How to Create an Email Signature in Outlook

A professional email signature takes minutes to set up and makes every email you send look polished. Outlook lets you create multiple signatures and automatically apply them to new emails and replies separately. Here is how to set one up across every version of Outlook.

Create a Signature in Outlook Desktop (Microsoft 365)

1. Open Outlook and click File → Options
2. Click Mail in the left sidebar
3. Click Signatures
4. Click New and give your signature a name (e.g. “Main” or your name)
5. Type and format your signature in the editor box — you can change fonts, add colour, and insert images
6. Under Choose default signature, set which signature appears automatically on new emails and on replies/forwards
7. Click OK to save

What to Include in a Professional Email Signature

Keep it focused. The most effective signatures include:

• Your full name
• Job title and company name
• Phone number (direct or mobile)
• Company website
• Optional: LinkedIn profile link, company logo

Avoid: long legal disclaimers (put these at the very bottom in small text if required), multiple social media icons, large images that block on mobile, or quotes. Less is more — a clean, readable signature reflects better on you than a cluttered one.

Adding a Logo or Image to Your Signature

In the signature editor, click the image icon in the toolbar (looks like a small picture frame). Browse to your logo file — PNG with a transparent background works best. Resize it within the editor by clicking and dragging the corner handles. Aim for a logo no taller than 60–80 pixels to keep it proportionate alongside text.

Note: some email clients block images by default, so your signature should still make sense if the logo doesn’t load. Always include your company name as text even if you also have a logo.

Create a Signature in Outlook on the Web

1. Go to outlook.office.com and sign in
2. Click the Settings cog (top right)
3. Click View all Outlook settings
4. Go to Mail → Compose and reply
5. Scroll to the Email signature section
6. Type and format your signature
7. Set whether to automatically include it on new messages and replies
8. Click Save

Create a Signature in Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook and go to Outlook → Preferences → Signatures
2. Click the + button to add a new signature
3. Name it and type your content in the right-hand panel
4. Close the Signatures window — it saves automatically
5. To set a default, go to the account dropdown and assign your signature

Setting Different Signatures for Different Email Accounts

If you manage multiple email accounts in Outlook, you can assign a different signature to each one. In the Signatures settings (desktop), use the E-mail account dropdown under “Choose default signature” to select each account and assign its own signature.

Manually Inserting a Signature

If you don’t want a signature added automatically to every email, set the default to “(none)” and insert it manually when needed: in a new email, go to Insert → Signature and choose from your saved signatures.

Related Guides

• How to Set an Out of Office Reply in Outlook
• How to Create a Rule in Outlook
• How to Set Up Email for a Small Business

{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “HowTo”,
“name”: “How to Create an Email Signature in Outlook”,
“step”: [
{
“@type”: “HowToStep”,
“name”: “Create a Signature in Outlook Desktop (Microsoft 365)”,
“text”: “Open Outlook and click File → Options Click Mail in the left sidebar Click Signatures Click New and give your signature a name (e.g. “Main” or your name) Type and format your signature in the editor box — you can change fonts, add colour, and insert images Under Choose default signature , set which signature appears automatically on new emails and on replies/forwards Click OK to save”
},
{
“@type”: “HowToStep”,
“name”: “What to Include in a Professional Email Signature”,
“text”: “Keep it focused. The most effective signatures include: Your full name Job title and company name Phone number (direct or mobile) Company website Optional: LinkedIn profile link, company logo Avoid: long legal disclaimers (put these at the very bottom in small text if required), multiple social media icons, large images that block on mobile, or quotes. Less is more — a clean, readable signature reflects better on you than a cluttered one.”
},
{
“@type”: “HowToStep”,
“name”: “Adding a Logo or Image to Your Signature”,
“text”: “In the signature editor, click the image icon in the toolbar (looks like a small picture frame). Browse to your logo file — PNG with a transparent background works best. Resize it within the editor by clicking and dragging the corner handles. Aim for a logo no taller than 60–80 pixels to keep it proportionate alongside text. Note: some email clients block images by default, so your signature should still make sense if the logo doesn’t load. Always include your company name as text even if you al”
},
{
“@type”: “HowToStep”,
“name”: “Create a Signature in Outlook on the Web”,
“text”: “Go to outlook.office.com and sign in Click the Settings cog (top right) Click View all Outlook settings Go to Mail → Compose and reply Scroll to the Email signature section Type and format your signature Set whether to automatically include it on new messages and replies Click Save”
},
{
“@type”: “HowToStep”,
“name”: “Create a Signature in Outlook for Mac”,
“text”: “Open Outlook and go to Outlook → Preferences → Signatures Click the + button to add a new signature Name it and type your content in the right-hand panel Close the Signatures window — it saves automatically To set a default, go to the account dropdown and assign your signature”
},
{
“@type”: “HowToStep”,
“name”: “Setting Different Signatures for Different Email Accounts”,
“text”: “If you manage multiple email accounts in Outlook, you can assign a different signature to each one. In the Signatures settings (desktop), use the E-mail account dropdown under “Choose default signature” to select each account and assign its own signature.”
},
{
“@type”: “HowToStep”,
“name”: “Manually Inserting a Signature”,
“text”: “If you don’t want a signature added automatically to every email, set the default to “(none)” and insert it manually when needed: in a new email, go to Insert → Signature and choose from your saved signatures.”
}
]
}

For a full index of every Outlook guide and troubleshooting fix on Serverman, see the Microsoft Outlook complete guide and troubleshooting hub.