Full HTML vs Visible text: which email scan mode to use?
Compare Full HTML and Visible text email extraction, understand different result counts and choose the right scan mode for visible addresses or page markup.
This guide uses Email Extractor to compare its Full HTML and Visible text page-scanning modes.
Contents
What Full HTML and Visible text actually search#
A webpage has rendered content and underlying markup. An address can be visible in a paragraph, stored in an email link or included in an attribute that never appears as readable text. Visible text focuses on the loaded text a visitor can read. Full HTML includes the loaded markup and supported address-bearing structures as well. These are different inputs, so different result counts can be expected. The comparison below applies to the individual-page scan. Whole website scan reads public HTML responses and uses its own Page text option rather than reproducing a fully rendered browser tab.
| Question | Visible text | Full HTML |
|---|---|---|
| Main content searched | Readable loaded text | Loaded markup and supported address-bearing content |
| Email us link with no visible address | May not return the target address | Can read a supported mailto target |
| Best starting point | Addresses already shown on the page | Contact buttons or additional HTML candidates |
| Content not loaded into the page | Not available | Not available |
When Visible text is the better starting point#
Choose Visible text when the page clearly lists addresses and you want to stay close to what a visitor can read. A staff directory with an address under each person is a straightforward example. Load the relevant rows first, then scan and compare the list with the visible source. This mode can reduce matches from unrelated markup, but it is not a guarantee that every returned address belongs to the main content. Page footers, examples and third-party references can still be visible. Review the results according to your purpose rather than relying on the mode name alone.
When Full HTML can find additional emails#
Choose Full HTML when the page shows an Email button but not the target address, or when you suspect supported markup contains useful contact details. For example, a mailto target can contain press@studio.test while the button itself simply says Contact the press team. Full HTML can read that target. It may also find addresses in supported attributes or loaded sections that are not part of the main visible text. Some additional matches may be examples or template data. Keep the source context so you can distinguish an intended contact from an incidental address-like string.
Why two scan modes can return different counts#
Suppose a page visibly lists one support address and has two email buttons with different mailto targets. Visible text may find the one printed address, while Full HTML may find all three candidates. Repeated appearances of the same address are still deduplicated, so three matching occurrences do not always mean three unique results. Active filters can reduce either list after extraction. Before diagnosing a difference as a bug, check whether the additional addresses actually exist in the markup and whether domain, example-address or system-address settings are excluding the values you expected.
Load interactive content before comparing modes#
An address that appears only after opening a team card may not exist in the loaded page before that action. Scroll, expand the relevant section or navigate to the contact page, then compare the modes again. Full HTML does not mean the extension can retrieve every page or private record behind the website. It searches supported content available to the scanner. Accessible frames and open components can contribute results, while browser isolation can block other embedded content. A page-specific comparison is more reliable than assuming every website implements contact details in the same way.
What neither mode should be mistaken for#
These scanning modes are not mailbox verification, a contact database or a promise to recover every hidden address. Text inside an image may remain unavailable, and a contact form may not expose its destination address. Some obfuscation techniques leave readable patterns in markup; others do not. If the page does not deliver the address in accessible content, changing modes may not help. In that case, inspect the page’s normal contact options. When a supported address is present but still missing, remove active filters temporarily and check browser site access before reporting the result.
A repeatable way to choose your scan mode#
Start with the page and the information you can actually see. Run Visible text when its scope matches the task, then compare Full HTML if a contact button or missing candidate needs another look. Use the same source page and filter settings for both runs so the comparison remains meaningful. Review extra matches, keep the useful ones and export the chosen list. If you later need to process known page URLs in bulk or explore an entire website, select that separate workflow rather than treating a scan-mode change as a way to expand the active page’s scope.
Put this workflow into practice
Read the related documentation for the product controls and limits used here. Contact support if you need help with a specific result.
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