How to Set Up an Email Signature in Outlook (Desktop & Web)

A professional email signature turns every message you send into a mini business card. Microsoft Outlook — the email client included in Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 — lets you create rich signatures with your name, title, contact details, a company logo, and clickable links. Once configured, your signature appears automatically on every new email or reply, so you never forget to add it manually.

This guide covers every platform: Outlook Desktop (Classic), New Outlook 2024, Outlook on the Web, and Outlook Mobile on iOS and Android.

Key Takeaways

• Desktop: File → Options → Mail → Signatures — create, format, and assign signatures per account in under 2 minutes.
• Web: Settings → Mail → Compose and reply → Email signature — same result from any browser, no software install needed.
• Multiple signatures: Outlook supports separate signatures for new emails and for replies/forwards on each account.

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How Do I Set Up an Email Signature in Outlook?

Go to your Outlook signature settings, click New, type your signature text, then assign it as the default for new messages and/or replies. The exact path depends on which version of Microsoft Outlook you use — Classic desktop, New Outlook 2024, or Outlook on the Web.

Which Version of Outlook Do You Have?

Version	How to identify
Classic Outlook (2016–2021)	Title bar shows “Outlook” with a blue icon; File menu is visible
New Outlook (2024+)	Streamlined toolbar, Settings gear top-right, no classic File menu ribbon
Outlook on the Web	Accessed via outlook.live.com or outlook.office.com in a browser
Outlook Mobile	App installed on iOS or Android device

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How to Set Up a Signature in Outlook Desktop (Classic)

Follow these steps for Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2019, or 2021 on Windows:

1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
2. Click File in the top-left ribbon.
3. Select Options from the left panel.
4. In the Outlook Options window, click Mail.
5. Under the “Compose messages” section, click Signatures…
6. In the Signatures and Stationery dialog, click New.
7. Type a name for your signature (e.g., “Professional” or “Work”) and click OK.
8. In the editing area at the bottom, type and format your signature — name, title, phone number, website, etc.
9. Use the formatting toolbar to adjust font, size, color, and alignment.
10. Under Choose default signature, select the email account in the “E-mail account” dropdown.
11. Set New messages and Replies/forwards dropdowns to your new signature name (or leave Replies/forwards as “(none)” if you prefer a shorter reply signature).
12. Click OK to save.

Your signature is now active. Every new email from that account will include it automatically.

Tip: You can create as many signatures as you like and switch between them manually while composing an email using the Insert → Signature menu.

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How to Set Up a Signature in the New Outlook (2024)

New Outlook, released in 2024, uses a refreshed Settings panel instead of the classic File menu:

1. Open New Outlook.
2. Click the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner.
3. In the Settings panel, go to Accounts → Signatures.
4. Click New signature.
5. Give your signature a name.
6. Type and format your signature in the text editor provided.
7. Click Save.
8. Under Select default signatures, choose your email account and assign your new signature to New messages and Replies/forwards as desired.
9. Close the Settings panel.

New Outlook syncs your signature settings to the cloud, so they persist if you sign in on another Windows device running New Outlook.

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How Do I Add a Signature in Outlook on the Web?

To add a signature in Outlook on the Web, go to Settings → Mail → Compose and reply, then create a new signature and save it. Here are the full steps:

1. Go to outlook.live.com or outlook.office.com and sign in.
2. Click the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner.
3. Click View all Outlook settings at the bottom of the quick settings panel.
4. Navigate to Mail → Compose and reply.
5. Under Email signature, click + New signature.
6. Enter a name for the signature.
7. Type and format your signature in the rich-text editor.
8. Under Select default signatures, assign the signature to New messages and/or Replies/forwards.
9. Click Save.

Changes take effect immediately. Your web signature is stored in your Microsoft account and does not automatically sync to Outlook Desktop — each platform has its own signature store.

