How can we help you?

The � character appears when special characters in your content are altered during email processing. The most common cause is a non-breaking space (the   character), which is a fixed space that keeps two words on the same line. Non-breaking spaces are usually introduced when you copy text from another source, such as a Word document, a web page, or AI-generated content, and paste it into the Email Builder.

When an email containing these characters is sent through SendGrid and passes through Mimecast, Mimecast can re-encode them incorrectly. Your recipients then see � wherever the original special character or non-breaking space was.

How to Fix the � Character

Prevent non-breaking spaces

1. Type text directly into the Email Builder instead of copying it from another source
2. If you must copy text, paste it as plain text: right-click and choose Paste as plain text, or press Ctrl + Shift + V (Windows) or Shift + Command + V (Mac)

Fix existing characters

1. In the Email Builder, find each place where a � appears and delete the space there
2. Add a new space with the spacebar
3. As an alternative, open the draft's JSON with a program like Visual Studio Code and use Find and Replace to replace every � with a regular space

Test your fix correctly

1. Use the Send & Track (Web Add-in) or Send now (Web App) button to send yourself a test
2. Confirm the � character no longer appears in the received email

Permanent Fix

ContactMonkey can enable a backend setting that automatically replaces non-breaking spaces with regular spaces, which prevents the � character for organizations that use Mimecast.

This setting can only be turned on by ContactMonkey. To request it, please contact support@contactmonkey.com.