Creating a signature in Outlook takes five minutes and works the same way whether you use the desktop app or Outlook online
An email signature is a block of text that appears at the bottom of every message you send — typically your name, job title, phone number, and company website. Outlook lets you create one signature that applies to all your messages, or different signatures for different email accounts if you have multiple. You can add plain text, formatted text with bold or italics, images like a company logo, and even clickable links.
The steps differ slightly between Outlook on Windows, Outlook on Mac, and Outlook online, but the end result is identical. Once you create a signature, Outlook automatically adds it to new messages and replies unless you turn it off for a specific email.
Key Takeaways
- In Outlook on Windows, go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures to create and edit your signature text.
- In Outlook on Mac, open Outlook > Preferences > Signatures to set up your signature the same way.
- In Outlook online, select Settings (the gear icon) > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and reply to create a signature.
- You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each message, or set one as your default for all outgoing mail.
- Signatures explore to new messages automatically, but you can remove a signature from any single email before sending it.
Creating a signature in Outlook on Windows
Open Outlook and select the File tab in the top left corner. From the menu that appears, click Options. In the Outlook Options window, select Mail from the left sidebar, then look for the Signatures button on the right side of the window and click it.
The Signatures and Stationery window will open. Under the Email Signature tab, click the New button. A dialog box will ask you to name your signature — type something straightforward like "Work" or "Professional" so you can identify it later. Click OK.
Now you will see a text box where you can type your signature. Type your name, title, phone number, website, or any other information you want to appear at the bottom of your emails. You can highlight text and use the formatting buttons above the text box to make it bold, italic, or change the font color. When you are finished, click Save, then click OK to close the window.
Creating a signature in Outlook on Mac
Open Outlook and select Outlook in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Click Preferences from the dropdown menu. In the Preferences window, find and click Signatures.
The Signatures window will show a list of your email accounts on the left side. Select the account you want to add a signature to, then click the plus sign (+) button at the bottom of the window. A new signature will appear with the default name "Signature 1" — you can double-click this name to rename it to something more useful like "Work".
Click in the text box on the right side and type your signature. Use the formatting toolbar above the text box to add bold, italics, or color if you want. When you are done, close the Preferences window — your signature is saved automatically on Mac.
Creating a signature in Outlook online
Log into your Outlook account in your web browser. In the top right corner, click the gear icon to open Settings. From the menu, select View all Outlook settings.
In the settings page, click Mail in the left sidebar, then select Compose and reply. Scroll down until you see the Email signature section. Click in the text box and type your signature. You can use the formatting buttons above the text box to add bold, italics, links, or other formatting. When you are finished, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.
Setting a default signature and managing multiple signatures
If you created only one signature, Outlook will use it automatically on all new messages and replies. If you created multiple signatures, you can choose which one is your default. In Outlook on Windows and Mac, open the Signatures window again (File > Options > Mail > Signatures on Windows, or Outlook > Preferences > Signatures on Mac). Look for a dropdown menu that says "New messages" or "Replies and forwards" and select which signature you want to use by default for each type of email.
You can also choose a different signature for each email account if you have more than one. In the Signatures window, select the account name on the left, then choose which signature to use for that account from the dropdown menus.
If you ever want to send an email without your signature, you can delete it from the message before you click Send. straightforward highlight the signature text at the bottom of your email and press Delete or Backspace.
Adding images and links to your signature
You can include more than just text in your signature. In Outlook on Windows and Mac, the Signatures window has buttons for inserting images, horizontal lines, and hyperlinks. To add an image like a company logo, click the image button (usually a small picture icon), then browse to the image file on your computer and select it. The image will appear in your signature text box.
To add a clickable link, highlight the text you want to turn into a link, then click the hyperlink button (usually a chain link icon). A dialog box will open where you can paste the web address. Click OK and the text will become a blue, underlined link that recipients can click.
In Outlook online, you can paste an image directly into the signature text box by copying it from another source and using Ctrl+V (or Command+V on Mac) to paste it. Links can be added by highlighting text and clicking the link button in the formatting toolbar.
Troubleshooting signatures that do not appear
If your signature is not showing up on your emails, first check that you set it as your default. Open the Signatures window and confirm that a signature is selected in the "New messages" dropdown. If the dropdown is blank, select your signature from the list and try again.
If you are using Outlook online and your signature still does not appear, try clearing your browser cache and logging out, then logging back in. Sometimes cached data can prevent new settings from taking effect. If you are using the Outlook desktop app on Windows or Mac and your signature is still missing, try restarting Outlook completely — close the app and open it again.
Another common issue is that signatures do not appear on replies if you did not set one in the "Replies and forwards" dropdown. Go back to the Signatures window and make sure a signature is selected for replies as well as new messages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different signatures for different email accounts?
Yes. In the Signatures window, select each account name on the left side and assign a different signature to it. You can also set different signatures for new messages versus replies for each account.
What happens if I delete my signature after I have already sent emails with it?
Deleting a signature only affects new messages going forward. Emails you already sent will keep the signature text that was in them when you sent them — the signature does not change retroactively.
Can I use HTML code in my signature?
In Outlook on Windows and Mac, the signature editor does not accept raw HTML code. You must use the formatting buttons provided. In Outlook online, you can switch to HTML editing mode by clicking the three dots menu in the compose window and selecting "Edit in HTML", but this is not recommended unless you are comfortable with code.
Why does my signature look different when recipients see it?
Some email clients display formatting differently. Signatures with custom fonts, colors, or images may appear slightly different in Gmail, Apple Mail, or other email programs. Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Calibri and straightforward formatting to may support your signature looks consistent across all email clients.
Can I add a signature to emails I have already written but not sent?
If you compose a new email and your default signature is set, it will appear automatically when you start typing. If you wrote an email before creating a signature, you can manually type or copy-paste your signature text into the message, or delete the message and start a new one so the signature appears automatically.