL you entered.
After Uploading
Once uploaded, your email design will be viewable in the browser. For example:
https://mywebsite.com/resources/newsletters/2023/business-event
You can now:
  • Link to this page from your website
  • Add a “View in browser” link to your email campaigns
  • Share the URL directly with your audience

If you’re not sure how to get started with uploading files, this beginner’s guide on how to host a webpage will walk you through the basics.

Many users export email as webpage to create permanent online archives of their newsletters.

A Quick Tour of Mail Designer 365

Background

Layout Blocks

TextScout

Editing Text

Links and Buttons

Configuring Text Styles

Tables

Image Areas

Images

Using Retina Images with your Design

Graphics and Other Objects

Creative Tools

Advanced Design Techniques

Blend Modes

Optimizing your Template for Mobile

Plain Text

Preview your Design

Preparing your Design for Sending

Email Delivery

1:1 Emails

HTML Export

Other Sharing Options

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