How to Add a Signature in Outlook

Adding a signature in Outlook is a great way to professionally sign off your emails. A signature usually contains your name, job title, company name, phone number, website, and other contact information.

Signatures allow you to quickly append this info to the end of emails without having to retype it every time They help present a consistent company image and brand across your email communications

In this article, I’ll explain step-by-step how to create add, and manage email signatures in Outlook. I’ll cover signatures for Outlook desktop (Windows and Mac) as well as Outlook on the web.

Creating a New Email Signature in Outlook Desktop

Adding a new signature in Outlook desktop only takes a minute. Just follow these steps:

1. Open Outlook and start a new email message.

2. On the Message tab at the top click the Signature button then select Signatures.

3. In the Signatures and Stationery dialog box, pick the email account you want to add a signature for from the list.

4. Under Select signature to edit, click New and type a name for your new signature.

5. In the Edit signature box, type your signature text. Customize it with your name, job title, phone numbers, address, website link, social media links, logo image, and any other info you want to include.

6. Click OK to save the new signature. It’s now available to insert into outgoing emails from that account.

To insert your signature, compose a new email as usual, then click Signature > Choose Signature and select the signature you want to append. The signature will be inserted at the cursor location.

You can create different signatures for each email account you have in Outlook. Just repeat the steps above and select a different account in step 3 to make signatures for your different roles or purposes.

Managing Your Signatures

To edit, rename or delete an existing signature:

1. Go to the Signatures and Stationery dialog box again.

2. Pick the relevant email account, then select the signature under Select signature to edit.

3. Click Edit to modify the signature text. Or click Rename to give it a new name.

4. To delete a signature, select it and click Delete. Then click Yes to confirm.

You can reorder your signatures by selecting one and using the Move Up and Move Down buttons. The signature order appears in the Choose Signature list when inserting them into emails.

Creating a Default Signature

To set a default signature that’s automatically inserted into all new emails from an account:

1. In the Signatures and Stationery dialog box, pick the email account.

2. Under Choose default signature, select the signature you want to make the default.

3. Check the box for Automatically include my default signature on messages I compose.

4. Click OK.

Now all new emails from that account will start with your default signature already included. You can still insert a different signature manually or remove the signature as needed per message.

Adding a Signature in Outlook on the Web

If you use Outlook on the web (formerly Hotmail, Live mail, or Outlook.com), you can also create email signatures. Just follow these steps:

1. Go to Outlook.com and sign into your account.

2. Click on the Settings gear icon at the top right.

3. Go to View all Outlook settings > Mail > Layout.

4. Under Signature, click Create and type your signature. Customize it with your preferred contact info.

5. Click Save when you’re done.

Your signature is now enabled. It will automatically be inserted to the end of every new email you compose.

To manage your signatures, open the signature settings and you’ll see options to create new ones, edit or delete existing ones. Only one signature can be active at a time.

Signature Best Practices

Here are some tips for creating professional signatures:

• Include essential contact information like your name, job title, company name, phone number, and email address. A website link is also recommended.

• Be concise. Signatures should contain vital information but not overwhelm the email content. Keep them to 4-5 lines or less.

• Use a professional format. Include your name on its own line before your title and company for easy identification.

• Add your brand logo for visual identity. Save the image at 600 x 60 pixel size to prevent distortion.

• Link your name to your email address or website to make it easy for recipients to contact or learn more about you.

• Consider including social media links to sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to enable further connections.

• Use a smaller font like 10 or 11 pt so the signature takes up less space.

• Create different signatures for different roles and purposes (e.g. internal vs external emails).

• Set a default signature to maintain a consistent brand image across your emails.

• Check for errors or typos. Your signature offers a first impression to every email recipient.

Signature Images and Formatting

To add images or formatting to your signature:

• Copy and paste images from your computer into the signature. Adjust their size to around 600 x 60 pixels.

• Use Markdown formatting like **bold**, _italics_, or [hyperlinks](https://example.com) to style signature text.

• Add line breaks with <br> to space out signature elements.

• Use <table> tags to align signature content into columns and rows.

• Set font colors and sizes with inline HTML like <span style="font-size:10px;color:#4791e6;">John Smith</span>.

Once you get used to adding signatures in Outlook, you can create nicely formatted ones with images, social icons, branding colors, and links for a professional look.

Troubleshooting Outlook Signatures

Here are some common issues and fixes for Outlook signatures:

• Signature not appearing: Check it’s enabled as your default signature for that account. Try manually inserting it into a test email.

• Images not displaying: Make sure the image paths are correct. Host them externally rather than locally.

• Formatting not working: Outlook filters out some HTML, CSS and scripts. Use simple inline formatting.

• Spacing issues: Add <div> tags around sections and use <br> line breaks to control spacing.

• Signature duplication: Remove any duplicate signature settings across Outlook accounts or devices.

• Wrong default account: Check you selected the correct default account. Signatures are set per account.

• Text rendering incorrectly: Use proper typefaces and avoid small, condensed fonts. Stick to common sans-serifs.

• Links not clickable: Make sure you format the URLs properly when adding links. Test click them before sending.

With some practice, you’ll get the hang of creating great signatures that represent your personal, team or company brand. Just follow the steps outlined here to add them in Outlook desktop or web mail clients.