How to Change Your Outlook Signature (All Versions Covered)

Your email signature is one of the most visible pieces of your professional identity — and yet the steps to update it in Microsoft Outlook vary more than most people expect. Whether you're on the desktop app, the web version, or a mobile device, the process is different enough that knowing which Outlook you're using matters before you start.

What Is an Outlook Signature, Really?

An Outlook email signature is a block of text (and sometimes images or links) that gets automatically appended to your outgoing emails. It can include your name, job title, phone number, a company logo, a legal disclaimer, or anything else you want recipients to see.

Signatures can be set to appear on:

• New messages only
• Replies and forwards only
• Both — which is the most common setup for professional use

You can also create multiple signatures and switch between them manually — useful if you manage different roles or email accounts from the same inbox.

How to Change Your Signature in Outlook Desktop (Windows)

The classic Outlook desktop app on Windows gives you the most control over signature formatting.

1. Open Outlook and click File → Options
2. Select Mail from the left panel
3. Click the Signatures… button
4. In the Signatures and Stationery window, select an existing signature to edit, or click New to create one
5. Edit your signature in the text editor at the bottom — you can format text, insert images, and add hyperlinks
6. Under Choose default signature, set which account and which message types (new messages, replies/forwards) use this signature
7. Click OK to save

✏️ One thing to know: the signature editor in desktop Outlook is basic. For more complex formatting — like HTML-based designs — some users paste in pre-formatted HTML or use a third-party signature manager.

How to Change Your Signature in Outlook on the Web (OWA)

Outlook on the Web (sometimes called OWA or accessed at outlook.live.com or your organization's Microsoft 365 portal) has its own signature settings, separate from the desktop app. Changes made here do not sync to the desktop app, and vice versa.

1. Click the Settings gear icon (top right)
2. Select View all Outlook settings at the bottom of the panel
3. Go to Mail → Compose and reply
4. Under Email signature, type or paste your signature into the editor
5. Toggle on whether to automatically include the signature on new messages or replies
6. Click Save

The web editor supports basic rich text formatting, inline images, and links — enough for most standard signatures.

How to Change Your Signature in Outlook on Mac

Outlook for Mac follows a slightly different path than the Windows version:

1. Open Outlook and go to Outlook (menu bar) → Preferences
2. Click Signatures
3. Click the + button to add a new signature, or select an existing one to edit
4. Edit in the right-hand panel
5. Use the dropdown menus to assign the signature to specific accounts and message types

Mac users should be aware that image rendering in signatures can behave differently depending on how the recipient's email client handles embedded images versus linked ones.

How to Change Your Signature on Outlook Mobile (iOS and Android) 📱

The Outlook mobile app keeps it simple but offers fewer formatting options:

1. Tap your profile icon (top left)
2. Tap the Settings gear (bottom left)
3. Scroll to find Signature
4. Edit the text field
5. Toggle Per Account Signature on if you want different signatures for different accounts

Mobile signatures are plain text by default on most versions of the app. Rich formatting, images, and HTML aren't supported in the same way they are on desktop — something worth accounting for if your brand signature relies on a logo.

Key Variables That Affect Your Signature Setup

The "right" approach to your Outlook signature depends on several factors that vary from person to person:

When You Can't Edit Your Signature

If you're using Outlook through a work or school Microsoft 365 account, your IT administrator may have deployed organization-wide signatures using Exchange transport rules or a third-party tool like Exclaimer or CodeTwo. In that case, signatures are applied server-side — after the email leaves your client — and you may not be able to change or disable them regardless of what you do in your settings.

This is common in larger organizations that need consistent branding or legal disclaimers across all outgoing emails. If your changes don't seem to stick, or a signature keeps appearing that you didn't set, this is the likely explanation.

The Spectrum of Signature Complexity

At one end, a signature is two lines of plain text. At the other, it's a fully designed HTML block with a headshot, social media icons, a promotional banner, and a legal footer — maintained centrally by a marketing or IT team.

Where your needs fall on that spectrum — and which version of Outlook you're working in — determines not just the steps you follow, but whether the built-in tools are sufficient or whether you need something more. That's a question your specific setup, role, and organization are best positioned to answer.