Security Policy Errors

Fix Phishing Simulation Payload Editor Removing Formatting

Olivia Miller Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users experience a loss of formatting in the phishing simulation payload editor when toggling between visual, text, and code modes.

How to Fix Phishing Simulation Payload Editor Removing Formatting

Product: Phishing Simulation Editor
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating or modifying an email payload or login page for a phishing simulation campaign.
Observed behavior: The editor strips alignment, borders, buttons, images, fonts, and inline HTML when switching views. While the preview may appear correct, the final delivered message loses its applied formatting.

Before you start

Before making any changes or sending a test, ensure you have a backup of your original raw HTML code or text content saved locally in a plain text editor to prevent permanent data loss.

Solution 1Recommended

Create and Test Content Externally

Bypass the internal editor's formatting bugs by building your payload outside the tool and pasting it in directly.

Because the built-in payload and login-page editors can be unreliable, the safest method is to prepare your entire layout and text in an external rich-text or HTML editor.

Draft the payload externally

Open your preferred external word processor or HTML editor and create your complete email message, applying all desired fonts, alignments, and images.

Copy the finalized content

Highlight your completed content and copy it to your clipboard (Ctrl+C).

Paste into the payload editor

Open your phishing simulation payload editor, ensure you are in the Visual view, and paste the content (Ctrl+V).

Avoid switching views

Once pasted, do not toggle to the Code or Text views, as this triggers the bug that strips the formatting.

Send a test email

Immediately save the payload and send a test message to yourself to verify the delivered result matches your pasted design.

Formatting Retained: By not switching views after pasting, you prevent the editor's internal scripts from stripping your inline HTML and styles.

Solution 2

Use Simple Formatting

Minimize the chances of the editor stripping your code by keeping the design basic.

Draft Your Email Payloads Externally with WPS Writer

Use WPS Writer as your reliable external editor to securely draft, format, and review your simulation payloads before pasting them into your security testing tool. It offers a stable environment that retains your rich-text formatting perfectly.

1. Open WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and create a new blank Document.
2. Design your payload: Draft your phishing simulation email using WPS Writer's robust formatting tools, adding fonts, images, and standard alignments.
3. Copy the content: Press Ctrl+A to select all, then Ctrl+C to copy your formatted payload.
4. Paste into your simulator: Paste the content directly into the visual mode of your payload editor and save without switching views.

Easily draft rich-text emails, layouts, and tables offlinePerfect compatibility with Microsoft Word formats (.docx) for seamless copyingAvoid web-based editor crashes and frustrating formatting lossFree, lightweight, and fast desktop client

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the preview look fine but the delivered message loses formatting?

The payload editor's visual preview renders your current browser session's DOM. However, when the message is processed and dispatched by the backend server, the built-in compiler often strips certain inline HTML tags and CSS elements, resulting in a plain or broken delivered email.

Which formatting elements are most commonly stripped by the editor?

Users report that complex elements like custom fonts, table alignments, custom borders, interactive buttons, embedded images, and inline HTML get stripped primarily when switching between visual, text, and code views.

Can I recover the formatting once the editor strips it?

No. Once you switch views and the editor strips the formatting, the original code is permanently modified or lost. It is highly recommended to keep a backup of your layout in an external text or document editor.

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