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How to Set Up a Signature in Outlook Mobile (iOS & Android)

Microsoft Outlook’s mobile app supports simple text signatures. To set one up:

1. Open the Outlook app on your iPhone or Android device.
2. Tap the profile icon or the hamburger menu (three lines) at the top-left.
3. Tap the Settings gear at the bottom of the menu.
4. Scroll down and tap your email account name.
5. Tap Signature.
6. Delete the default “Get Outlook for iOS/Android” text and type your preferred signature.
7. Tap the back arrow or Save — the change saves automatically.

Note: Outlook Mobile signatures are plain text only. For HTML signatures with logos and formatted styling, use Outlook Desktop or the web version.

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Can I Have Different Signatures for New Emails and Replies?

Yes. Microsoft Outlook lets you assign separate signatures for new messages and for replies or forwards on every email account you have configured.

On Outlook Desktop (Classic)

In the Signatures and Stationery dialog (File → Options → Mail → Signatures…), use the two dropdowns under “Choose default signature”:

• New messages — shown when you compose a fresh email
• Replies/forwards — shown when you reply or forward

Set “Replies/forwards” to a shorter signature (name and phone only, no logo) to keep reply threads clean.

On New Outlook (2024) and Outlook on the Web

In the signature settings under Select default signatures, the same two dropdowns appear: New messages and Replies/forwards. Assign different signatures or set one to “(No signature)” for replies.

Best Practice

Keep your new-message signature comprehensive (name, title, company, phone, website, logo). Set your reply signature to a minimal version — just your name and direct line. This reduces clutter in long email threads while keeping your branding visible on first contact.

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How Do I Add a Logo or Image to My Outlook Signature?

You can embed a logo directly into your Outlook signature using the Insert Pictures Inline button. Here is how to do it on each platform:

On Outlook Desktop (Classic) and New Outlook (2024)

1. Open the signature editor (File → Options → Mail → Signatures or Settings → Accounts → Signatures).
2. Place your cursor in the signature editing area where you want the logo to appear.
3. Click the Insert Pictures Inline icon (looks like a small image/mountain icon) in the editor toolbar.
4. Browse to your logo file, select it, and click Insert.
5. Right-click the inserted image and select Picture… to set exact dimensions.

Logo Specifications

Setting	Recommendation
Width	150 px
Height	50 px
File format	PNG (transparent background)
File size	Under 50 KB
Color mode	RGB

A 150×50 px PNG keeps your logo sharp on high-DPI screens without bloating email file size. Avoid JPEG for logos — compression artifacts make text-in-logos look blurry.

On Outlook on the Web

The web signature editor includes an image upload button in its toolbar. Click the image icon, upload your PNG, and resize as needed. Note that some corporate Microsoft 365 environments restrict inline image uploads — contact your IT administrator if the option is grayed out.

Important: Inline vs. Linked Images

Always use Insert Pictures Inline (embedded image), not an image hosted on an external URL. Linked images often display as broken red X icons when recipients have image-loading blocked in their email client. An embedded image is part of the email itself and always renders correctly.

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Why Isn’t My Outlook Signature Showing Up?

If your Microsoft Outlook signature is not appearing in new emails or replies, use this troubleshooting table to diagnose the cause:

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Signature missing on all new emails	Default signature not assigned	Go to signature settings and set the “New messages” dropdown to your signature name
Signature missing only on replies	Reply signature not assigned	Set the “Replies/forwards” dropdown in signature settings
Signature disappeared after reinstall	Signatures not backed up	Signatures are stored locally in %AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures — restore from backup or recreate
Signature shows in draft but not sent email	Sending from wrong account	Check the From field — ensure it matches the account the signature is assigned to
Logo shows as red X / broken image	Image linked externally	Re-insert using Insert Pictures Inline so the image is embedded
Signature missing in Outlook Web	Separate signature store	Web signatures are independent — configure them at outlook.live.com or outlook.office.com separately
Signature not syncing to another PC	Signatures are local (Classic Outlook)	New Outlook 2024 syncs to cloud; Classic Outlook stores signatures locally per machine
Signature editor option is grayed out	Corporate IT policy	Contact your Microsoft 365 administrator to enable signature permissions

According to Microsoft’s official support documentation, signature files are stored in %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Signatures on Windows. Backing up this folder protects your signatures if you reinstall Outlook or switch computers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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