What a Gmail signature is and why you'd want one

A Gmail signature is a block of text that appears automatically at the bottom of every email you send. It typically includes your name, job title, phone number, or any other information you want recipients to see without typing it each time. Once you set it up, Gmail adds it to new messages, replies, and forwarded emails without you doing anything.

Most people use signatures for work — so clients and colleagues see your title and contact details. But you can also use one for personal email, to include a favorite quote, your website, or just your name and pronouns. You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use for each message, or set a default that appears on everything.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail signatures are created in Settings under the "Signature" section and appear automatically on every email you send.
  • You can format your signature with bold text, links, and line breaks using the text editor that appears when you create one.
  • Multiple signatures let you choose different ones for different purposes — one for work, one for personal use, or one for each email account you manage.
  • Your signature appears on new messages and replies by default, but you can turn it off for individual emails if you need to.

How to create your first signature in Gmail

Open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Select See all settings from the dropdown menu. Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, then scroll down until you see the Signature section — it will be below the forwarding options.

Click Create new next to "Signature" and give your signature a name (like "Work" or "Personal"). Type the text you want to appear in your emails in the box below. You can include your name, title, phone number, email address, website, or anything else. When you're done, scroll down and click Save Changes.

The next time you compose a new email, your signature will appear at the bottom automatically. If you have multiple signatures, Gmail will ask you which one to use when you start typing a new message.

Formatting your signature with bold, italics, and links

The signature box includes a small toolbar above the text area with formatting options. Highlight any text you want to change, then click the bold button (B), italic button (I), or underline button (U) to format it. You can also change the text color by clicking the "A" with a colored line underneath.

To add a clickable link, type the text you want to appear, highlight it, then click the link icon (it looks like a chain). Paste the web address in the box that appears and click OK. If you want to add your company logo or a small image, click the image icon and upload a file from your computer or paste a web address.

Line breaks matter in signatures — if your text runs together, click where you want a new line to start and press Enter. Gmail will preserve the spacing when the signature appears in your emails.

Setting a default signature and managing multiple ones

If you have more than one signature, you can choose which one appears by default on new emails. In the Signature section of Settings, look for the dropdown menu next to each signature name. Select which signature should appear automatically on new messages and which should appear on replies and forwards — they can be different.

You can also set different default signatures for each email account if you manage more than one Gmail address. At the very top of the Signature section, there's a dropdown that says "Default reply behavior" or shows your email address. Click it and select the account you want to configure, then set that account's signature below.

If you want to use a different signature for a single email, start composing the message and look for the signature name at the bottom. Click it and select a different one from the list. This overrides your default for just that message.

Removing your signature or turning it off for specific emails

To delete a signature entirely, go back to Settings, find the signature you want to remove, and click the trash icon next to its name. Click Save Changes and it will no longer appear on any new emails.

If you want to keep your signature but remove it from a single email, compose the message and look at the bottom. Click the signature name and select -- No signature -- from the dropdown. That email will send without a signature, but your default will return for the next message you write.

There is no way to turn off signatures globally for replies only — if you set a signature, it will appear on replies by default. You can remove it from individual replies using the dropdown method above, but you cannot disable it for all replies at once.

Troubleshooting signatures that don't appear

If you created a signature but it's not showing up on your emails, first check that you clicked Save Changes at the bottom of the Settings page. Changes don't take effect until you save them. Refresh the page and try composing a new email to see if it appears.

If you're using Gmail in a web browser, signatures work in all of them. If you're using the Gmail app on your phone or tablet, signatures may not appear in the app itself — they will still be added when recipients receive the email, but you won't see them in the compose window on mobile. This is normal and not a problem.

If your signature contains an image and the image isn't showing up, the image file may have been deleted or moved. Go back to Settings, click the signature, and re-upload or re-paste the image link. Make sure the link is a full web address starting with "http://" or "https://".

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different signatures for different email addresses?

Yes. At the top of the Signature section in Settings, select the email address you want to configure from the dropdown. Create or edit a signature for that account, and it will only appear on emails sent from that address. Repeat for each account you manage.

What happens to my signature when I reply to an email?

Your signature appears at the bottom of replies by default, below the original message. If you don't want it on a specific reply, click the signature name at the bottom of the compose window and select -- No signature --.

Can I add my company logo or photo to my signature?

Yes. Click the image icon in the signature editor, then upload a file from your computer or paste a web address. Keep images small — large images can make your emails slow to load. Most people use images that are under 200 pixels wide.

Will my signature appear the same way for everyone who receives my email?

Mostly yes, but some email clients may display formatting differently. Plain text, bold, and links work everywhere. Colored text and images may not display the same way in all email programs, especially older ones or mobile apps.

Can I use HTML code in my signature?

No. Gmail's signature editor only accepts plain text and the formatting options in the toolbar. If you paste HTML code, it will appear as plain text in your emails. Use the bold, italic, and link buttons instead.