Outlook signature: how to make, add and change

How to make a signature in Outlook

Creating an email signature in Outlook is easy. If you manage multiple email accounts, you can assign a unique signature to each. You can also automatically add a signature to all outgoing emails or set up different auto signatures for new messages and replies/forwards.

To set up a signature in Outlook, perform these steps.

1. On the Home tab, click the New Email button.
2. In the new email window, go to the Message tab, and in the Include group, click Signature > Signatures… .

   Alternatively, you can access Outlook signatures via the File tab > Options > Mail > Signatures…

3. The Signatures and Stationery dialog window will appear, showing a list of previously created signatures, if any. To add a new signature, click the New button on the E-mail Signature tab.
4. In a small dialog box that pops up, enter a name for your new signature and click OK.
5. If you have multiple accounts, choose the one that will use this signature from the E-mail account dropdown list.
6. In the Edit signature box, type the text of your signature and format it with the desired fonts and colors.
7. To have Outlook automatically add this signature to all new messages and/or replies and forwards, select it from the appropriate dropdown menu in the Choose default signature section.
8. Click OK to save your new Outlook email signature. You're all set!

Similarly, you can create different signatures for other accounts, for example, one for personal emails and another for business. You can also make multiple email signatures for the same account, for example, a longer signature for new messages and a shorter, simpler one for replies and forwards. Once you have set up more signatures, they will appear in the New messages and Replies/forwards dropdown lists.

How to automatically add signature in Outlook

To set up an automatic signature in Outlook, configure the Default signature settings as follows:

1. Start by creating a new signature or editing an existing one.
2. In the Choose default signature section, define your preferences:
   • From the New messages dropdown list, select the signature you want to be automatically added to all new emails. If you don't want an auto signature, keep the default option (none).
   • From the Replies/forwards dropdown list, choose an auto signature for replies and forwarded messages, or leave the default option (none).

By setting these options, Outlook will automatically include your chosen signature in the corresponding messages.

How to insert email signature into Outlook messages manually

If you prefer not to use an automatic signature, you can manually add it to individual messages. To do this, make sure the default signature is set to (none). When composing a new message or replying to an email, do this:

1. On the Message tab, click the Signature button.
2. From the dropdown list, select the signature you want to insert into the message.

This method allows you to choose the appropriate signature for each email, giving you flexibility and control over your email communications.

How to change signature in Outlook

Creating a signature in Outlook is simple, and updating an existing one is just as easy. Follow these steps to modify your email signature:

1. Open signature settings. Go to the File tab, click Options > Mail > Signatures… .

1. Rename a signature. To change the name of an existing signature, select it from the list and click the Rename button. In the Rename Signature box, type the new name and click OK to save your changes.
2. Update signature text. In the Edit signature box, make any desired changes to the text.
3. Change appearance. Use the mini formatting toolbar above the editing box to adjust fonts, colors, and other formatting options.
4. Change auto signature. To change the default signatures in Outlook, choose the desired ones in the Choose default signature section for new messages and replies/forwards.

These steps make it quick and easy to update or customize your Outlook signature whenever needed.

Creating professional Outlook email signature (with clickable links and images)

While many online email signature generators offer attractive templates, few allow exporting signatures to Outlook for free. The good news is that, with just a little time and effort, you can create a professional-looking email signature directly in Outlook with your contact details, photo, and clickable social media icons.

Since Outlook's signature toolbar has limited formatting options, the best approach is to design your signature in a new email or Microsoft Word, and then copy it into an Outlook signature. Here's how:

1. Create a new message. Start by clicking the New Email button on the Home tab.
2. Insert a table to structure your signature. In the new message window, switch to the Insert tab, click Table, and select the number of rows and columns corresponding to your email signature layout. The table will help you align your graphic and text elements, and bring harmony to your design. If you are unsure how many rows and columns you will need, you can start with 3 rows and 3 columns and adjust later if needed.
3. Insert a logo or personal photo. Put the cursor into the cell where you want to add an image and click the Pictures button on the Insert tab. Browse for an image on your computer, select it, and click the Insert button.
4. Adjust the image size. If necessary, resize the image by dragging the diagonal double-headed arrow in the corner.
5. Erase unnecessary row borders. If you don't plan to include any additional text or images in the column where your picture is placed, you can clean up the layout by removing unnecessary borders. To do this, go to the Table Layout tab > Draw group, and apply the Eraser tool. Then, use the Alignment options to position your image as you like.
6. Add contact details. Enter details such as your name, job title, company name, and phone numbers in other cells and format them using different fonts and colors.
7. Include social media icons. You can grab social media icons from various online sources or directly from this page. Right-click each icon individually and click Save image as to download it to your computer as a .png file. Once saved, insert the icons into your signature table by placing them in the appropriate cells.

   

8. Add links to images and text. To make the social media icons clickable, right-click each icon, and then click Link. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, paste the URL and click OK. In a similar manner, you can add hyperlinks to your company logo or other graphic and text elements.
9. Resize table columns. Drag to resize the table columns to remove or add extra room in cells.
10. Remove table borders. Select the whole table, go to the Table Design tab, click Borders, and select No Border.
11. Add dividers. Our Outlook email signature is almost finished. As a final touch, you can add dividers to separate different sections. Use the Border Painter tool to draw vertical or horizontal lines and select a Pen Color that matches your design. For a more polished look, experiment with different Line Styles and Line Weights to make the dividers thinner or thicker.
12. Copy the signature. When you are happy with the design of your Outlook email signature, select the entire table holding it, and press Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard (or right-click and select Copy).
13. Set up a new signature. Go to the Insert tab and click Signature > Signatures… > New. In the Edit signature box, paste the copied signature using the Ctrl + V shortcut or right-click and select Paste from the context menu.

And that's it! You've successfully created a professional Outlook email signature that includes images, hyperlinks, and social media icons.

And here's another example of an Outlook email signature created using this method with a different layout and color palette:

Where are Outlook signatures stored?

Once you've created your beautiful email signatures, you may want to back them up or transfer them to another computer. To do this, you need to know where Outlook stores its signature files.

Normally, Outlook signatures are stored in the following locations:

• On Windows 11 - Windows 7:
  C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures
• On Windows XP:
  C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures

How to find Outlook signatures

To quickly find the Signature folder on your computer, open Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail, and while pressing the Ctrl key, click the Signatures… button. This will instantly open the folder where your signatures are stored.

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• How to archive in Outlook automatically or manually
• How to fix "Cannot start Microsoft Outlook" error