How to Add or Change a Signature in Outlook, and Why It Sometimes Doesn’t Appear
You want your name and details on your emails without typing them each time, or the signature you set up has gone missing or out of date. Each Outlook keeps this setting in its own place, and a signature made in one may not show up in another.
In short: in new Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com, go to Settings > Accounts > Signatures, select Add signature, type it, tick the boxes for new messages and for replies and forwards, and select Save. In classic Outlook, open a new email and select Signature > Signatures. On a Mac, go to Outlook > Settings, then Signatures. In the iPhone or Android app, go to Settings, then Signature. To change a signature, go back to the same place and edit it. If it’s missing from replies, set the default for replies and forwards too, because that setting is separate.
Where the Outlook Signature Settings Are in Each Version
| Outlook | Create or change | Automatic on new messages and replies |
|---|---|---|
| New Outlook for Windows | Settings > Accounts > Signatures | Checkboxes on the signature |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | New email, Message > Signature > Signatures | New messages and Replies/forwards drop-downs |
| Outlook on the web and Outlook.com | Settings > Accounts > Signatures | Checkboxes on the signature |
| Outlook for Mac | Outlook > Settings, then Signatures under Mail | For new messages and For replies or forwards |
| Outlook for iOS and Android | Settings, then Signature under Mail | No separate reply setting described by Microsoft |
How to Add a Signature in New Outlook and Outlook on the Web
Microsoft’s signature article gives the same steps for new Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com.
- Select Settings (the gear), then Accounts > Signatures.
- In new Outlook, if you have more than one account, select the account.
- Select Add signature and give it a distinct name.
- Type your signature in the editing box and format it.
- Use the checkboxes at the bottom to apply it to new messages and to replies and forwards, or leave them blank to add it by hand.
- Select Save.
As of November 2026, Outlook on the web with a personal account showed Account rather than Accounts, with checkboxes reading Set default for new messages and Set default for replies and forwards. If these steps don’t match your screen in Windows, you may be on classic Outlook.
How to Add a Signature in Classic Outlook
- Open a new email. On the Message menu, select Signature > Signatures.
- In the E-mail account drop-down, choose the account.
- Under Select signature to edit, choose New and type a name.
- Write the signature under Edit signature. For bullets, tables or borders, build it in Word and paste it in.
- Under Choose default signature, pick a signature in New messages and in Replies/forwards, or leave (none).
- Select OK.
Classic Outlook doesn’t add the new signature to the email you opened in step 1. Add it to that one by hand.
How to Add a Signature in Outlook for Mac
From Microsoft’s Mac signature article:
- On the Outlook menu, select Settings. Under Mail, select Signatures.
- Select Untitled and rename the default signature, or add a new one and name it.
- Type the signature in the Signature editor and format it.
- Under Set default signature, select the account, then set For new messages and For replies or forwards.
- Close the Signatures window.
Legacy Outlook for Mac says Email instead of Mail, and Choose default signature instead of Set default signature. Microsoft gave October 2026 as the end of its support for most licenses.
How to Change a Signature in Outlook
- New Outlook, Outlook on the web, Outlook.com: go to Settings > Accounts > Signatures, select the Edit signature button next to the signature, make your changes, and select Save.
- Classic Outlook: go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures, select the signature, edit it, then select Save and OK.
- Mac: in Signatures, under Signature name, select the signature, select Edit, update it, and close the window.
- iPhone and Android: go to Settings, tap Signature under Mail, and edit the text.
How to Add a Logo, Image or Link to Your Signature
Classic Outlook:
- Open a new email, select Signature > Signatures, and choose the signature in Select signature to edit.
- Select the Image button, find your file, and select Insert.
- To resize it, right-click the image, choose Picture, and open the Size tab. Keep Lock aspect ratio ticked.
- Select OK twice.
For a link, use the mini formatting bar under Edit signature. Microsoft’s social icon article uses Insert > Hyperlink: enter the web address in the Address box and select OK.
Mac: in the Signature editor, select See more items (...) to add a photo, logo or picture. For a link, choose Link, type the Text to Display and Address, and select OK.
New Outlook, Outlook on the web, Outlook.com: in the signature editor, put the cursor where you want the image and choose Insert pictures, as Microsoft’s logo article calls it. Find your file and select Open, then drag a corner to resize it. As of November 2026, Outlook on the web with a personal account showed this as Pictures on the editor’s Insert tab, with Link beside it. Send yourself a test email to see the result.
Replies, More Than One Signature, and More Than One Account
- New messages and replies are separate settings everywhere except the phone app, so you can put a full signature on new mail and a shorter one on replies.
