How to Create and Add a Signature to Your Outlook Emails

Add a signature in Outlook by creating it once, then choosing when to include it

A signature in Outlook is a block of text — your name, title, phone number, website — that appears at the bottom of every email you send. You create it once in Outlook's settings, and then Outlook can add it automatically to new messages, or you can insert it manually when you want it. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Outlook on the web, Outlook on Windows, or Outlook on Mac, but the concept is the same in all three.

Most people set their signature to add automatically, so they never have to think about it. But you can also turn that off and add your signature only to certain emails — useful if you send some messages from a work account and some from a personal one, or if you want to keep some emails more casual.

Key Takeaways

• You create a signature once in Outlook settings, and it can appear automatically on every new email you send.
• Outlook on the web, Outlook on Windows, and Outlook on Mac all have signature settings, but the menu paths are different.
• You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each email, or set one to appear by default.
• Signatures do not appear on emails you reply to or forward unless you manually add them.

Creating a signature in Outlook on the web

Open Outlook in your web browser and sign in to your account. In the top right corner, click the gear icon to open Settings. From the menu that appears, click "View all Outlook settings" at the bottom.

In the Settings panel on the left, click "Mail," then scroll down and click "Compose and reply." You will see a text box labeled "Email signature." Type or paste your signature text here — it can be as simple as your name or as detailed as your full contact information and a company tagline. When you are done, click "Save" at the bottom of the page.

By default, Outlook will add this signature to every new email you compose. If you want to turn that off, uncheck the box that says "Automatically include my signature on new messages I compose" before you save.

Creating a signature in Outlook on Windows

Open Outlook and go to File in the top left corner. Click "Options," then click "Mail" in the left sidebar. Scroll down and click "Signatures" on the right side of the window.

In the Signatures window, click "New" to create a new signature. Give it a name — something like "Work" or "Personal" — and click OK. In the text box below, type your signature. You can format it with bold, italics, or different font sizes using the buttons above the text box. When you are done, click "OK."

To make this signature appear automatically on new emails, go back to the "Mail" options, scroll to "Signatures," and under "New messages," select the signature you just created from the dropdown menu. Click "OK" to save.

Creating a signature in Outlook on Mac

Open Outlook and click "Outlook" in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Click "Preferences," then double-click "Signatures" in the window that opens.

Click the plus sign (+) at the bottom left to create a new signature. Give it a name and press Enter. In the text box on the right, type your signature. You can use the formatting buttons above the text box to add bold, italics, or color.

To set this signature to appear automatically, click your email account in the left column, then use the dropdown menu next to "Choose default signature" to select the signature you created. Click "Save" when you are done.

Using multiple signatures for different accounts or purposes

If you have more than one email account in Outlook, or if you want different signatures for different situations, you can create as many signatures as you need. Create each one following the steps above, giving each a clear name like "Work Formal," "Work Casual," or "Personal."

Once you have multiple signatures, you can set a default for each account or leave the default blank and choose which signature to add to each email manually. To add a signature manually to an email you are composing, go to the "Insert" tab (on Windows or Mac) or click the three dots menu (on the web), find "Signature," and select the one you want.

Why signatures do not appear on replies and forwards

By default, Outlook does not add your signature to emails you reply to or forward — only to brand-new messages you compose. This is intentional, because adding a signature to every reply can make a conversation thread very long and hard to read.

If you want your signature on replies and forwards, you can change this in settings. On the web, go to "Compose and reply" in Mail settings and check "Include my signature on replied and forwarded messages." On Windows, go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures and check "Include signatures with replies and forwards." On Mac, go to Outlook > Preferences > Signatures and check the same option for your account.

Formatting your signature with links and images

Your signature can include more than plain text. On Windows and Mac, you can add a clickable link by selecting text, right-clicking, and choosing "Hyperlink," then entering the web address. You can also paste an image — like a company logo — directly into the signature text box.

On the web, the signature editor is simpler and does not support images or formatted links. If you need a more complex signature with a logo or styled text, use Outlook on Windows or Mac to create it, and it will sync to the web version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different signatures for different email accounts?

Yes. Create a separate signature for each account following the steps for your version of Outlook. Then set a default signature for each account, or leave the default blank and choose which signature to use each time you send an email.

Why is my signature not showing up on emails I send?

Check that you turned on the automatic signature setting in your Outlook settings. If you created the signature but did not set it as default, it will not appear unless you manually insert it. Also, signatures do not appear on replies or forwards unless you specifically turned that on in settings.

Can I edit my signature after I create it?

Yes. Go back to the Signatures settings in your version of Outlook, select the signature you want to change, edit the text, and save. The new version will appear on all future emails.

What happens to my signature if I change my Outlook password?

Your signature is stored separately from your password and will not be affected. Changing your password does not delete or modify your signature.

Can I use HTML code in my Outlook signature?

On Windows and Mac, you can paste HTML code directly into the signature text box, and Outlook will render it as formatted text or images. On the web, the signature editor does not support raw HTML — use the formatting buttons instead.