What an email signature is and why you need one
An email signature is a block of text that appears at the bottom of every email you send. It typically contains your name, job title, phone number, and company website — information that would otherwise require you to type it out in every message. Outlook lets you create one signature that attaches automatically to all outgoing mail, or multiple signatures for different purposes (one for work, one for personal use, one for a specific project).
Once you set up a signature, you stop typing your contact details by hand. The signature appears whether you're sending from your desktop version of Outlook, Outlook on the web, or Outlook on your phone — though the steps differ slightly depending on which version you use.
Key Takeaways
- Email signatures in Outlook are created in the Settings menu, not in the email compose window.
- You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each email, or set one to appear automatically on all messages.
- Desktop Outlook and Outlook on the web have different paths to the signature settings, so the steps depend on which version you use.
- Signatures can include text, links, and images, but keep them short so they don't make your emails harder to read on phones.
Creating a signature in Outlook on the desktop
Open Outlook on your computer and go to the File menu in the top left corner. Click Options (on Windows) or Preferences (on Mac). A settings window will open.
On Windows, look for Mail in the left sidebar and click it. Then click Signatures. On Mac, look for Signatures directly in the Preferences window. Either way, you'll see a section labeled E-mail Signature with a button to create a new one.
Click New and give your signature a name — something like "Work" or "Personal" so you can tell them apart later. In the text box below, type or paste the information you want to appear at the bottom of your emails. You can format the text using the buttons above the box: make it bold, change the font, add a hyperlink, or insert an image.
Once you've written your signature, decide whether you want it to appear automatically. If you want this signature on every email you send, find the dropdown menu that says Choose default signature and select the name you just created. If you want to choose which signature to use for each email, leave this blank and you'll see a signature option in the compose window every time you write a message. Click OK when you're done.
Creating a signature in Outlook on the web
Log into Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com or outlook.live.com, depending on your account type). Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select View all Outlook settings.
In the settings panel, click Mail in the left sidebar, then scroll down to find Compose and reply. Look for the section labeled Email signature. Click in the text box and type or paste your signature information. You can use the formatting buttons above the box to add bold text, links, or images.
Below the text box, you'll see a checkbox that says Automatically include my signature on messages I send. Check this box if you want the signature to appear on every email. If you leave it unchecked, you can add the signature manually to each email using a button in the compose window. Click Save at the bottom of the settings page.
Adding images and links to your signature
Both desktop Outlook and Outlook on the web let you include more than just text. To add a clickable link, highlight the text you want to turn into a link, then click the Hyperlink button (it looks like a chain link). Paste the web address in the box that appears and click OK.
To add an image — like a company logo — look for an Insert Image button in the signature editor. Click it and choose a file from your computer. Keep images small (under 100 pixels wide) so they don't make your signature take up too much space on phones. If you're using Outlook on the web, you may need to upload the image to OneDrive first, then insert it from there.
Avoid adding too many images or large blocks of colored text. Signatures that are too fancy can look broken on some email programs or phones, and they make your emails slower to send and receive.
Using different signatures for different emails
If you created multiple signatures but didn't set one as the default, you can choose which signature to use each time you write an email. In the compose window, look for a button or dropdown menu labeled Signature (the exact location depends on whether you're using desktop or web Outlook). Click it and select the signature you want.
This is useful if you have one signature for work emails and another for personal messages, or if you manage multiple email accounts. You can also create a signature for a specific project or client and switch to it only when you need it.
Editing or deleting a signature
To change a signature you've already created, go back to the signature settings using the same path you used to create it. Find the signature in the list, click it, and edit the text in the box. Your changes take effect when ready on all new emails.
To delete a signature, select it from the list and click Delete. If that signature was set as your default, Outlook will stop adding it to new emails. You can create a new one anytime by clicking New again.
Troubleshooting signatures that don't appear
If your signature isn't showing up on emails you send, first check that you set it as the default. Go back to the signature settings and make sure the dropdown menu is set to your signature name, not blank. On Outlook on the web, confirm that the checkbox for Automatically include my signature on messages I send is checked.
If you're replying to an email instead of writing a new one, some versions of Outlook don't add the signature automatically — you may need to click the Signature button in the compose window to add it by hand. Also check that you're not in a special compose mode (like composing in a separate window versus in the reading pane), as this can affect whether the signature button appears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a different signature for replies than for new emails?
Desktop Outlook lets you set separate signatures for new messages and replies. In the signature settings, you'll see two dropdown menus: one for New messages and one for Replies and forwards. You can choose different signatures for each. Outlook on the web does not have this option — the same signature applies to all emails.
What if I use multiple email accounts in Outlook?
You can create a signature for each account. In the signature settings, look for a dropdown menu at the top that lets you choose which email account you're setting up. Create a signature for each account separately, and set a default for each one. When you write an email, Outlook will use the signature for whichever account you're sending from.
Can I include my photo in my signature?
Yes, you can insert an image file. Click the Insert Image button in the signature editor and choose a photo from your computer. Keep it small — a headshot around 50 by 50 pixels works well. Large images can make your signature slow to load and look broken on some phones.
Why does my signature look different on my phone than on my computer?
Email programs on phones display signatures differently than desktop versions. Colored text, special fonts, and images may not show up the same way. Stick to straightforward formatting — plain text, bold, and one color — to make sure your signature looks good everywhere.
Can I use HTML code in my signature?
Desktop Outlook allows HTML if you switch to HTML editing mode in the signature settings. Outlook on the web does not support raw HTML — you must use the formatting buttons provided. If you need complex formatting, desktop Outlook is your better option.