Where to find and edit your email signature
Your email signature lives in your account settings, not in individual emails. The exact location depends on which email service you use, but the process takes less than five minutes in any of them. You'll write or paste your signature once, and it will appear automatically on every email you send going forward.
The signature you create is stored on the email service's servers, so it syncs across all your devices — phone, tablet, and computer. If you change it, the new version appears on all your devices the next time you send an email.
Key Takeaways
- Email signatures are edited in account settings, not in the email compose window, and appear automatically on all outgoing messages.
- Gmail stores signatures under Settings > General > Signature, Outlook uses Settings > Mail > Compose and reply, and Apple Mail uses Preferences > Signatures.
- You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each email, or set a default that appears on every message.
- Signatures sync across all your devices once you save them, so you only need to change them in one place.
- Plain text signatures work everywhere; formatted signatures with colors and fonts may not display correctly on older email clients or phones.
Changing your signature in Gmail
Open Gmail in a web browser and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Select See all settings, then click the General tab. Scroll down until you see the Signature section.
Click in the text box under "Signature" and delete any existing text. Type or paste your new signature. You can format it with bold, italics, links, and colors using the toolbar above the text box. When you're done, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.
If you want multiple signatures — one for work, one for personal emails, one for newsletters — click Create new next to the signature section. Name each one, then set which signature appears by default. You can then choose a different signature for each email when you compose it.
Changing your signature in Outlook
In Outlook on the web, click the gear icon in the top right and select View all Outlook settings. Go to Mail > Compose and reply. Under the Email signature section, click in the text box and enter your new signature.
Format your signature using the toolbar — you can add bold, italics, links, colors, and even images. If you use Outlook on your computer (the desktop app), the process is slightly different: click File > Options > Mail > Signatures. Create a new signature or edit an existing one, then click OK.
Outlook lets you set different signatures for new emails versus replies. You can also create multiple signatures and choose which one to use each time you send a message. Make sure to click Save when you're finished.
Changing your signature in Apple Mail
On a Mac, open Apple Mail and click Mail in the menu bar at the top. Select Preferences (or Settings on newer Macs). Click the Signatures tab.
On the left side, select the email account you want to edit. In the middle column, click the plus sign to create a new signature, or double-click an existing one to edit it. Type or paste your signature in the text box on the right. You can format it with bold, italics, and colors using the Format menu.
To set a default signature, click the dropdown next to "Select signature for new messages" and choose the one you want. Close the Preferences window when you're done — your changes save automatically.
What happens if you use multiple email accounts
If you have more than one email account set up in your email client, you can create a different signature for each one. In Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail, you set signatures per account, not globally. This means your work email can have a professional signature while your personal email has a casual one.
When you compose a new email, the signature for that account appears automatically. You don't have to do anything — the email service knows which account you're sending from and uses the right signature.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is editing your signature in the compose window instead of in settings. Any changes you make while writing an email only affect that one message. To change your signature permanently, you must go into account settings.
Another mistake is using fancy formatting — colors, large fonts, images — and then wondering why it looks different on your recipient's phone. Plain text and basic formatting work everywhere. If you use colors or custom fonts, test your signature by sending an email to yourself and opening it on a phone to see how it displays.
Don't include sensitive information like your full home address or personal phone number in a signature that goes on every email. Use a work address, office phone, or website instead. Your signature is visible to everyone who receives your email, including people you forward messages to.
Removing or disabling your signature
To remove your signature entirely, go back to the signature settings in your email service. Delete all the text in the signature box and leave it blank. Save your changes. No signature will appear on your outgoing emails.
If you want to keep your signature saved but turn it off temporarily, some email clients let you disable it without deleting it. In Gmail, you can uncheck the signature box. In Outlook, you can select "None" from the signature dropdown. In Apple Mail, you can set the default signature to "None" and then manually select a signature only when you want it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use different signatures for different types of emails?
Yes. Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail all let you create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each email. You can also set a default signature that appears automatically, then override it when needed. This is useful if you send both professional and casual emails from the same account.
Why doesn't my signature appear on emails I send from my phone?
Phone email apps sometimes don't sync signatures from your account settings, or they add their own signature instead. Check your phone's email app settings — most have a signature section separate from your computer. You may need to enter your signature again on your phone, or switch to the web version of your email service to send messages with your full signature.
Can I add an image or logo to my signature?
Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail all support images in signatures. Use the image button in the formatting toolbar while editing your signature. Keep images small — large images can make emails slow to load. Test how it looks on a phone before you finalize it, since some email clients display images differently.
What if I share my computer with someone else?
Each person should have their own email account set up in the email client, with their own signature. If you're using the same account, you'll both see the same signature. If you need separate signatures, create separate email accounts or use different email services on the same computer.
Does my signature appear on emails I forward or reply to?
By default, yes — your signature appears on new emails and replies. Some email clients let you turn off signatures for replies only, which is useful if you're replying to a long email thread. Check your email settings to see if you can disable signatures for replies while keeping them on new messages.