How to Add a Signature in Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail (2026 Guide)

To add a signature in Outlook, open Settings, go to Accounts, then Signatures, select Add signature, and tick the boxes to use it on new messages and on replies and forwards. That path works in new Outlook for Windows and in Outlook on the web. Classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac, Gmail, Apple Mail and every phone app keep the setting somewhere else, so the exact steps for each one are below, checked against the Microsoft, Google and Apple help pages as of October 2026.

Want the signature itself done in two minutes? Our free email signature generator gives you four layouts (Classic, Photo, Minimal and Compact), a live desktop and mobile preview, and a one-click copy you can paste straight into any of the signature boxes described here. What you type stays in your browser.

How to add a signature in Outlook for Windows

Windows has two Outlook apps with different menus. If the first set of steps does not match your screen, you are on classic Outlook.

New Outlook for Windows

1. Select the Settings gear icon.
2. Select Accounts, then Signatures.
3. If you have several accounts in Outlook, choose the one the signature belongs to.
4. Select Add signature and give it a distinct name, such as “Full” or “Short reply”.
5. Type or paste your signature in the editing box, then adjust the font, color and styles.
6. Use the checkboxes at the bottom to apply it to new messages and to replies and forwards.
7. Select Save.

To add a signature by hand while you write, open the Message tab, select Signature and pick the one you want.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Open a new email message.
2. On the Message menu, select Signature, then Signatures.
3. In the E-mail account drop-down, choose the account. Each account can have its own signature.
4. Under Select signature to edit, choose New and name the signature.
5. Under Edit signature, type or paste your signature. Use the image button of the editor to insert a logo.
6. Under Choose default signature, pick a signature in New messages and in Replies/forwards.
7. Select OK.

Two details catch people out. Classic Outlook does not add the new signature to the message you opened in step 1, so insert it by hand for that one email. And Microsoft notes that classic Outlook stores signatures locally on the computer where you created them, so they may not appear on another PC or in Outlook on the web. The same window is also reachable from File, Options, Mail, Signatures.

How to add a signature in Outlook for Mac

1. Open the Outlook menu and select Settings.
2. Under Mail, select Signatures.
3. Click the + button to add a signature, then name it.
4. Write the signature in the editor. Use See more items (the three dots) to add a picture, a logo, a link or a table.
5. Under Set default signature, choose the account, then pick a signature in For new messages and in For replies or forwards.
6. Close the Signatures window when you are done.

If your settings show Email instead of Mail, you are on legacy Outlook for Mac, where pictures are inserted from Photo Browser or Picture from file. Microsoft says support for legacy Outlook for Mac ends in October 2026, so this is the moment to move to the current version.

How to add a signature in Outlook on the web and Outlook.com

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web or Outlook.com and select the Settings gear at the top of the page.
2. Select Accounts, then Signatures.
3. Select Add signature, name it, then type and format your signature.
4. Tick the boxes to use it on new messages and on replies and forwards, or leave them empty to insert it manually.
5. Select Save.

Microsoft points out that if you use both desktop Outlook and Outlook on the web with a Microsoft account, you need to create the signature in both. After any change, check each place.

How to add a signature in Outlook for iPhone and Android

1. Open the Outlook app and go to Settings.
2. Under Mail, tap Signature.
3. Type your signature, or turn on Per Account Signature to give each email account its own.

The phone signature is set inside the app, so it does not change when you redesign your desktop signature. Name, title, company and one phone number are plenty on a small screen.

How to add a signature in Gmail (computer, Android, iPhone)

Gmail on a computer

1. Open Gmail. At the top right, click Settings, then See all settings.
2. On the General tab, scroll to the Signature section and add a new signature.
3. Type or paste your signature in the box. You can format the text or add an image.
4. Choose which signature Gmail uses by default for new emails and for replies.
5. At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.

Gmail accepts up to 10,000 characters per signature, and images count toward that limit. You can keep several signatures and switch while writing with the Insert signature icon (the pen) at the bottom of the compose window. If you send from more than one address with “Send mail as”, pick the address in the drop-down above the signature box first.

Gmail app on Android

1. Open the Gmail app and tap Menu at the top left.
2. Scroll down, tap Settings, then choose the account.
3. Tap Mobile signature, type your signature and tap OK.

Gmail app on iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Gmail app, tap Menu, then Settings.
2. Under Compose and Reply, tap Signature settings.
3. Turn on Mobile Signature, write your signature, then tap Back to save.

According to Google, a mobile signature only applies to emails sent from the app, and if you do not create one, the app uses the signature from your computer. On iPhone, repeat the setup for each account.

How to add a signature in Apple Mail on Mac and iPhone

Mail on Mac

1. In Mail, choose Mail, then Settings, then click Signatures.
2. In the left column, select the email account. If All Signatures is selected, you will have to drag the new signature onto an account before you can use it.
3. Click the + button below the middle column and type a name.
4. Build the signature in the right column: paste text, use the Format menu for font and color, and drag an image in for your logo.
5. Use the Choose Signature pop-up menu to make it the default for that account.

Keep Place signature above quoted text checked if you want your signature right under your reply rather than at the very bottom of the thread. If you use iCloud Drive with Mail turned on, Apple makes your signatures available on your other Macs.

Mail on iPhone

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps, then Mail.
3. Tap Signature (below Composing) and replace the default “Sent from my iPhone” with your own lines.
4. With several accounts, tap Per Account to set a different signature for each one.

