Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Some messages have blank content - but content shows in View Source. What's wrong?

  • 8 cavab
  • 7 have this problem
  • 7 views
  • Last reply by J_Tucker

more options

Some, not all, messages have a content area that is blank - no nothing. However, viewing in 'View Source' text that should have shown in the content area will be seen. Same message viewed via email provider website will have content shown 'normally'.

Some, not all, messages have a content area that is blank - no nothing. However, viewing in 'View Source' text that should have shown in the content area will be seen. Same message viewed via email provider website will have content shown 'normally'.

All Replies (8)

more options

Is the problem in Thunderbird (stand-alone email program) or in Firefox (used to view email online in the browser)?

If you reply or forward, does the message text become visible while composing but (if you send it to yourself) it is again not visible upon receipt?

more options

Do you see the content if you select that text area or use Ctrl+A to select all?

You can also try to right-click and open the built-in Inspector to see what CSS rules are applied. Sometimes there runs a script that modifies the page code and removes some display:none rules after having done this.

more options

Only way I have found so far to discover any of the message content is to view it via Other Options, View Source. Then the text of the message, and I presume, all the other information or graphics of the message is reavealed.

Nothing else I have tried will reveal the content.

more options

[Please do not post sensitive information, this information was removed by a moderator; please read Forum Rules and Guidelines for more information.]

jscher2000

First, your message came through properly.

The problem is in Thunderbird, coming to me via my email provider, Network Solutions that holds this email address [removed]. If viewed online, at Network Solutions, the [removed] message content is normal. If I forward a copy to myself from Network Solutions to one of my gmail accounts, it comes through to gmail on Thunderbird normally. Then if I forward that same message from my gmail account to my Network Solutions email [removed] account, and try to open it in Thunderbird, the content is not shown. Long story short, the problem appears to be with email coming out of Network Solutions into Thunderbird.

If the message content is not visible in a message and I forward it anywhere, the content remains invisible.

Thanks for your help.

Modified by Andrew

more options

Sometimes email consists of two sections. One section for the message as HTML and one as plain text.

Did you try to view the message as plain text in case HTML is the default?

more options

Am not that smart re plain text, and HTML portions. I do know that some messages where this occurs are only plain text. Others, perhaps with an HTML portion come through properly, some don't. No particular type of email can be singled out, so far. Thunderbird 31.1.2 is the current version running, and I believe I remember a very recent update to either this and Firefox, or perhaps both. Don't know how that might have affected things.

more options

I have looked further at the text of the email when I reveal the source, and yes, both the plain text and the html formatted text appear. That when in the email content area nothing appears.

more options

I have looked further at the text of the email when I reveal the source, and yes, both the plain text and the html formatted text appear. That when in the email content area nothing appears.