Understanding and Fixing MailPoet Column Layout Issues

Many MailPoet users encounter a common and frustrating problem: the inability to properly use columns with specific content blocks. This issue often manifests as blocks that can't be dragged into columns, unexpected content duplication, or layouts that break on mobile devices. Based on community reports, this is a widespread challenge, particularly for those trying to create visually appealing newsletters with products, posts, or forms.

What's the Core Problem?

The primary limitation stems from the architecture of MailPoet's classic editor. Certain complex blocks, specifically the Products block, Posts block, and Automatic Latest Content widget, are designed as top-level structural elements. They cannot be nested within column blocks or other containers. This is why you might successfully drag an image or text into a column but find the Posts block refuses to go in.

Similarly, the essential Email and Submit blocks in form design also have this limitation, making it difficult to create inline subscription forms without custom CSS.

Common Symptoms and Their Solutions

1. Can't Add Products or Posts to Columns

Symptom: You try to drag a WooCommerce products block or a posts block into a 2-column or 3-column layout, but it won't drop in place. It only appears as a full-width block above or below your columns.

Why it happens: This is a known design constraint of the classic editor. These blocks are not built to be nested.

Solution: The MailPoet team has been developing a new WordPress block-based editor to address these limitations. An Alpha version was introduced in plugin version 5.6.1. You can try it by creating a new newsletter. This new editor is expected to provide the flexibility users need for complex layouts.

2. Duplicated Content When Adding a New Column

Symptom: You insert a new columns element, and it inexplicably copies content from your footer or another part of the newsletter into every new column. An empty, un-deletable container might also remain.

Why it happens: This is a known bug that was reportedly solved in 2020 but can still surface, potentially due to theme conflicts or other unforeseen issues.

Solution: The official MailPoet knowledge base has a specific article for this issue: KB Article 267: Duplicated content when adding a new column. Following the guidance there is the recommended first step.

3. Mobile Layout Confusion with Swapped Columns

Symptom: You create a 2-column layout with a photo in one column and a description in the other, then swap their order in another row. It looks fine on desktop but becomes a confusing jumble on mobile.

Why it happens: Email clients stack columns vertically on small screens. If you alternate the order (e.g., Image|Text then Text|Image), the mobile view will show all left-column content first, then all right-column content, completely breaking the paired relationship.

Solution: For mobile readability, it is often necessary to maintain a consistent structure. Keep all images in the left column and all descriptions in the right column throughout the entire email. This ensures that when stacked, each image is followed by its correct description.

4. Can't Move Form Elements Into Columns

Symptom: In the form editor, you cannot drag the required Email and Submit blocks into a columns block to place them side-by-side.

Why it happens: These are core, required form elements that have movement restrictions in the form designer.

Solution: While the default form templates might achieve this layout, manually replicating it in the editor is not straightforward. This typically requires custom CSS styling applied to your form to display the elements inline on your website.

Looking Forward: The New Editor

The consistent theme across these issues is the limitation of the classic editor. The MailPoet team's development of a new block-based editor, which leverages the modern WordPress editing experience, is the long-term solution. Users experiencing these constraints are encouraged to test the new editor where possible, as it is designed to handle nested layouts and complex designs more effectively.

When troubleshooting, always ensure your MailPoet plugin and WordPress theme are updated to their latest versions, as conflicts with themes (like Divi or Spectra One) can sometimes cause unexpected behavior in the editor.