A professional email signature takes minutes to set up and makes every email you send look polished. Outlook lets you create multiple signatures and automatically apply them to new emails and replies separately. Here is how to set one up across every version of Outlook.
Create a Signature in Outlook Desktop (Microsoft 365)
- Open Outlook and click File → Options
- Click Mail in the left sidebar
- Click Signatures
- Click New and give your signature a name (e.g. “Main” or your name)
- Type and format your signature in the editor box — you can change fonts, add colour, and insert images
- Under Choose default signature, set which signature appears automatically on new emails and on replies/forwards
- Click OK to save
What to Include in a Professional Email Signature
Keep it focused. The most effective signatures include:
- Your full name
- Job title and company name
- Phone number (direct or mobile)
- Company website
- Optional: LinkedIn profile link, company logo
Avoid: long legal disclaimers (put these at the very bottom in small text if required), multiple social media icons, large images that block on mobile, or quotes. Less is more — a clean, readable signature reflects better on you than a cluttered one.
Adding a Logo or Image to Your Signature
In the signature editor, click the image icon in the toolbar (looks like a small picture frame). Browse to your logo file — PNG with a transparent background works best. Resize it within the editor by clicking and dragging the corner handles. Aim for a logo no taller than 60–80 pixels to keep it proportionate alongside text.
Note: some email clients block images by default, so your signature should still make sense if the logo doesn’t load. Always include your company name as text even if you also have a logo.
Create a Signature in Outlook on the Web
- Go to outlook.office.com and sign in
- Click the Settings cog (top right)
- Click View all Outlook settings
- Go to Mail → Compose and reply
- Scroll to the Email signature section
- Type and format your signature
- Set whether to automatically include it on new messages and replies
- Click Save
Create a Signature in Outlook for Mac
- Open Outlook and go to Outlook → Preferences → Signatures
- Click the + button to add a new signature
- Name it and type your content in the right-hand panel
- Close the Signatures window — it saves automatically
- To set a default, go to the account dropdown and assign your signature
Setting Different Signatures for Different Email Accounts
If you manage multiple email accounts in Outlook, you can assign a different signature to each one. In the Signatures settings (desktop), use the E-mail account dropdown under “Choose default signature” to select each account and assign its own signature.
Manually Inserting a Signature
If you don’t want a signature added automatically to every email, set the default to “(none)” and insert it manually when needed: in a new email, go to Insert → Signature and choose from your saved signatures.
