Show a Block on Desktop or Mobile Only

Most of your readers open your newsletter on a phone, but some are at a desk — and the same block doesn’t always work well for both. A display condition lets you decide, block by block, whether it appears for everyone, only for readers on a computer, or only for readers on a phone.

That means you can run a wide banner for desktop readers and a compact version for phones, using two blocks in the same newsletter, with each reader seeing only the one meant for them.

Set a display condition

1. Open your newsletter and click the block you want to set a condition on.
2. In the settings panel, scroll to the CONDITIONS section.
3. If you see a Display based on dropdown, choose Based on devices. (If the block only offers device conditions, the choices appear straight away and there’s no dropdown to pick from.)
4. Under Display conditions, choose one:
   • Display all the time — everyone sees the block. This is the default.
   • Display on desktop only — the block appears for readers on a computer and is hidden on phones.
   • Display on mobile only — the block appears for readers on a phone and is hidden on computers.

The choice saves with your newsletter like any other block setting, and you can change it any time before you send.

Which blocks offer it

Image blocks offer display conditions. Promotion blocks — including the 2-column promotion block — offer them too where the setting has been switched on for your account; if you don’t see a CONDITIONS section on a promotion block, it isn’t turned on for you yet.

One thing to know: a block sitting inside a multi-column layout doesn’t offer its own display condition. Set the condition on a block that stands on its own in the newsletter.

Check it before you send

Switch between the desktop and mobile views in the editor’s preview. A block set to mobile only disappears from the desktop view and comes back in the mobile view, and a desktop-only block does the opposite — so you can confirm each reader gets what you intended without sending yourself a test.

The switch between the two happens at your newsletter’s mobile width, the same setting that governs the rest of your mobile layout. See How do I use the new design settings? to check or change it.

Good to know

• A few email apps always show the desktop version. Some older desktop email programs — Outlook on Windows is the common one — can’t tell how wide the screen is, so they show what a desktop reader would see. A desktop-only block appears there, and a mobile-only block stays hidden. Keep anything essential in a block that displays all the time.
• Hiding a block doesn’t make your email smaller. A hidden block is still delivered, it’s just not shown, so it still counts toward your email’s weight. Use display conditions to tailor what a reader sees, not to trim a newsletter that’s getting heavy.
• Don’t hide something a reader needs. If a link, an offer, or a piece of housekeeping matters to everyone, leave it on Display all the time rather than trusting every email app to get the switch right.

Next steps

• Adjust mobile font size and padding to tune how a block reads on phones without hiding it.
• Set up promotions to create the ad placements you can then tailor per device.