Add a signature in three steps

Open Outlook 365 and go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures. Click New, give your signature a name (like "Work" or "Personal"), then type or paste the text you want to appear at the bottom of every email. Click OK when you're done, and Outlook will automatically add it to new messages you write.

If you use multiple email accounts in Outlook, you can create different signatures for each one. The signature you set as your default will appear on all new emails unless you manually change it before sending.

Key Takeaways

  • Signatures are added through File > Options > Mail > Signatures, where you can create multiple versions for different purposes.
  • You can set a default signature that appears on all new emails, and a separate signature for replies and forwards if you want them different.
  • Signatures can include text, line breaks, and contact information, but not images or formatted fonts in the basic text editor.
  • If you have multiple email accounts, you can assign a different signature to each account so the right one appears automatically.

Where to find the signature settings

The signature menu is buried a few clicks deep in Outlook. Start by clicking File in the top left corner, then select Options from the left sidebar. In the Options window, click Mail on the left, then scroll down and click Signatures.

You'll see a window with three sections: a list of your signatures on the left, a dropdown menu to choose which account the signature belongs to, and a text box where you write the signature itself. This is where you'll spend most of your time.

Creating your first signature

Click the New button in the Signatures window. Outlook will ask you to name it — something like "Work Signature" or "Professional" works fine. Type a name and click OK.

Now you're in the text box where you actually write what you want your signature to say. Type your name, title, phone number, email address, or any other information you want to include. You can press Enter to create line breaks and organize the information however you like. When you're finished, click OK to save it.

Setting a default signature for new emails

Once you've created a signature, you need to tell Outlook to use it automatically. In the Signatures window, look for the dropdown menu labeled Choose default signature. Select your signature from the list. This is the one that will appear on every new email you write.

If you want a different signature on replies and forwards than on new emails, you can set that separately using the second dropdown menu labeled Choose default signature for replies and forwards. Many people use a shorter signature for replies since the original email is already there.

Using different signatures for different email accounts

If you have multiple email accounts set up in Outlook 365, you can create a separate signature for each one. In the Signatures window, there's a dropdown menu at the top that says E-mail account. Click it and select the account you want to create a signature for.

Create a new signature for that account the same way you did the first one — click New, name it, write the text, and set it as the default. Repeat for each account. Now when you write a new email from your work account, your work signature appears automatically. When you switch to your personal account, your personal signature appears instead.

What you can and cannot include in a signature

The basic signature editor in Outlook accepts plain text, so you can type your name, contact details, and any other information you want. You can use line breaks to organize it, and you can include special characters like dashes or asterisks if you want to create visual separation.

The basic editor does not support images, colored text, or fancy fonts — if you try to paste formatted text from another program, Outlook will strip the formatting and leave only the plain text. If you need a more complex signature with a logo or colored text, you'll need to use the HTML Editor option in the Signatures window, which requires writing HTML code directly.

Editing or removing a signature

To change a signature you've already created, go back to File > Options > Mail > Signatures, click the signature name in the list on the left, and edit the text in the box. Your changes save automatically when you click OK.

To delete a signature, select it from the list and click the Delete button. If it was set as your default, Outlook will ask you to choose a new default before you can delete it. You can create as many signatures as you want, so there's no harm in experimenting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add an image or logo to my signature?

The basic text editor does not support images. To add a logo, you'll need to switch to the HTML Editor in the Signatures window and write HTML code that references an image file. This is more complex and requires the image to be stored somewhere Outlook can access it, like a company server or cloud storage.

Why isn't my signature appearing on emails I send?

Check that you've set it as your default signature in the dropdown menu. Also make sure you're creating new emails — signatures do not appear on replies and forwards unless you've specifically set a signature for those. If you recently created the signature, try closing and reopening Outlook to refresh the settings.

Can I have different signatures for different folders or contacts?

Outlook 365 does not have a built-in way to assign signatures based on folders or specific contacts. You can only set different signatures per email account or per email type (new vs. reply). If you need a signature for a specific person, you'll have to manually select it before sending.

What happens to my signature if I delete my email account from Outlook?

Signatures are stored separately from email accounts, so deleting an account does not delete its signature. The signature will remain in your signature list, but it will no longer be assigned to any account. You can delete it manually if you no longer need it.