Create and add an email signature in Outlook

Index

1. When to Use? 
2. Classic Outlook
3. New Outlook
4. Outlook on the Web

When to Use?

In Outlook, you can create one or more personalized signatures for your email messages. Your signature can include text, links, pictures, and images (such as your handwritten signature or a logo). Watch this video to see how current GVSU staff are using signatures in Outlook.

Classic Outlook

Create your signature and choose when Outlook adds a signature to your messages in classic Outlook for Windows

If you want to watch how it's done, watch the video.

1. Open a new email message.

2. On the Message menu, select Signature > Signatures.
   
   Depending on the size of your classic Outlook window and whether you are composing a new email message or a reply or forward, the Message menu and the Signature button might be in two different locations.
    

   

 

 

3. Under Select signature to edit, choose New, and in the New Signature dialog box, type a name for the signature.

4. Under Edit signature, compose your signature. You can change fonts, font colors, and sizes, as well as text alignment. If you want to create a more robust signature with bullets, tables, or borders, use Word to create and format your signature text, then copy and paste it into the Edit signature box. You can also use a pre-designed template to create your signature. Download the templates in Word, customize with your personal information, and then copy and paste into the Edit signature box. 

Notes: 

• You can add links and images to your email signature, change fonts and colors, and justify the text using the mini formatting bar under Edit signature.

• You can also add social media icons and links in your signature or customize one of our pre-designed templates. For more information, see Create a signature from a template.

• To add images to your signature, see Add a logo or image to your signature.

5. Under Choose default signature, set the following options. 

In the E-mail account drop-down box, choose an email account to associate with the signature. You can have different signatures for each email account.

You can have a signature automatically added to all new messages. Go to in the New messages drop-down box and select one of your signatures. If you do not want to automatically add a signature to new messages, choose (none). This option does not add a signature to any messages you reply to or forward. 

6. You can select to have your signature automatically appear in reply and forward messages. In the Replies/forwards drop-down, select one of your signatures. Otherwise, accept the default option of (none). 

 

7. Choose OK to save your new signature and return to your message. Classic Outlook does not add your new signature to the message you opened in Step 1, even if you chose to apply the signature to all new messages. You will have to add the signature manually to this one message. All future messages will have the signature added automatically. To add the signature manually, select Signature from the Message menu and then pick the signature you just created.

 

Add a logo or image to your signature in classic Outlook for Windows

If you have a company logo or an image to add to your signature, use the following steps:

1. Open a new message and then select Signature > Signatures.

2. In the Select signature to edit box, choose the signature you want to add a logo or image to.

3. Select the Image button, locate your image file, and select Insert.

4. To resize your image, right-click the image, then choose Picture. Select the Size tab and use the options to resize your image. To keep the image proportions, make sure to keep the Lock aspect ratio checkbox checked.

5. When you are done, select OK, then select OK again to save the changes to your signature.

 

Insert a signature manually in classic Outlook

If you do not choose to insert a signature for all new messages or replies and forwards, you can still insert a signature manually.

1. In your email message, on the Message tab, select Signature.

2. Choose your signature from the fly-out menu that appears. If you have more than one signature, you can select any of the signatures you have created.

New Outlook

Create and add an email signature in new Outlook

You can set up various signatures in new Outlook and then select the signature you want to use when composing a message. Watch the video.

1. Select Settings.

2. Select Accounts > Signatures.

3. If you have more than one account added to new Outlook, select the account you want to apply your email signature to.

4. Select +New signature, then give it a distinct name.

5. In the editing box below the new name, type your signature, then format it with the font, color, and styles to get the appearance you want.

6. Select Save when you are done.

7. With your new signature selected from the list above the editing box, go to Select default signatures and choose whether to apply the signature to new messages and to replies and forwards. Or leave it blank and add the signature you want when composing a message.

8. Select Save again.

 

Add a signature when composing a message in new Outlook

1. From Mail, select New mail.

2. In the Insert group on the Message tab, select Signature.

3. Choose one of your saved signatures to add to your message.
   
   If you want to create a new signature, select Signatures... from the dropdown. Follow the steps in the Create and add an email signature section to create and save a new signature.

Outlook on the Web

Create and add a signature to a message in Outlook on the web or Outlook.com

You can create an email signature in Outlook on the web or Outlook.com that you can then add to all outgoing messages or add manually to specific ones.

1. Select Settings at the top of the page.

2. Select Account > Signatures.

3. Under Email signature, type your signature and use the available formatting options to change its appearance.

4. Select the default signature for new messages and replies.

5. Select Save when you are done.

 

Manually add your signature to a new message in Outlook on the web or Outlook.com

If you have created a signature in Outlook on the web but did not choose to automatically add it to all outgoing messages, you can add it later when you compose an email message.

1. In a new message or reply, type your message.

2. On the Message tab, select Signature.

3. If you created multiple signatures, choose the signature you want to use for your new message or reply.

4. When your email message is ready, choose Send.