Add a signature in Outlook on Windows or Mac

An email signature is a block of text that appears at the bottom of every message you send. It typically includes your name, job title, phone number, and company website. To add one in Outlook, you go to File, then Options (or Preferences on Mac), find the Mail section, and create your signature text there. Once you save it, Outlook automatically adds it to all new emails you write.

The process takes about two minutes and works the same way whether you use Outlook on a Windows computer or a Mac. You only need to set it up once, and then it runs in the background. If you use multiple email accounts in Outlook, you can create different signatures for each one, or use the same signature for all of them.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Outlook, go to File > Options (Windows) or File > Preferences (Mac), then select Mail and find the Signatures section.
  • Click New to create a signature, type your text (name, title, phone, website), and click Save.
  • Choose whether to use this signature on all new messages, replies, or only certain email accounts.
  • You can create multiple signatures and pick which one to use for each message if you need different versions for different purposes.
  • Signatures appear automatically on new emails but not on replies unless you turn that setting on.

Step-by-step for Windows

Start by opening Outlook and clicking the File menu in the top left corner. From the dropdown, select Options. A window will open with a list of categories on the left side. Click Mail to expand that section.

In the Mail section, look for a button or link labeled Signatures. Click it. A new window opens showing your current signatures (if any). Click the New button to create a fresh signature. Outlook will ask you to name it — something like "Work" or "Personal" is fine. Type the name and click OK.

Now you see a text box where you can type your signature. Write whatever you want to appear at the bottom of your emails: your name, job title, phone number, company name, website, or any other information. You can press Enter to create line breaks and make it look organized. When you finish typing, click Save.

Next, you need to tell Outlook when to use this signature. Look for the dropdown menus labeled "Choose default signature" or similar. The first dropdown controls what happens when you write a brand new email — select your signature name there. The second dropdown controls what happens when you reply to someone else's email. Leave this blank if you don't want signatures on replies, or select your signature name if you do. Click OK to finish.

Step-by-step for Mac

Open Outlook and click the Outlook menu in the top left corner (next to the Apple logo). Select Preferences from the dropdown. A window opens with several icons across the top. Click the Mail icon, then look for a Signatures button or link in the window that appears.

Click Signatures. You see a list of your email accounts on the left side and any existing signatures in the middle. Click the plus sign (+) button at the bottom of the middle column to create a new signature. A text box appears where you can type your signature text. Enter your name, title, phone, website, or whatever information you want to include.

After you type your signature, click outside the text box to save it. Now you need to connect this signature to your email account. Look at the left side of the window where your email accounts are listed. Click the account you want to use this signature with, then in the middle column, click the signature you just created. A checkmark appears next to it, meaning it is now active for that account. Close the Preferences window when you finish.

What to do if your signature does not appear on replies

By default, Outlook adds your signature to new emails but not to replies or forwarded messages. This is intentional — it keeps email threads from getting cluttered with repeated signatures. If you want your signature on replies too, you need to change that setting.

On Windows, go back to File > Options > Mail > Signatures. Look for the dropdown that says "Replies and forwards" and select your signature name from the list. Click OK. On Mac, go to Outlook > Preferences > Mail > Signatures, click your email account on the left, and make sure your signature is checked in the middle column. The signature will now appear on replies as well as new messages.

How to edit or delete a signature

If you need to change your signature later, the process is straightforward. Go back to File > Options > Mail > Signatures (Windows) or Outlook > Preferences > Mail > Signatures (Mac). In the list of signatures, click the one you want to change. The text box on the right shows your current signature. Edit the text however you need to, then click Save.

To delete a signature you no longer use, open the Signatures window the same way, click the signature name in the list, and click the Delete button. Outlook removes it immediately. If that signature was set as your default, Outlook will ask you to pick a new default signature before it closes the window.

Creating different signatures for different accounts

If you have multiple email accounts set up in Outlook — for example, a work account and a personal account — you can create separate signatures for each one. This is useful if your work signature needs your job title and company information, while your personal signature is just your name and phone number.

Create each signature the same way you did the first one: go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures (Windows) or Outlook > Preferences > Mail > Signatures (Mac), click New, type a name, and enter the text. Once you have created both signatures, assign each one to the correct account. On Windows, you see a dropdown that says "E-mail account" — select your work account, then choose your work signature as the default. Repeat for your personal account. On Mac, click each account in the left column and check the signature you want it to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a logo or image to my email signature?

Yes. In the signature text box, click where you want the image to go, then look for an Insert menu or button (this varies by Outlook version). Select Insert > Pictures and choose an image file from your computer. Keep images small — large logos slow down email delivery and can look unprofessional. Most signatures use images under 100 pixels wide.

Why does my signature appear twice on replies?

This usually happens when you have the signature set to appear on both new messages and replies, and you are replying to an email that already has a signature in it. Outlook adds your signature to the bottom, so you end up with two. To fix this, turn off the "Replies and forwards" setting in your signature options so your signature only appears on new emails.

Can I use different signatures for different email addresses within the same account?

No. Outlook ties signatures to accounts, not to individual email addresses. If your account has multiple send-from addresses, they all use the same signature. You would need to create separate Outlook accounts to use different signatures for different email addresses.

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

Your signature is stored separately from your password, so changing your password does not affect it. Your signature will continue to appear on all your emails as normal.

Can I make my signature appear only on emails sent to certain people?

Outlook does not have a built-in feature to do this. Your signature appears on all new emails to everyone, or on none. If you need different signatures for different recipients, you would have to manually add or remove the signature text before sending each email, or create multiple accounts with different signatures.