How to Create a Signature in Outlook

Most times when you send an email, you want your name and contact info to be clearly visible. That is what a signature is for. You can set them up with nice looking font colors, all your information and job title, even images. Some people like to have images of themselves, a company logo, or of the different certifications they have. Think of a signature as like a footer that always attaches to the bottom of your email. It helps eliminate the need to type your name at the end of every email. You can have it include your closing text, like “Thank you for your business” as well. Really anything can be typed into a signature, and it will be automatically added to the end of your email. They can be plain or fancy. A single line, or a small paragraph with a favored quote. It is all up to you on what you want the world to see when you send an email. Below, we’ll cover how to set up a signature, and how to add it to Outlook or Outlook on the web.

The look of your email signature can give you a professional appearance and displays a respectful brand image. Having a well crafted email signature can help you sell valuable services, give info about new products, and get users to subscribe to a newsletter. You want to try to not overload your signature with too much information. A small pet peeve of mine is looking at other business’s email and seeing that they are changing their fonts, everything is in bold, and it has quotes or personal mantras in the signature. I do not know WHY you would need to include a picture in your email signature, but I would highly advise you to think about it long and hard first before you make that decision.

When creating an email signature there are many helpful programs out there that make the process simpler. Below you will find a list of some great email signature generators.

Handy Tips When creating your email signature

PLEASE use a custom domain name if you are a business.
Do not include your photo unless it helps you appeal to your audience.
Do not include 40 hyperlinks to different websites.
Keep the small text to a minimum
If you include your cellphone number be prepared to get calls.
Try not to include quotes.

How to Add a Signature in Outlook on the Web and Desktop

Outlook on the web:

Click the gear in the upper right of the screen
At the bottom of the pane, select “View all Outlook settings”
In Settings click mail in the left pane
Then click Compose and reply

Here you can create and manage your email signature. You will probably want to check the two boxes directly below the signature creation box. These will attach your signature to new emails as well as emails your forward. There are lots of tools at your disposal to change the font size as well as color. Weather you’re creating a personal or business signature, it’s a good idea to ensure the font and color selection are legible.

outlook on the web signature

Outlook for Desktop

In Outlook, click File in the upper left corner
Next click Options near the bottom left corner
In the left pane, click Mail
Next click Signatures

Here you can add and manage signatures. Outlook on the Desktop allows you to have multiple signatures and even select criteria for when one is used over the other. For instance, you can have one for new messages and one only for replies and forwarded messages. As with Outlook on the web, you have many tools at your disposal to create a signature that suits your needs and personal style.

outlook on the desktop signature