Why are my Klaviyo preview emails not showing up in my inbox?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 11 Aug 2025
Updated 13 Oct 2025
6 min read
It can be frustrating when you're diligently crafting an email in Klaviyo, hit the 'Preview & Test' button, and then find that the preview email never arrives in your inbox. You check your spam, promotions, and every other folder, only to find nothing. This common issue points to a range of potential problems, from simple Klaviyo settings to more complex email deliverability challenges. While Klaviyo confirms the email has been sent, the recipient mailbox provider might be silently dropping it. This article will help you diagnose why your Klaviyo preview emails aren't showing up and what steps you can take to fix it.
Understanding why emails don't appear in the inbox, despite being reported as successfully delivered by your Email Service Provider (ESP), is a critical part of email marketing. For more insights on this, you can explore our detailed article on why emails are not appearing in the inbox. Let's dive into the specifics for Klaviyo.
Klaviyo specific checks
Before looking at complex deliverability issues, it is important to rule out common internal Klaviyo settings that might prevent preview emails from reaching you. These are often quick fixes that can save a lot of troubleshooting time.
Suppressed profile: Check your Klaviyo profile to ensure you are not on the suppression list. If your email address is suppressed, Klaviyo will not send any emails to it, including previews. You can find this information in your Klaviyo account settings under Profiles.
Incorrect preview settings: When sending a preview, ensure you are using the correct email address. Sometimes a typo or using an old address can lead to emails not arriving. Double-check the recipient address directly in the Klaviyo 'Preview & Test' modal.
Browser or cache issues: Occasionally, browser cache or cookies can interfere with how Klaviyo functions. Try clearing your browser cache or sending the preview from an incognito window or a different browser to rule this out. The Shopify community discusses similar issues.
If these basic checks do not resolve the issue, the problem likely lies outside of Klaviyo's immediate interface, moving into broader deliverability challenges. Even test emails are subject to the same scrutiny by mailbox providers as regular campaign emails, making proper email setup crucial.
Deliverability and reputation factors
When preview emails are not reaching your inbox, it often signals underlying deliverability issues. This means that recipient email servers are likely blocking or junking your messages before they even appear. These issues can stem from various factors related to your sending reputation and email authentication.
Common causes for non-delivery
Sender reputation: A low sender reputation, possibly due to past campaigns with high bounce rates, spam complaints, or sending to unengaged users, can cause even test emails to be blocked. Mailbox providers scrutinize all incoming mail.
Blocklists (blacklists): If your sending IP or domain is on a public or private blacklist, emails may be rejected. Even if Klaviyo reports a successful send, the receiving server can still block it. Our blocklist monitoring service can help you keep an eye on this.
Content issues: Certain keywords, suspicious links, or poor HTML formatting can trigger spam filters, even for preview emails. This is especially true if the content is unusual for your typical sending patterns.
Diagnostic steps and solutions
Check email authentication: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured. Misconfigurations are a primary cause of emails failing to reach the inbox. Our platform offers DMARC monitoring for accurate reporting.
Contact Klaviyo support: If you suspect an issue with Klaviyo's sending infrastructure, reach out to their support team. They can verify if the email was truly handed off to the recipient's server and if there were any immediate bounce messages. They can provide insights into how to preview and send test emails in Klaviyo.
Use a test email address: Send the preview to a test email address or an external service. This can help isolate whether the issue is with your specific email address or broader deliverability. Our email deliverability tester can provide immediate feedback.
Many email marketers wonder why their test emails go to the junk folder, and the same principles apply to missing preview emails. It is often a sign of more pervasive issues that need attention.
Recipient-side blocks and filters
Even if Klaviyo successfully sends the email, and your sender reputation is good, the issue could still be on the receiving end. Recipient email systems have sophisticated filters and firewalls that can block incoming mail based on various criteria.
Company firewalls (e.g., Proofpoint): Many companies use advanced security solutions like Proofpoint or Mimecast to filter incoming email. These systems can sometimes aggressively block test emails, especially if they originate from an ESP and are not on an approved sender list. You might need to work with your IT department to whitelist Klaviyo as an approved sender.
Aggressive spam filters: Some personal email accounts, particularly those with strict spam filter settings, might classify preview emails as spam. This can happen even if your main campaigns are delivering well, as test emails can sometimes lack the context that live campaigns have.
Inbox rules and forwarding: Check your personal email inbox rules. You might have inadvertently set up a rule that filters or deletes emails from Klaviyo or similar marketing platforms. If you are forwarding emails, the forwarding mechanism itself can sometimes cause deliverability issues. For Microsoft inboxes specifically, issues can sometimes arise. You can learn more about why emails fail at Microsoft for further troubleshooting.
Using an email testing tool
When facing deliverability challenges, especially when preview emails are disappearing, leveraging a dedicated email testing tool can provide invaluable insights. These tools analyze your email's structure, content, and authentication to identify potential red flags.
