How to set up email signature in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail

How to set up email signature in any mail app takes about five minutes. The steps are different for each one, but the pattern never changes: open settings, find the signature section, build or paste your signature, choose when it is used, and save.

This guide shows how to set up email signature in Gmail, the three versions of Outlook and Apple Mail, then covers phones, images, and what to do when a whole team needs the same one. The Gmail and Outlook steps below follow Google’s and Microsoft’s own help pages, which we checked in October 2026 (Gmail, Outlook). App menus change, so if a label looks different on your screen, look for the nearest match.

How to set up email signature in Gmail

On a computer, using the Gmail website:

1. Open Gmail and click Settings (the cog at the top right), then See all settings.
2. On the General tab, scroll down to Signature.
3. Click Create new, give the signature a name, and type or paste it in the box. You can format text and add images with the toolbar.
4. Under Signature defaults, choose which signature is used for new emails and which for replies and forwards.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

Gmail allows up to 10,000 characters per signature, images included, and up to 10 different signatures. If you manage more than one address in the same account, a drop-down above the signature box lets you attach a different signature to each address. The full walkthrough, with pictures and fixes, is in how to add an email signature in Gmail.

How to set up email signature in Outlook

Outlook comes in three forms, and the steps differ.

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web

1. Click Settings (the cog), then Accounts, then Signatures.
2. If you have several accounts, pick the one you are editing.
3. Click Add signature and give it a name.
4. Type and format the signature in the editing box.
5. Tick the boxes to use it on new messages and on replies and forwards, as you prefer.
6. Click Save.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Open a new email, then on the Message tab choose Signature, then Signatures.
2. Pick your email account from the drop-down.
3. Under Select signature to edit, click New and name it.
4. Build the signature under Edit signature. You can use formatting, links and pictures.
5. Under Choose default signature, set what you want for new messages and for replies and forwards.
6. Click OK.

To add a signature by hand to a message that does not have one, go to the Insert tab (in the new Outlook) or the Message tab (in classic Outlook) and choose Signature. The longer Outlook guide covers images, resizing and the common problems.

How to set up email signature in Apple Mail

On a Mac:

1. Open Mail, then choose Mail, Settings from the menu bar and click the Signatures tab.
2. Pick your account on the left and click the + button to add a signature.
3. Type or paste your signature in the right-hand box.
4. To keep your formatting, untick the option that makes the signature match your default message font.
5. Close the window to save, and choose the signature in the drop-down for each account.

Apple Mail stores signatures per account, so repeat the steps if you use several. On an iPhone or iPad the Mail signature is set in the system Settings app, and it holds plain text in most versions, which is worth knowing before you build something with an image.

Other mail apps

Yahoo Mail, Zoho Mail, Thunderbird, Proton Mail and the rest all have a signature box in their settings, usually under a heading like Writing, Compose or Signature. The shape of the process is the same as above. If you build the signature in emailfooter, the app shows numbered steps for 16 mail apps, so you do not have to hunt for the setting.

How to set up email signature on your phone as well

A signature set up on a computer does not follow you to your phone. In the Gmail app, open the menu, tap Settings, choose your account and look for the mobile signature option. In the Outlook app, open settings and choose the signature option for the account. Apps differ on whether the mobile signature can hold anything but plain text, so a short version with your name, title and number is a sensible choice.

If you skip this, every email you send from your phone will go out without a signature, or with “Sent from my iPhone”, which is worse for most businesses.

Add a logo or photo without it breaking

Images are where setups fail. When you paste a picture into a signature box, some apps store it as an attachment that travels with each message. The recipient sees an extra file called something like image001.png, or a red cross where your logo should be.

The more reliable approach is to link an image that lives on a web address, so it loads when the message is opened. Keep the image small, and give it alt text so the company name still shows if the app blocks images. More on this is in the size guide. A finished signature with a hosted logo looks like this:

A signature with name, title, contact lines and a hosted logo. The company and person are made up.

Make it look the same for everyone in the company

Doing this by hand works for one person. For a team, the usual outcome is that every employee ends up with something a little different. The logo is a different size on each message. Some people have a title and some do not. Phone numbers are in several formats. Six months later nobody knows which address is current.

You have three options for fixing that:

1. Write the HTML once and email it to everyone to paste in. Quick, but updates mean another round of emails.
2. Use a central tool that writes signatures into every mailbox through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Automatic, but typically paid per person.
3. Use a shared design where the company sets the layout, logo and legal line, and each person fills in only their own details and installs it themselves.

emailfooter does the third. It is a free WordPress plugin: you design the signature once, invite your team, and each person gets steps for their own mail app. If you would like a version you do not host, emailfooter Managed is the same software run for you. For a fair look at the second approach, read our WiseStamp comparison.

Troubleshooting

The signature does not appear on replies. Check the defaults. In Gmail the setting is under Signature defaults, and in Outlook it is the replies and forwards tick box or drop-down.

The signature is on the wrong account. Gmail and Outlook both let you set a different signature per account. Check you are editing the right one.

The logo shows a red cross. The image was probably pasted rather than linked, or the app is blocking images. Use a hosted image and add alt text.

It looks different on my phone. The phone has its own signature setting. Set it there.

The formatting changed when I pasted. Paste from a web page or an email rather than from Word, which brings its own styles along, or use a tool that gives you ready-to-paste HTML.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to set up email signature in Gmail or Outlook?

A few minutes for text. A signature with a logo and a layout takes longer the first time because you are designing it.

Can I set up an email signature for all my employees at once?

Not from the mail app itself. You need either a central tool that writes to every mailbox, or a shared design where each person installs their own. See the section on making it the same for everyone.

Where do I find the signature settings?

In Gmail: Settings, See all settings, General, Signature. In new Outlook: Settings, Accounts, Signatures. In classic Outlook: a new message, then Message, Signature, Signatures. In Apple Mail: Mail, Settings, Signatures.

Do I need to know HTML?

No. You can type and format a signature in the settings box. HTML only matters if you want a precise layout, and a generator or a tool like emailfooter writes it for you.