How to add a signature in classic Outlook for Windows

How to add signature in classic Outlook: open a new email, choose Signature and then Signatures on the Message menu, create a new signature, write it, and set the two default drop-downs before you click OK. Classic Outlook will not put the new signature on the message you opened to get there, which catches many people out. These steps follow Microsoft’s Outlook signature help page, read in October 2026.

Which Outlook this guide covers

Classic Outlook is the desktop program with a ribbon and a File tab. The newer app with a cog for Settings is covered in our new Outlook guide. Microsoft’s page lists Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024 and Outlook 2021 in its “applies to” line. Outlook 2019 is not on that list, so if you came here for an Outlook 2019 signature, the menu names below are the ones Microsoft documents for classic Outlook, and you should expect them to match but check against your own screen.

How to add signature in classic Outlook: the full steps

1. Open a new email message.
2. On the Message menu, select Signature, then Signatures.
3. In the E-mail account drop-down, choose the account to link the signature to. Each account can have its own signatures.
4. Under Select signature to edit, choose New. In the New Signature box, type a name.
5. Under Edit signature, compose the signature. You can change fonts, colours, sizes and text alignment.
6. Under Choose default signature, set when it is added (see the next section).
7. Choose OK.

Microsoft’s page points out that the mini formatting bar under Edit signature lets you add links and images, change fonts and colours, and justify the text.

The two default drop-downs, and the gotcha

Under Choose default signature there are two separate lists:

• New messages: pick a signature to add to every new email. Choose (none) if you do not want one added automatically.
• Replies/forwards: pick a signature for replies and forwards. The default is (none).

They are independent. The page says that choosing (none) for new messages does not add a signature to messages you reply to or forward. So a person who sets only the first list has a signature on new emails and nothing on replies, which is usually not the intent. Set both, even if you choose the same signature twice.

Now the gotcha. Microsoft says classic Outlook does not add your new signature to the message you opened in step 1, even if you chose to apply it to all new messages. Add it to that one by hand: on the Message tab, select Signature and pick it from the fly-out. Every message after that will have it automatically. If you see a blank email and conclude the setup failed, this is why.

How to add signature in classic Outlook by hand, one email at a time

If you left the defaults at (none), or want a different signature on one email, select Signature on the Message tab and choose from the fly-out menu. With more than one saved signature, any of them is available.

How to add signature in classic Outlook, then change it later

Select File, then Options, then Mail, then Signatures. Select the signature to edit, change it in the Edit signature box, then select Save and OK.

How to add signature in classic Outlook with a logo or image

1. Open a new message, then select Signature, then Signatures.
2. Under Select signature to edit, choose the signature that needs a logo.
3. Select the Image button, find the file and select Insert.
4. To resize, right-click the picture and choose Picture. On the Size tab, use the options, and leave Lock aspect ratio ticked so the logo does not stretch.
5. Select OK, then OK again to save.

One warning from the same page deserves attention. Using Vector Markup Language (VML) tags in a signature can cause some elements to appear as attachments instead of inline images. Microsoft recommends the steps above for inserting pictures. If a logo arrives as a separate file called something like image001.png, this is the first thing to suspect. Our guide on email signature images that show as attachments covers it from the reader’s side.

Where classic signatures live

Microsoft’s page says that signatures in classic Outlook are stored locally on the device where they were created, and may not be available when you use Outlook on another device. It does not give the name of the folder, and we are not going to guess one. What follows from the statement is practical: a new laptop starts with none of your signatures. Our guide to moving a signature to a new computer deals with that, and the page itself suggests managing a signature through your Microsoft account where available.

Building the signature outside Outlook

Once you know how to add signature in classic Outlook, you will notice the editor is basic, so a polished layout usually starts outside it. Microsoft’s page suggests that if you want bullets, tables or borders, you create and format the text in Word, then copy it into the Edit signature box. It also offers pre-designed templates you download in Word, personalise, and paste in.

That works for one person. The difficulty is repeating it across a company, because every person ends up with slightly different spacing and a logo of a different size. A drawn example shows a table-based layout, which is how emailfooter builds every signature:

Executive layout, name first. The firm and person are made up.

With emailfooter the company fixes this layout, and each employee adds their own details and gets steps for classic Outlook. It does not install anything into their mailbox, so they still do the paste themselves. If you want to paste finished markup instead of typing into the box, see adding an HTML signature to Outlook.

How to add signature in classic Outlook: checks when it does not appear

• Wrong account. The E-mail account drop-down is per account. A message sent from your second mailbox needs its own defaults.
• Defaults left at (none). Reopen the Signatures window and look at both lists.
• It is the message you opened. The first email after setup stays bare, as above.
• Plain text. Microsoft’s message format page says plain text does not support pictures inside the message. In classic Outlook, choose Format Text, then HTML. The default is under File, Options, Mail, Compose messages in this format.

If the steps for how to add signature in classic Outlook still do not work, the long list, including add-ins, is in our guide to Outlook signatures that are not showing.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a signature in classic Outlook?

Open a new email, select Message, Signature, Signatures, choose New, write the signature and set the defaults. Then select OK.

How to add signature in classic Outlook for every email, including replies?

Set both New messages and Replies/forwards under Choose default signature. They are separate lists.

How to add signature in classic Outlook to the email I am typing?

Classic Outlook does not add a new signature to the message that was open when you created it. Insert it by hand once; later messages get it automatically.

Can I use the same signature on two computers?

Not automatically. Microsoft says classic signatures are stored locally on the device where they were created.

How to add signature in classic Outlook with a logo?

Use the Image button in the Signatures window, resize with the Picture options and keep Lock aspect ratio ticked.