This article covers how to convert legacy emails to the new Keap™ email builder from within the Automation Builder and Email Broadcast, including how to use the preview and Content Audit tools during conversion.
Legacy emails and saved templates are automatically copied to the new builder — no action is required to make them available. Conversion to the new builder is done on demand, at any time, and does not affect published automations or scheduled broadcasts.
The New Email Builder
The new email builder is available for email broadcasts and automation emails in all Keap editions. Features include multi-column layouts, a large stock image library, a wider selection of starter templates, expanded customization options, and additional content blocks such as a countdown timer.
How Legacy Emails Are Made Available
Legacy emails and saved templates — both automation and broadcast emails — are automatically copied to the new email builder.
All legacy emails are available in the My Templates tab in the new builder.
Conversion to the new builder can be done at any time. Legacy emails are not converted automatically — they remain in their original state until the conversion is initiated.
Transition Steps
Step 1 — Live: Keap automatically copies legacy templates and emails to the new builder.
Step 2 — On-demand: Legacy emails can be converted to the new builder one at a time, whenever convenient.
Step 3 — Planned: The legacy builder will be disabled.
Convert a Legacy Email to the New Builder
From the Automation Builder
Open an existing automation.
Select a legacy email step.
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Select New email experience from the dropdown.
The screenshot above shows the New email experience option in the legacy email step dropdown.
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A preview page appears with the following options:
Preview the email — Shows how the legacy email will look in the new builder after conversion, and flags any potential issues.
Convert email to new experience — Converts the legacy email to the new builder. After conversion, the email is no longer accessible in the legacy builder.
Finish later — Closes the preview without converting, so the conversion can be completed at another time.
Preview page — no issues found:
The screenshot above shows the conversion preview page with no issues detected.
Preview page — issues found:
The screenshot above shows the conversion preview page with issues flagged in the Content Audit.
How issues appear in the Content Audit:
The screenshot above shows conversion issues listed in the Content Audit tab.
From Email Broadcast
Select Email broadcasts.
Select Email broadcast New.
In the Content step, select Create content.
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Select the My Templates tab. All legacy emails and saved templates appear here. Legacy emails display a green Legacy label and can be filtered by selecting Legacy email templates or Email templates (new email builder) from the filter options.
The screenshot above shows the My Templates tab with legacy email labels and filter options.
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Hover over any legacy email to access the following options:
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New email experience — A confirmation prompt appears with two choices:
Convert email to new experience — Converts the legacy email to the new builder. After conversion, the email is no longer accessible in the legacy builder.
Cancel — Closes the prompt without converting.
Preview — Opens a preview of the legacy email.
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Delete — Removes the email from the new builder. Deleting removes the email from the new builder only; the original legacy email remains in the legacy builder.
The screenshot above shows the hover menu options for a legacy email in the My Templates tab.
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Note: Legacy emails and templates are also available in the My Templates tab inside the Automation Builder.
Note: The preview page that shows how a legacy email will look in the new builder — and flags any conversion issues — is only available in the Automation Builder, not in Email Broadcast.
Content Audit
The Audit tab flags issues before the email is finished and highlights any problems that occur during conversion. It checks for:
Exceeded tags — A single link with more than 10 tags. The new builder supports a maximum of 10 tags per link. If a legacy email has a link with more than 10 tags, only 10 are carried over and this issue is flagged in the Audit tab.
No tags allowed — A video block with tags. The new builder does not support tags on video blocks. Tags applied to videos in legacy emails are removed during conversion and this issue is flagged in the Audit tab.
Missing alternate text for images
Missing links in buttons or menus
Missing image URLs
The screenshot above shows the Content Audit tab with flagged issues listed.
Conversion Timeline
There is no hard conversion deadline. Legacy emails can be converted to the new builder at any time on demand.
Legacy builder emails in published automations continue to function after the legacy builder is retired. Existing automations will not break.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this article cover?
This article covers how to convert legacy emails to the new Keap email builder from the Automation Builder and Email Broadcast, and how to use the Content Audit during conversion.
When converting an email, is the subject line and preview text included?
Email broadcast — No. Subject lines and preview text from legacy broadcast templates are not carried over during conversion.
Automation — Yes. Subject lines and preview text from legacy automation emails are carried over during conversion.
Will emails built with the Create HTML Email option convert to the new builder?
Yes. Emails created with the Create HTML Email option can be converted to the new builder.
Does the new builder support sending from a custom email address?
Yes. Any address from a validated domain can be used as the sender address.
Are there any charges for converting emails or templates?
