An email signature not showing has one of nine causes, and a short run of questions will find yours in a few minutes. Start by saying what you actually see: nothing at all, nothing on replies, nothing on the phone, text but no pictures, or extra text you never wrote. The facts here come from Google’s Gmail signature page, Microsoft’s Outlook signature page and Microsoft’s page on message formats, read in October 2026. This page works for any app. If you use Gmail or Outlook only, jump to the Gmail version or the Outlook version.
Email signature not showing: match the symptom
- Nothing anywhere: it was never saved, or it is not set as the default.
- Missing on replies only: the reply default is a separate setting.
- Missing on one address or account: each account keeps its own.
- Text appears, pictures do not: the reader’s app blocks remote images, or the picture is broken.
- Fine on laptop, gone on phone: the phone app has its own signature.
- Text is there but unstyled: the message is in plain text.
Symptom to cause: the email signature not showing table
| What you see | Likely cause | Where the vendor says so | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| No signature on any message | Not saved, or defaults set to none | Google: finish with Save Changes. Microsoft: set defaults in the signature editor | Re-save, set the defaults |
| Signature on new mail, not on replies | Separate default for replies | Google and Microsoft both list new and reply defaults | Signature on replies |
| Works from one address, not another | Per-address or per-account signature | Google: pick the address above the signature box. Microsoft: choose the account first | Edit the one you send from |
| Only plain words, no logo | Pictures blocked by the reader | Microsoft and Google image help pages | Allow images, add alt text |
| Plain letters, no bold or links | Message composed in plain text | Microsoft’s format page | Switch the message to HTML |
| Not on the phone | Phone app uses its own setting | Google and Microsoft mobile steps | Mobile signature table |
| Looks missing in a sent message | Hidden behind a trimmed link | Google troubleshooting page | Click Show trimmed content |
| Different signature than expected | Admin footer or another device | Google and Microsoft admin pages | Ask the admin |
Email signature not showing: nine questions, in order
Answer each in turn. Stop at the first yes, apply the fix, then send yourself a test before moving on. Each step is a cheap check that removes one cause.
1. Saved? The email signature not showing at all
Open the signature editor in your app and look at what is stored. If the box is empty or has old text, redo the edit and save. Google’s steps for Gmail end with Save Changes. In new Outlook, Microsoft’s step is Save, and in classic Outlook it is OK. Closing the window without that last click is the most common reason an email signature is not showing.
2. Is it set as the default for new messages?
Check this first for new mail. Both Google and Microsoft let you pick a signature for new messages. Leave that choice blank and you must insert the signature by hand each time: Insert signature in Gmail, the Signature command on the Message tab in Outlook.
3. Is it set as the default for replies and forwards?
This is separate. Google describes a default for new emails and one for replies. Microsoft describes one for new messages and another for replies and forwards. If the signature shows on a new message but not a reply, this is your fix. An email signature not showing on replies alone points here. The replies guide covers the settings in more detail.
4. Are you sending from the account that owns it?
Gmail users with several addresses pick the address in the drop-down above the signature box. Outlook for Mac says you must set the default signature separately for each account. Apple Mail also ties signatures to accounts. Look at the From line of the message that came out wrong.
5. Plain text and an email signature not showing formatting
Microsoft’s format page says plain text does not support bold, italic, coloured fonts or other formatting, and that pictures cannot be shown in the message. Zoho’s signature help adds that images and hyperlinks are not displayed when you compose in plain text. Gmail’s troubleshooting page says that if Plain Text appears above the signature box, you must turn off plain text mode in the compose options.
To change a single message in new Outlook, choose Options, Switch to plain text (or back). In classic Outlook, use the Format Text tab. For the default, new Outlook uses Settings, Mail, Compose and reply, Message format, and classic Outlook uses File, Options, Mail, Compose messages in this format. More on the trade-offs in the plain text signature guide.
6. A sent message with the email signature not showing: is it hidden?
Google’s page says signatures are separated from the body by two dashes, and that you may need to click Show trimmed content to see one. Apple Mail has a Place signature above quoted text option, so the signature may sit lower than you expect on a reply.
7. The phone, and an email signature not showing there
Phone apps keep their own settings. Gmail on Android has Mobile signature, and on iPhone it is under Signature settings. If nothing is set there, Google says new messages use your computer signature. Outlook for iOS and Android uses Settings, then Signature under Mail, with an optional Per Account Signature. Microsoft also says classic Outlook signatures are stored on the device where they were made, so a new laptop starts empty.
8. Pictures: an email signature not showing images
When the text shows and the pictures do not, the reader’s app may have blocked them. Microsoft’s page on automatic picture downloads in classic Outlook says Outlook blocks them by default and shows a bar offering Download Pictures. Google’s images help says Gmail shows images by default, but not for senders it thinks are suspicious. The cure is usually on the reader’s side, so make sure your name and number are real text. See the attachment-and-picture guide if the picture is arriving as a file instead.
9. Is an admin rule or another app involved?
Google says an admin footer is not seen while writing and cannot be removed by users. Microsoft says Exchange admins can append disclaimers with mail flow rules. If text appears that you did not type, or your own signature seems overridden, ask whoever manages your mail.
Email signature not showing after it used to work
An email signature not showing after months of working fine points to a change, not bad luck. Ask what changed.
- A new computer or a reinstalled app, since classic Outlook signatures live on the device (per Microsoft).
- A new account added, which has its own defaults.
- An app update that reset the message format.
- A new admin rule.
Rebuild from your saved copy and re-check the defaults. Keep the finished signature as a file or page somewhere outside your mail app, so you can paste it back in.
Test every fix properly
- Change one setting at a time.
- Send a test to your own address and read it on a phone.
- Send another to a second provider, such as a free webmail account, to see what an outside reader sees.
- Reply to the test, because replies use different defaults.
A signature that survives blocked pictures keeps the essentials as real text. In this example, drawn by emailfooter’s engine, the name, title, phone and email would still be readable if the logo were blocked.
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Example only. The company and person are made up.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is my email signature not showing on replies?
Reply defaults are separate from new-message defaults in both Gmail and Outlook. Set the signature for replies and forwards as well.
Why is my email signature not showing on my phone?
The phone app keeps its own signature, and may be set to none. Gmail uses your computer signature if the app has none, according to Google.
Why did my email signature disappear?
Look for a new device, a new account, a message format change or a new admin rule. Classic Outlook stores signatures on the device where they were made.
Why do recipients see my words but not my logo?
Their app probably blocks remote pictures until they allow them. Add alt text so a blocked logo still names your company.
Keep reading
- Gmail signature not showing? Eight causes and the fix for each: Gmail signature not showing? Work through eight causes in order, from unsaved changes and defaults to the phone app and broken images, with the fix for each.
- Outlook signature not showing? Causes and fixes for each version: Outlook signature not showing or disappeared? Match your symptom to the cause in a diagnostic table, with fixes for new, classic, web and Mac Outlook.
- Email signature on replies: use a short one for replies and a full one for new emails: Set an email signature on replies in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and Zoho, with the exact settings each help page names and a short reply version to copy.
- Email signature image showing as attachment? How pictures travel and how to stop it: Email signature image showing as attachment or with a paperclip? Learn embedded versus linked pictures, the Outlook VML and format causes, and the fix per app.
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