- More than one signature: new Outlook, classic Outlook, the web and Mac all let you save several. Name them clearly so you can pick from the list.
- More than one account: set up each one. In new Outlook, select the account first. In classic Outlook, use E-mail account. On a Mac, select it under Set default signature.
How to Add a Signature by Hand to One Email
- New Outlook: in the Insert group on the Message tab, select Signature and choose one.
- Classic Outlook, Outlook on the web, Outlook.com: on the Message tab, select Signature and choose one.
- Mac: click in the message body. On the ribbon, select Signature, which may be under See more items (...). If it’s missing, customize your toolbar to add it.
The Signature in the Outlook App (iPhone and Android)
- Open Settings. Under Mail, tap Signature.
- Type your signature, or turn on Per Account Signature and enter one for each account.
Microsoft’s page for the app gives no step for adding a picture, using a different signature on replies, saving several, or inserting one by hand. It also doesn’t say the app picks up a signature from another Outlook, so type it in the app. “Get Outlook for” plus your phone’s system is the app’s default signature, used until you set your own.
Why Your Outlook Signature Doesn’t Appear or Looks Wrong
- It’s missing on replies and forwards. That default is separate. In classic Outlook, Replies/forwards starts at (none).
- The image is gone. Plain text can’t show pictures inside a message, so check that email’s format. In new Outlook, switch one message from Options, and set the default under Message format in Settings > Mail > Compose and reply. In classic Outlook, use Format Text, and set the default under Compose messages in this format in File > Options > Mail.
- You’re sending from another account. Defaults belong to each account.
- You’re on another computer. In classic Outlook, Microsoft says default signatures follow the account to its other devices, while the rest stay under Signatures on this device where you made them.
- It’s in Outlook but not on the web, or the reverse. Microsoft says signatures roam in Outlook for Windows (build 2303 or later) on Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com mailboxes, and that for work accounts they are on by default on the web and in new Outlook, unless your admin turned them off. Its signature article also says that with a Microsoft account you need to create it in both. If yours didn’t follow you, create it again there.
- It didn’t carry over from classic to new Outlook. Signatures are on the list of imported settings, but only if General > Store my Outlook settings in the cloud is ticked in classic Outlook’s options, which requires restarting Outlook. To import again, go to Settings > Accounts > Your accounts, select Manage next to your top account, then Get Started. If it’s still missing, copy it across by hand.
- Images arrive as attachments. Microsoft says Vector Markup Language (VML) tags can cause this, and recommends the Image button steps above.
Company-Wide Signatures Set by IT
With a work or school account, your admin can add a signature to mail on the server, using a mail flow rule. Microsoft calls these disclaimers. You can’t change one from Outlook’s signature settings, so ask IT. That explains several odd results:
- It isn’t in Sent Items. Microsoft says you can’t see it there.
- It isn’t under your latest reply. The rule can’t place it there, and admins can limit it to a conversation’s first message.
- Colleagues don’t get it. A rule can apply only to recipients outside the organization.
- A line is missing. A line with a detail not filled in on your account, such as a phone number, is skipped.
- You have two signatures. The rule adds to what you sent, so turn your own off if they overlap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn’t my signature appear when I reply in Outlook?
Replies and forwards have their own default, separate from new messages. In classic Outlook, choose a signature under Replies/forwards in Signature > Signatures. In new Outlook and on the web, edit the signature in Settings > Accounts > Signatures and tick the box for replies and forwards.
How do I change my signature in Outlook?
In new Outlook and on the web, go to Settings > Accounts > Signatures, select the Edit signature button, and select Save. In classic Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures. On a Mac, go to Outlook > Settings, then Signatures under Mail, and select Edit.
Can I use a different signature for each email account?
Yes. New Outlook, classic Outlook and Outlook for Mac each let you choose the account the signature or default applies to, and you repeat the steps for each account. In the iPhone and Android app, turn on Per Account Signature.
Why is the logo missing from my Outlook signature?
One documented reason is plain text, which can’t show pictures inside a message, so check that the email is in HTML format. If the image arrives as an attachment instead, insert it again with classic Outlook’s Image button, which is what Microsoft recommends.
Can I add an image to my signature in the Outlook mobile app?
Microsoft’s page for the iPhone and Android app gives no step for it. It only describes typing a signature, either one for all accounts or one per account.
Why didn’t my signature move from classic Outlook to new Outlook?
The import only works if Store my Outlook settings in the cloud is ticked in classic Outlook’s options. Tick it and restart classic Outlook, then rerun the import from Settings > Accounts > Your accounts > Manage > Get Started in new Outlook. If it’s still missing, copy the signature across by hand.