How to Add a Signature to Your Outlook Email (All Versions)

Adding an email signature in Outlook sounds simple — and it usually is — but the exact steps vary depending on which version of Outlook you're using, which device you're on, and whether your account is managed by an organization or set up personally. Getting it right means knowing which version applies to you.

What an Outlook Email Signature Actually Does

An email signature is a block of text (and optionally images or links) that Outlook automatically appends to your outgoing messages. It can include your name, job title, phone number, website, logo, legal disclaimers, or any combination of those.

Outlook supports two signature triggers:

• New messages — applied when you compose a fresh email
• Replies and forwards — optionally applied when responding to existing threads

These can be set independently, and you can have multiple signatures saved and switched between manually.

The Two Main Versions of Outlook to Know

Before following any steps, identify which Outlook you're actually using:

The signature settings live in different menus depending on the version. Steps that work in Classic Outlook won't necessarily match what you see in New Outlook or the web version.

How to Add a Signature in Classic Outlook (Windows Desktop) ✉️

This is the most full-featured signature editor and the one most people picture when they think "Outlook."

1. Open Outlook and go to File → Options
2. Select Mail from the left-hand panel
3. Click Signatures… (under the Compose messages section)
4. In the Signatures and Stationery window, click New to create a signature
5. Give it a name (e.g., "Work," "Personal")
6. Type and format your signature in the editor — you can adjust fonts, add images, and insert hyperlinks
7. Under Choose default signature, set which email account it applies to and whether it appears on New Messages and/or Replies/Forwards
8. Click OK to save

Classic Outlook's editor supports basic HTML formatting, inline images (like a company logo), and clickable links. It does not support advanced animations or embedded video.

How to Add a Signature in New Outlook (Windows)

Microsoft's redesigned Outlook app shifted the signature settings to a different location:

1. Click the Settings gear icon (top right)
2. Go to Accounts → Signatures
3. Click + New signature
4. Name it, write your content, and format as needed
5. Set defaults for new messages and replies under the Select default signatures dropdowns
6. Click Save

The New Outlook signature editor is more streamlined than the classic version but offers similar formatting options.

How to Add a Signature in Outlook on the Web

If you use Outlook through a browser (outlook.com or your organization's Office 365 portal):

1. Click the Settings gear icon (top right)
2. Select View all Outlook settings at the bottom of the panel
3. Navigate to Mail → Compose and reply
4. Scroll to the Email signature section
5. Type your signature in the text box
6. Toggle on Automatically include my signature on new messages and/or Automatically include my signature on messages I forward or reply to as preferred
7. Click Save

How to Add a Signature in Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook for Mac and go to Outlook → Preferences (from the top menu bar)
2. Click Signatures
3. Click the + button to add a new signature
4. Name it, then write and format your content in the editor
5. Drag the signature name into the Default Signatures section to assign it to an account

How to Add a Signature in Outlook Mobile (iOS & Android) 📱

The mobile app handles signatures differently — it's more basic and limited to plain text by default:

1. Open the Outlook app and tap your profile icon (top left)
2. Go to Settings (gear icon, bottom left)
3. Tap your email account
4. Tap Signature
5. Edit the text and tap the checkmark or Done to save

Mobile signatures are plain text only in most configurations. Formatted HTML signatures set up on desktop won't automatically carry over to the mobile app.

Variables That Affect How Your Signature Behaves

Even after setup, a few factors shape how your signature actually appears to recipients:

• Recipient's email client — A signature with custom fonts or inline images may render differently in Gmail, Apple Mail, or older Outlook versions
• Plain text vs. HTML mode — If you or your recipient's client sends in plain text, HTML formatting (bold, colors, images) strips out
• IT or admin-managed accounts — In corporate Microsoft 365 environments, admins can enforce or override signature settings at the server level, which may override what you configure locally
• Image hosting — Logos added as attachments behave differently than images hosted via URL; some recipients' clients block externally linked images by default
• Multiple accounts — If you manage several email accounts in one Outlook profile, each account can have its own assigned signature, but this requires setting each one individually

What You Can Include in an Outlook Signature

The right approach for your signature depends on how you primarily send email, how your account is managed, and how much formatting actually matters to the people receiving your messages.