Add your professional email signature to Outlook in 8 simple steps. Works with desktop, web, and Microsoft 365.
You'll need a copied signature before following these steps
Follow along — it only takes about 2 minutes.
Open Outlook on your desktop or navigate to outlook.com in your browser and sign in to your Microsoft account. Both versions support rich HTML signatures.
You should see: open outlook
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner, then click "View all Outlook settings" at the bottom of the panel. In the desktop app, go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures.
Look for: Settings
In the Settings window, select "Mail" in the left sidebar, then click "Compose and reply." This is where Outlook manages all signature settings.
Look for: "Compose and reply"
Under the "Email signature" section, click "+ New signature." A text field will appear asking you to name your signature — type something like "Work" or "Professional".
Look for: Create a new signature
Enter a descriptive name for your signature in the name field. This helps you identify it later, especially if you create multiple signatures for different purposes.
You should see: name your signature
Click inside the signature editor area, then paste your copied signature using Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac). Your formatted signature with styling, images, and links will appear.
You should see: paste your signature in the editor
Below the editor, use the "For new messages" and "For replies/forwards" dropdowns to select your newly created signature. Choose the same signature for both to use it everywhere.
You should see: set as default for new messages and replies
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the settings page. Your signature is now active. Compose a new email or reply to an existing one to verify it appears correctly.
You should see: click "save"
Outlook desktop and Outlook web maintain separate signature settings. If you use both, you'll need to set up your signature in each one independently.
For best results, use signatures with externally hosted images (URLs starting with https://). Embedded images can sometimes be stripped by Outlook's security filters.
The new Outlook for Windows app uses the same settings as Outlook web. Click the gear icon, then navigate to Mail > Compose and reply to find signature settings.
The Outlook mobile app supports only plain text signatures. For the best experience, set up your HTML signature on desktop or web where it renders with full formatting.
Create a professional email signature in under 60 seconds with our free editor. No account required.