No. Converting emails or templates to the new builder is included at no additional charge.
When should the new builder be used for new emails?
Using the new email builder for all new emails and templates is strongly recommended.
Why is the legacy builder being retired?
The goal is to consolidate all email builders into a single, unified experience for all users. This improves the email creation experience and allows development focus to shift to new features.
Will legacy email templates be automatically added to the new builder?
Yes. All previously sent legacy emails and saved legacy templates are added to the new builder automatically. Drafts are not added.
Do automation emails need to be saved as templates before converting?
No. Automation emails do not need to be saved as templates. The New email experience option is available in the dropdown menu when selecting a legacy email inside the Automation Builder. This applies to both saved templates and emails not saved as templates.
Will templates need to be updated manually after conversion?
Most features are carried over automatically. Some may require review — for example, links with more than 10 tags, since the new builder supports a maximum of 10 tags per link. See the feature carry-over table below for details.
Which features are carried over from legacy emails to the new builder?
| Existing feature in the legacy builder | Carried over to new builder | Details | Action required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor Tools | |||
| Content (blocks) | Yes | All blocks are carried over. | No |
| Groups block | Yes | The Group block is split into individual blocks (image, text, and button). | No |
| Body/Design | Yes | Includes font color, font name, and background color. | No |
| Button | Yes | Includes style and links. | No |
| Divider | Yes | Divider is carried over. | No |
| Heading | Yes | Heading is split into a Heading block. | No |
| HTML code | Yes | In the legacy builder, HTML is center-aligned. In the new builder, it is left-aligned. | No |
| Images | Yes | Includes links, tags, alt text, size, and alignment. | No |
| Social icons | Yes | Standard size only. Icon size may differ slightly from the legacy builder. | No |
| Text block | Yes | Includes style, hyperlinks, tags, merge fields, and campaign links. Fonts available only in the legacy builder fall back as follows: Baskerville → Arial, Garamond → Arial, Lucida Sans → Arial, Merriweather → Georgia, Palatino → Book Antiqua, Georgia → global font. | Review fonts |
| Video | Yes | Videos are carried over. Tags on videos are not supported and will not be carried over. | Review any tags applied to videos. |
| Appointments (Keap Pro and Max only) | Yes | Links are carried over. | No |
| File download button | Yes | Links are carried over. | No |
| Signature | Yes | Single and multiple signatures are carried over. | No |
| Spacer | Yes | Spacer is carried over, but the height cannot be adjusted after conversion. | No |
| Spam checks | Yes | The new builder includes a spam check. | No |
| Gallery | |||
| My Templates | Yes | All saved templates are added to the new builder. | Delete any unused legacy templates before they are added to the new builder. |
| Previously sent | Yes | All sent emails are added to the new builder. | No |
| Drafts | No | Drafts are not added to the new builder. | No |
| Features | |||
| Merge fields | Yes | Merge fields are carried over and continue to work after conversion. Merge fields available only in the legacy builder — such as Company Name — will not be selectable from the merge field dropdown in the new builder after conversion. | No |
| File download hyperlinks | Yes | Links are carried over, but the hyperlink cannot be edited after conversion. | No |
| Dynamic Content | Yes | Dynamic content is carried over. | No |
| Custom merge fields | Yes | Custom merge fields are carried over. | No |
| Tags | Yes | Tags are carried over. | No |
| Multiple tags per link | Yes | Up to 10 tags per link are carried over. | Review links with more than 10 tags. |
| Campaign links | Yes | Campaign links are carried over. | No |
| Hyperlinks | Yes | Hyperlinks are carried over. | No |
| Legacy order forms | Yes | Legacy order form URLs are carried over. | No |
| Legacy web forms | Yes | Legacy web form URLs are carried over. | No |
| Legacy landing pages | Yes | Legacy landing page URLs are carried over. | No |
Are any legacy builder features missing from the new builder?
Yes. Not all legacy builder features are currently available in the new builder. Feature requests can be submitted via the Keap app.
Does the new editing experience affect published automations?
No. Templates and emails in published automations are kept as-is. Emails can be converted from the legacy builder to the new builder at any time with no deadline.
Will emails built with Code Builder migrate to the new builder?
No. The migration applies only to the legacy email builder. Emails created using any other builder — including Code Builder — must be recreated in the new email builder.
Will legacy emails continue to work after the legacy builder is retired?
Yes. Published campaigns continue to work and scheduled broadcasts continue to send after the legacy builder is retired. Emails can be converted to the new builder at any time on demand with no deadline.
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