Comprehensive analysis: Tools like AboutMyEmail or Suped's free tester can check for authentication issues (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), content spamminess, HTML errors, and more.
Identify specific failures: They provide detailed reports indicating exactly where your email might be falling short, offering actionable advice to improve deliverability for both your preview emails and your campaigns.
By understanding potential blockages on the recipient side, you can better communicate with IT teams or adjust your sending practices to ensure your emails, including vital previews, reach their intended destination.
Technical email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for proving your emails are legitimate. Misconfigurations in these records can lead to even preview emails being rejected or sent to spam, as mailbox providers use them to verify sender identity.
Protocol
Purpose
Impact on deliverability
SPF
Authorizes sending servers for your domain.
Missing or incorrect SPF can cause emails to be marked as spam or rejected.
DKIM
Digitally signs emails to verify content integrity.
DKIM failures erode trust and can lead to emails landing in the junk folder.
DMARC
Unifies SPF and DKIM and provides reporting on email authentication.
A misconfigured DMARC policy can instruct receivers to quarantine or reject emails.
For Klaviyo, ensuring these records are correctly set up is vital. Klaviyo provides guidance on setting up domain authentication, but sometimes issues persist. For instance, after changing a sending domain, Klaviyo test emails might not deliver to Outlook if the DNS records are not updated correctly.
The importance of DMARC monitoring
Without proper DMARC monitoring, you are essentially flying blind. DMARC reports provide comprehensive feedback on how your emails are performing at various mailbox providers, including authentication results (SPF and DKIM alignment) and what actions are being taken (delivery, quarantine, or rejection).
Identify authentication failures: DMARC reports highlight if your emails are failing SPF or DKIM, which could explain why preview emails aren't reaching their destination. Our DMARC monitoring tool is invaluable here.
See email rejection reasons: They provide insights into which mailbox providers (like Gmail or Outlook) are rejecting your emails and why. This is critical for optimizing your email deliverability strategy.
Using a robust DMARC reporting tool, such as Suped, will provide the visibility you need to understand and resolve these technical issues, ensuring your Klaviyo emails, including previews, consistently reach the inbox.
Bringing it all together for successful delivery
When your Klaviyo preview emails are consistently going missing, it's often a symptom of deeper email deliverability challenges. By systematically checking Klaviyo settings, monitoring your sender reputation, ensuring proper email authentication, and understanding recipient-side filtering, you can pinpoint and resolve the underlying issues.
Implementing strong email authentication, especially DMARC, is not just about avoiding spam, it's about building and maintaining trust with mailbox providers. Tools like Suped's DMARC monitoring platform provide the visibility needed to diagnose and fix these problems, ensuring your emails reach their intended audience. Consistent monitoring and adherence to best practices are key to successful email delivery.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always check your Klaviyo profile's suppression status for the test email address first.
Use a dedicated email testing service to get a diagnostic report on your email's deliverability.
Collaborate with your IT team to whitelist Klaviyo sending domains and IPs on corporate firewalls.
Regularly review your DMARC reports to catch authentication failures before they impact campaigns.
Test preview emails across different mailbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) to identify specific blocking patterns.
Common pitfalls
Overlooking personal or corporate email filtering rules that block incoming test messages.
Assuming successful delivery reports from Klaviyo mean the email reached the inbox without issue.
Neglecting to update DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) after changing sending domains in Klaviyo.
Ignoring a low sender reputation, which can affect even individual preview email delivery.
Not clearing browser cache or trying an incognito window, leading to false negatives in testing.
Expert tips
Implement a DMARC 'p=none' policy initially to gather reporting data without impacting delivery, then move to stricter policies.
Segment your audience based on engagement to improve sender reputation and reduce spam complaints for all sends.
Utilize subdomains for different types of emails (e.g., transactional, marketing) to isolate reputation risks.
Monitor your domain's presence on major blacklists regularly to proactively address any listing issues.
Keep email content relevant and personalized to minimize spam complaints and maximize engagement metrics.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they literally can’t see the preview email, it’s not in the inbox, promotions, or spam folders—it's completely absent.
April 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests contacting Klaviyo support to confirm the email is sending or trying a different destination address to see if an ISP is blocking the test email. They also recommend using an email analysis tool to highlight potential delivery failures.
Proofpoint or 
Mimecast to filter incoming email. These systems can sometimes aggressively block test emails, especially if they originate from an ESP and are not on an approved sender list. You might need to work with your IT department to whitelist Klaviyo as an approved sender.
domain authentication, but sometimes issues persist. For instance, after changing a sending domain, Klaviyo test emails might not deliver to Outlook if the DNS records are not updated correctly.
Gmail or 
Outlook) are rejecting your emails and why. This is critical for optimizing your email deliverability strategy.
