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 the Save button under the editing box to save your new Outlook email signature, and then OK to close the window. 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.

For more details, see How to add auto signature in Outlook.

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 edit 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. Go to the File tab, click Options > Mail > Signatures… .
2. In the Edit signature box, make any desired changes to the text.
3. Use the mini formatting toolbar above the editing box to adjust fonts, colors, and other formatting options.
4. After making the changes, click the Save button under the Edit signature box to save them, and then click OK to close the window.

For more details, see how to change email signature in Outlook.

How to insert picture into Outlook signature

If you frequently communicate with people outside of your organization, you might want to personalize your email signature by adding a company logo, your photo, social media icons, a scanned handwritten signature, or other graphics. Here's how to do it:

1. When creating a new signature or updating an existing one, click in the Edit signature box where you want to add an image.
2. Click the Insert a picture button on the formatting toolbar.
3. Browse your computer, select the image you want to add, and click the Insert button. Outlook allows adding pictures in the following formats: .png, .jpg, .bmp, and .gif.
4. Click OK to save your Outlook email signature with the image.

For more information, see Adding image / photo to Outlook email signature.

How to add hyperlink to Outlook signature

While you can simply type a full URL, linking your company name to a website address will definitely look nicer.

To turn any text in your Outlook signature into a clickable link, follow these steps:

1. In the Edit signature box, highlight the text you want to turn into a link, and click the Hyperlink button on the toolbar. If the text isn't already in your signature, place the cursor where you want the link and then click the Hyperlink button.
2. To make the link clickable, configure the following settings in the Insert Hyperlink window:
   • In the Text to display box, type the text you want to make a clickable link. If you've already selected the text, it will automatically appear in the box.
   • In the Address box, type the full URL you want to link to.
   • Click OK to create the link.
   
3. In the Signatures window, click OK to save your updated signature with the hyperlink.

How to make an image in Outlook signature clickable

To make images in your Outlook email signature, like your company logo or social media icons, clickable, you can add hyperlinks to them. The steps are similar to adding a text hyperlink described above:

1. Select the image. In the Edit signature box, select the image you want to make clickable, and click the Hyperlink button on the toolbar.
2. Insert the hyperlink. In the Insert Hyperlink window, type or paste the URL into the Address box, then click OK.

That's it! Your image is now clickable and will direct recipients to the linked website.

Create an Outlook signature from business card

Another quick way to make a signature in Outlook is to include a business card (vCard) that contains your contact information.

1. Create your business card. Business cards in Outlook are automatically created based on contacts stored in your address book. To create your own contact, do this:
   • Go to the People section and click New Contact on the Home tab in the New
   • In the New Contact form, enter all the details you want to appear on your business card, such as name, phone number, email address, etc.

   Once you've added your information, Outlook will generate the business card for you. The major part of the work is done!

2. Create a signature with your business card.
   • Start making a new signature in the usual way.
   • In the signature editor, click the Business Card button on the toolbar.
   • This will open your list of Outlook contacts. Select your own contact and click OK.
   

Please note that inserting a business card into your signature will automatically attach a .vcf file containing your contact details to the email. If you prefer not to include this attachment, you can copy the business card image directly from your Outlook contacts and paste it into your signature instead, avoiding the need to remove the attachment manually each time.

Make a professional email signature for Outlook from template

If crafting a signature manually feels too time-consuming or complicated, you can quickly design a sleek HTML signature using the visual editor included in our Shared Email Templates add-on for Outlook. Despite its name, this tool isn't just for email templates – it can help with creating professionally-designed email signatures too.

Here is how to create a polished Outlook signature in 3 simple steps:

1. Choose a color theme. Start by selecting from 10 predefined color themes or choose custom colors for various elements of your signature. You can also apply accents such as card-style or link highlights.
2. Pick a layout. Select one of 14 available layouts to set the base design for your signature. Unnecessary fields can be removed, and custom fields can be added to each section to suit your needs.
3. Add signature details. Fill in details such as your name, title, contact information, social media links, photo, logo, etc. Once everything looks right, save your signature for use in Outlook.

To insert your new signature to an Outlook email, double-click it in the Shared Email Templates pane. Alternatively, you can set it as the default signature to automatically include it in all new messages, replies, and forwards.

Want to try it out? Install the free version from Microsoft App Source and start creating your signature.

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

For more information, see Where Outlook signatures are stored and how to export them.

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.

You may also be interested in

• How to add HTML signature to Outlook
• Outlook email signature templates: how to use and customize
• How to send digitally signed email in Outlook