Apple is explicit: you can only use text in Mail signatures on iPhone. No logo, so make the text version strong.

What a professional email signature includes

A professional email signature is a short block, usually four to six lines, that tells the reader who you are and how to reach you at a glance. Include:

• Your full name, written the way clients know you.
• Job title and company, on one line if they fit.
• One phone number, typed as text and never inside an image, so it stays readable and tappable on phones.
• A website link, ideally to a page that turns visitors into inquiries rather than a generic homepage.
• A logo, optional and small. The signature has to work without it, because many recipients block images.
• One call to action, optional: a booking link, a review link or a current offer.
• Compliance lines when your trade needs them: a contractor license number, a law firm disclaimer, a regulated professional title.

Leave out quotes, rows of social icons, a full postal address (unless clients visit you) and large banners. Use one or two brand colors and a font every mail client has, such as Arial, Helvetica, Georgia or Verdana: custom web fonts often fall back to a default font in desktop email apps anyway. If your business has a brand style guide, take the logo file, the HEX codes and the font straight from it.

4 email signature templates you can copy

These four layouts match the four templates of our generator. Copy the structure and swap in your details. All names and numbers below are placeholders.

1. Minimal: text only, works everywhere

Jordan Rivera
Owner, Rivera Plumbing and Drain
(555) 014-2290 | riveraplumbing.com

Best for phones, iPhone Mail and frequent replies: nothing can break or be blocked.

2. Classic: logo on the left

[Logo, shown 150 px wide] | Dana Brooks, CPA
Senior Tax Advisor, Brooks and Hale
Phone: (555) 013-4471
Web: brooksandhale.com

The standard business layout: logo in a left column, details on the right, a thin vertical line in your brand color between the two.

3. Photo: headshot and divider

[Square headshot] | Sarah Chen
Realtor, Northwind Realty
Mobile: (555) 012-7788 | northwindrealty.com
[Thin divider in your brand color, then a small logo]

Use it when clients buy from a person: real estate, consulting, coaching, sales. A face is easier to recognize in a crowded inbox.

4. Compact: with a call-to-action button

Mike Alvarez | Project Manager, Summit Roofing
(555) 019-3302 | summitroofing.com
[Button: Book a free roof inspection]
Licensed and insured. License #[number]

Good for service businesses that want every email to push one next step, such as a booking or quote page.

Building a table-based layout by hand in Outlook or Gmail is fiddly. Fill in the fields of the free signature generator instead: it builds these four templates, warns you when an image URL does not load or when the code goes past Gmail's 10,000-character limit, and copies the result ready to paste.

HTML email signatures and image sizes

An HTML email signature is a signature built with HTML tables and inline styles so its layout holds across email apps. You do not paste raw code into the Gmail or Outlook signature box: you copy the rendered signature, from a browser tab or a generator preview, and paste it into the editor, which keeps the formatting and links. Keep the HTML source itself for tools that accept code directly.

Images are where most signatures fail. Follow these rules:

• Host the image online over https and insert it by URL. Embedded images (base64 code) are handled poorly by Gmail and Outlook.
• Respect Gmail's sizes. Google recommends signature images 70 to 100 pixels high and 300 to 400 pixels wide, with a maximum of 100 pixels high by 1,000 pixels wide.
• Use PNG for logos and JPG for photos. If the PNG is transparent, test it on a dark background: in dark mode, a black logo can disappear.
• Share Drive images publicly. In Gmail, a logo stored on Google Drive must be shared with “Anyone with the link” as a viewer, or recipients see a broken image. Gmail offers three upload methods (Web Address (URL), My Drive and Upload); if one fails, try another.
• Never put text in an image. Name, phone and website must survive with images turned off.

Common email signature problems and how to fix them

Images are blocked or show up as attachments

Classic Outlook is configured by default to block automatic picture downloads from the internet, so many recipients see an empty box until they choose to download pictures. You cannot change their settings, so design for it: real text for every contact detail, a logo that is a bonus. If images leave classic Outlook as attachments, reinsert them with the editor's image button: Microsoft warns that VML tags in a signature can turn images into attachments.

The layout breaks or the fonts change

Usually the signature was pasted from Word or a web page carrying hidden styles. In Gmail, select the signature in settings, use Remove formatting, then paste again from a clean source. If you cannot format anything at all, Gmail is in plain text mode: in the compose window, open More options and uncheck Plain text mode. Simple table layouts and standard fonts survive best.

The signature is missing from replies, or piles up in threads

Replies have their own default. In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, tick the box for replies and forwards; in classic Outlook, set Replies/forwards; in Outlook for Mac, set For replies or forwards. In Apple Mail, Place signature above quoted text puts it right under your answer, and Gmail's signature settings offer a similar option to insert the signature before the quoted text in replies. Many people use a shorter second signature for replies so long threads stay readable.

The signature is different on another device

Signatures do not follow you everywhere. Classic Outlook keeps them on the computer where you created them, Outlook on the web needs its own copy, and each phone app has a separate setting. Apple Mail is the exception between Macs, through iCloud Drive. After any change, send a test email from every device you use.

Where to find the signature settings: summary table

Every path below comes from the official Microsoft, Google and Apple help pages, as of October 2026.

A signature is often the piece of your brand that clients see most, dozens of times a week. If yours does not match your website or your quotes yet, that is usually a sign the brand itself needs clear rules: see what a logo and brand identity cost or our branding service.