Where to find your signature settings in Outlook
Your signature lives in Outlook's settings, not in your email itself. The exact path depends on which version you use — Outlook on the web (the browser version), Outlook desktop for Windows, or Outlook for Mac all keep signatures in different places. Once you know where to look, changing it takes less than a minute.
The fastest way to find out which version you have: open Outlook and look at the top of the window. If you see a web address in the address bar (something like outlook.office.com or outlook.live.com), you are using Outlook on the web. If Outlook opened as its own program on your computer, you are using the desktop version.
Key Takeaways
- Outlook on the web stores signatures under Settings > Mail > Compose and reply, while desktop Outlook uses File > Options > Mail > Signatures.
- You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each email, or set one as your default.
- Signatures can include text, links, and basic formatting like bold or italics, but not images or complex layouts.
- Changes take effect immediately, but you may need to close and reopen Outlook on the desktop version to see them.
Changing your signature in Outlook on the web
Open Outlook in your browser and look for the gear icon in the top right corner. Click it and select View all Outlook settings. This opens a panel on the left side of the screen.
In that left panel, find and click Mail, then scroll down until you see Compose and reply. Click that option. You will now see a text box labeled Email signature. Delete whatever is there (if anything) and type or paste your new signature. The text box accepts basic formatting: you can make text bold by highlighting it and clicking the B button, or italic with the I button. You can also add a link by highlighting text, clicking the link icon, and pasting a web address.
When you are done, scroll down and click Save. Your signature is now active. The next email you write will include it automatically.
Changing your signature in Outlook desktop for Windows
Open Outlook and look at the top left. Click File, then scroll down and click Options. A window will open. On the left side, click Mail. Now look for a button or link that says Signatures — it is usually in the middle of the window.
Click Signatures and a new window opens. You will see a section called Select signature to edit with a dropdown menu. If you have never created a signature before, it will be empty. Click New to create one. Type a name for it (something like "Work" or "Personal"), then click in the large text box below and type your signature. You can format text as bold or italic using the buttons above the text box, and add a hyperlink by highlighting text and clicking the link icon.
Once you are done typing, look for the dropdown menu labeled Choose default signature. Select the signature you just created from the list. This makes it appear automatically on every new email you write. Click OK to save. Close Outlook completely and reopen it — sometimes the desktop version needs a restart to show the new signature.
Changing your signature in Outlook for Mac
Open Outlook and click Outlook in the menu bar at the very top of the screen. Select Preferences. A window opens. Look for and click Signatures. You will see a list on the left side showing your email accounts.
Click the email account you want to add a signature to. On the right side, click the + button to create a new signature. Type a name for it, then click in the text box below and type your signature. Use the formatting buttons above the text box to make text bold, italic, or add a link. When you are done, close the Preferences window. Your signature is now active on that account.
Using multiple signatures and choosing which one to use
You can create as many signatures as you want — one for work, one for personal emails, one for a specific project. The steps are the same as above: create a new signature and give it a distinct name.
Once you have multiple signatures, you can choose which one to use on each email. When you start writing a new email, look for a button or menu near the bottom of the compose window. In Outlook on the web, it is usually labeled Signature with a dropdown arrow. In desktop Outlook, it appears as a small icon or menu option in the compose toolbar. Click it and select the signature you want for that particular email. If you set one as your default (as described above), it will appear automatically, but you can always switch to a different one before sending.
This is useful if you send emails from multiple roles or contexts. You might have a formal signature for client work and a casual one for internal team emails, and switch between them depending on who you are writing to.
What you can and cannot include in a signature
Outlook signatures accept text and basic formatting: bold, italic, underline, and hyperlinks. You can also change the font and text color using the formatting toolbar. However, Outlook does not allow you to insert images, logos, or complex layouts directly into the signature box.
If you need a logo or image in your signature, some versions of Outlook allow you to insert it as part of the email template rather than the signature itself, but this is more complex and varies by version. For most people, a text signature with a link to your website or LinkedIn profile works just as well and loads faster for recipients.
Troubleshooting: signature not appearing or changes not saving
If you created a signature but it is not appearing on your emails, check that you set it as your default. In Outlook on the web, the signature should appear automatically once you save it. In desktop Outlook, make sure you selected it in the Choose default signature dropdown. If you still do not see it, close Outlook completely and reopen it — the desktop version sometimes needs a restart to load signature changes.
If you changed your signature but the old one is still appearing, you may have created a new signature instead of editing the existing one. Go back to your signature settings and delete the old one, keeping only the version you want to use. Make sure the one you want is set as your default.
If you use multiple email accounts in Outlook, remember that each account can have its own signature. Check that you are editing the signature for the correct account. In desktop Outlook, the account name appears in the left panel of the Signatures window. In Outlook on the web, your account name appears at the top of the Settings page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different signatures for different email accounts?
Yes. In desktop Outlook and Outlook for Mac, each account has its own signature settings. In Outlook on the web, you can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each email, though the process is less automatic than the desktop version. Set your most-used signature as the default and manually select a different one when needed.
What happens to my signature if I change my password?
Your signature is stored separately from your password and is not affected by password changes. It will remain exactly as you set it. You only need to update your signature if you want to change the text or formatting.
Can I include my phone number or address in my signature?
Yes, you can type any text you want into your signature, including contact information. Keep in mind that your signature appears on every email you send, so consider whether you want that information visible to everyone you correspond with, including external recipients.
Why does my signature look different on my phone than on my computer?
Outlook on mobile devices sometimes formats signatures differently than the desktop or web version. This is usually due to screen size and how the mobile app renders text. The signature itself is the same — it just displays differently. Recipients see your signature as you formatted it, regardless of what device you used to send the email.
Can I add a logo or company image to my signature?
The signature box itself does not support image insertion in most versions of Outlook. If you need a logo, you can insert it manually into each email using the Insert menu, or work with your IT department to set up a signature template that includes images — this requires more technical setup but is possible in some corporate Outlook environments.