Where to find your signature settings in Outlook
Your Outlook signature lives in the settings menu, not in your email itself. The exact path depends on whether you use Outlook on the web, Outlook on your desktop, or Outlook on your phone — each one stores signatures in a different place. The good news is that once you change it in one place, Outlook remembers the new version the next time you compose an email.
If you use Outlook on your computer (the desktop app), you'll find signatures under File > Options > Mail > Signatures. If you use Outlook on the web (outlook.com or your work email through a browser), go to Settings (the gear icon) > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and reply. On your phone, Outlook doesn't let you edit signatures directly — you have to make changes on your computer or web browser first, then they sync to your phone.
Key Takeaways
- Desktop Outlook stores signatures under File > Options > Mail > Signatures, while web Outlook uses Settings > Mail > Compose and reply.
- You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each email, or set a default signature that appears on every message.
- Signatures can include text, your contact information, a logo, or a disclaimer — but keep them short so they don't take up half your email.
- Changes made on your computer or web browser take a few minutes to sync to your phone.
Changing your signature in desktop Outlook
Open Outlook on your computer and click File in the top left corner. From the menu that appears, select Options. In the Options window, click Mail on the left side, then look for the Signatures button — it's usually near the middle of the screen. Click it, and a new window opens where you can edit, create, or delete signatures.
To change an existing signature, click its name in the list on the left, then edit the text in the box on the right. You can type directly, paste text from another document, or use the formatting buttons to make text bold, italic, or a different color. When you're done, click OK twice to save your changes. The next email you compose will use the updated signature.
If you have multiple email accounts in Outlook, you can set a different signature for each one. In the Signatures window, look for the dropdown that says "Email Account" at the top. Select the account you want to change, then edit or create its signature. This way your work email can have a formal signature while your personal email uses something casual.
Changing your signature in Outlook on the web
Log into your Outlook account at outlook.com or your work email portal in a web browser. Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select View all Outlook settings. On the left side, click Mail, then scroll down and click Compose and reply. You'll see a text box labeled "Email signature" — this is where you type or paste your new signature.
Type or paste your signature text directly into the box. You can use the formatting toolbar above the text box to make text bold, italic, or underlined, and to change the font or text color. When you're finished, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save. Outlook saves your changes right away, and they'll appear on your next email.
One common mistake: if you have multiple email addresses through the same account, Outlook on the web applies the same signature to all of them. If you need different signatures for different addresses, you'll need to use the desktop app instead, which lets you set a signature per account.
Adding images or logos to your signature
Both desktop Outlook and Outlook on the web let you add an image to your signature. In desktop Outlook, open the Signatures window (File > Options > Mail > Signatures), click in the signature text box, then click the Insert button. Choose Image, navigate to the file on your computer, and click Insert. The image appears in your signature.
In Outlook on the web, click in the signature text box, then look for the image icon in the formatting toolbar (it usually looks like a small picture frame). Click it, select Upload from this device, and choose your image file. Outlook inserts the image into your signature. Keep images small — a logo or headshot works well, but a full-size photo makes your signature huge and slows down email delivery.
If your image doesn't appear when you send an email, it may be because the image file is stored only on your computer. To fix this, save the image to a cloud service like OneDrive or SharePoint, then link to it in your signature instead of embedding it. This way, the image loads from the cloud when someone opens your email.
Setting a default signature and creating multiple versions
If you want Outlook to automatically add a signature to every email you send, you need to set a default. In desktop Outlook, open File > Options > Mail > Signatures, then look for the dropdown that says "Choose default signature." Select the signature you want to use by default, and click OK. From now on, every new email will include that signature unless you manually remove it.
You can create as many signatures as you want. In the Signatures window, click New, type a name for the signature (like "Formal" or "Quick Reply"), then type or paste the signature text. Click OK, and the new signature appears in your list. When you compose an email, you can click the signature dropdown in the message and choose which one to use — this overrides your default for that email only.
In Outlook on the web, you can only have one signature at a time. If you need multiple versions, you'll have to manually edit the signature text box each time, or use the desktop app where you can switch between them with a single click.
Fixing signatures that don't appear or look wrong
If your signature doesn't show up on emails you send, first check that you've set a default signature. In desktop Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures and make sure a signature is selected in the "Choose default signature" dropdown. In Outlook on the web, verify that you've saved your signature by scrolling to the bottom of the Compose and reply settings and clicking Save.
If your signature appears but looks different than you intended — text is the wrong color, formatting is missing, or images don't show — the problem is usually that the recipient's email client doesn't support that formatting. Plain text signatures (just letters and numbers, no bold or color) work everywhere. If you use fancy formatting, it may not display correctly for everyone who receives your email. Test by sending yourself an email and opening it in different programs to see how it looks.
On your phone, signatures can take a few minutes to sync after you change them on your computer or web browser. If you just edited your signature and it's not showing up on your phone yet, wait five minutes and try composing a new email. If it still doesn't appear, sign out of Outlook on your phone and sign back in to force a refresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different signatures for different folders or email types?
No — Outlook applies the same default signature to all emails you send from an account. However, you can create multiple signatures and manually choose which one to use when you compose each email. Some people create signatures named "Formal," "Quick," and "Out of Office" and switch between them as needed.
What happens to my signature if I change my password?
Your signature is stored separately from your password, so changing your password has no effect on it. Your signature will remain exactly as you set it. If you're having trouble accessing Outlook after a password change, that's a different issue related to signing back in.
Can I use HTML code in my Outlook signature?
Desktop Outlook doesn't have a built-in HTML editor for signatures, but you can paste HTML code directly into the signature text box and Outlook will render it. Outlook on the web only accepts formatted text, not raw HTML. If you need complex HTML formatting, the desktop app is your better option.
Why does my signature look different on my phone than on my computer?
Different email apps display formatting differently. A signature that looks perfect in Outlook on your computer might lose colors or spacing when you view it in the Outlook app on your phone, or when someone opens your email in Gmail or Apple Mail. Stick to simple formatting — bold text and basic colors — to make sure your signature looks good everywhere.
Can I add a disclaimer or legal text to my signature?
Yes. Type or paste the disclaimer text into your signature box just like any other text. Many companies add disclaimers like "This email is confidential" or "Please consider the environment before printing." Keep it brief — long disclaimers make your signature take up too much space in the email thread.