How to Create an Email Signature in Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most popular email clients in the business world, used by millions of professionals and organizations daily. Setting up a professional email signature in Outlook ensures that every email you send carries your brand, contact details, and a polished appearance.

This guide covers all three versions of Outlook: the classic desktop app (Windows and Mac), the new Outlook for Windows, and Outlook on the web (outlook.com / outlook.office.com). We will walk through each step and share tips for getting the best results.

Creating Your Signature First

Before diving into Outlook settings, you will need a well-designed signature ready to go. Outlook's built-in signature editor is functional but limited in design capabilities. For best results, use a dedicated email signature generator to create a professional HTML signature with custom colors, social links, and your photo.

Our free generator creates table-based HTML signatures with inline styles — the format that works best across all versions of Outlook and other email clients. Once you have designed your signature, click "Copy HTML" and follow the instructions for your version of Outlook below.

Outlook Desktop App (Classic) — Windows

The classic Outlook desktop application on Windows provides the most flexible signature management. Here is how to set it up:

Step 1: Open Signature Settings

1. Open Outlook on your Windows PC.
2. Click File in the top menu bar.
3. Select Options from the left sidebar.
4. In the Outlook Options window, click Mail in the left panel.
5. Click the "Signatures..." button in the Compose messages section.

Step 2: Create a New Signature

1. In the Signatures and Stationery dialog, click "New".
2. Enter a name for the signature (e.g., "Work" or "Personal").
3. Click "OK".
4. In the "Edit signature" text box at the bottom, paste (Ctrl+V) the HTML signature you copied from our generator.

Note about HTML in Outlook desktop: The classic Outlook desktop app uses Microsoft Word's rendering engine for HTML, which has some quirks. Table-based layouts (which our generator produces) work best. If you see formatting issues, try editing the signature HTML file directly — Outlook stores signatures in %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Signatures\ as .htm files.

Step 3: Set as Default

1. In the "Choose default signature" section at the top-right of the dialog:
2. Select your email account from the "E-mail account" dropdown.
3. Set "New messages" to your new signature.
4. Set "Replies/forwards" to the same signature (or "none" if you prefer).
5. Click "OK" twice to save and close.

Outlook Desktop App — Mac

The Mac version of Outlook has a slightly different interface:

1. Open Outlook on your Mac.
2. Click Outlook in the menu bar, then "Preferences" (or press Cmd+,).
3. Click "Signatures" in the Email section.
4. Click the "+" button to add a new signature.
5. Give it a name in the "Signature Name" field.
6. In the editor area, paste (Cmd+V) your HTML signature.
7. Close the preferences window — changes are saved automatically.
8. To set it as default, go back to Signatures preferences and use the "Default Signature" dropdown for each account.

New Outlook for Windows

Microsoft has been rolling out a new version of Outlook for Windows that is based on the web version. If you are using the new Outlook:

1. Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right corner.
2. Search for "Signature" or navigate to Mail > Compose and reply.
3. Under "Email signature", click "+ New signature".
4. Name your signature and paste the HTML into the editor.
5. Set it as the default for new messages and replies.
6. Click "Save".

Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com / Office 365)

If you access Outlook through a web browser, follow these steps:

1. Go to outlook.com or outlook.office.com and sign in.
2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
3. Click "View all Outlook settings" at the bottom of the panel.
4. Navigate to Mail > Compose and reply.
5. Under "Email signature", you will see a text editor.
6. Paste your HTML signature into the editor.
7. Check the boxes for "Automatically include my signature on new messages" and "Automatically include my signature on messages I forward or reply to".
8. Click "Save".

The web version of Outlook generally handles HTML signatures well, as it uses a modern browser rendering engine rather than Word's engine.

Outlook Mobile App (iOS and Android)

Like Gmail, Outlook's mobile app has limited signature support:

1. Open the Outlook app on your phone.
2. Tap your profile picture or initials in the top-left.
3. Tap the gear icon (Settings) at the bottom-left.
4. Under your email account, tap "Signature".
5. Enter a plain-text version of your signature.
6. Tap the checkmark to save.

The mobile app does not support HTML signatures. Use a simplified text version: your name, title, phone, and website on separate lines.

Troubleshooting Outlook Signature Issues

Formatting lost when pasting

If your signature loses its formatting when pasted, make sure you are pasting into the rich text editor (not plain text mode). In the classic Outlook desktop app, try pasting with Ctrl+V instead of "Paste Special". If formatting is still wrong, edit the .htm signature file directly in the Signatures folder.

Images blocked or missing

Outlook may block externally hosted images by default. Our generator embeds images as base64 data URIs to avoid this. However, some corporate Outlook configurations strip base64 images for security. In that case, host your avatar on a public URL and reference it in the signature.

Signature appears twice

If your signature appears in both new emails and replies/forwards and you only want it on new emails, go to signature settings and set "Replies/forwards" to "(none)".

Different signature for different accounts

Outlook allows you to set different signatures for each email account. In the signature settings, use the email account dropdown to assign specific signatures to each account.

Outlook changes font or spacing

The classic Outlook desktop app uses Word's HTML rendering engine (not a browser engine), which can alter fonts and spacing. Using table-based layouts with explicit font-family, font-size, and padding values in inline styles (which our templates use) gives the most predictable results.

Outlook Signature Best Practices

• Test before deploying: Send a test email from Outlook to a Gmail and Yahoo account to verify the signature renders correctly.
• Keep file size small: Outlook may strip or resize large images. Keep your total signature HTML under 100KB.
• Use web-safe fonts: Stick to Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, or Times New Roman for maximum compatibility.
• Avoid CSS classes: Outlook strips CSS class definitions. Always use inline styles (our generator does this automatically).
• Match your organization: If your company has a standard signature template, follow it. Consistency across the team matters.
• Include legal disclaimers: Many companies require confidentiality notices in email signatures. Ask your IT or legal team.

Microsoft 365 Admin: Organization-Wide Signatures

If you are an IT administrator for a Microsoft 365 organization, you can set up centralized email signatures using Exchange transport rules (also called mail flow rules). This ensures every outgoing email from your organization includes a standardized signature, regardless of what the individual user has set.

Navigate to the Exchange Admin Center > Mail flow > Rules, and create a rule that appends an HTML disclaimer to all outgoing messages. You can use variables like the user's display name, title, and department to dynamically populate the signature.

Create Your Outlook Signature Now

Ready to set up a professional Outlook signature? Use our free generator to design a beautiful, email-client-compatible signature in seconds. Choose from 6 templates, customize colors, add your photo and social links, then copy and paste into Outlook.