How to add an email signature in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail

You designed a great signature. Now it has to survive being pasted into an email app, which is where most signatures lose their formatting, their images or both. Here's how to add it properly in each of the big three.

Before you start: copy it the right way

Email apps keep formatting only when they receive it as "rich text", the same way it's copied from a web page. So:

1. Build your signature in the free email signature generator.
2. Click Copy signature. This copies the formatted version, not code.
3. Paste it with the normal paste shortcut (Cmd+V or Ctrl+V), not "paste as plain text".

If you need the raw code for a tool that asks for HTML, use Copy HTML instead.

How to add a signature in Gmail

1. Open Gmail on a computer and click the gear icon, then See all settings.
2. On the General tab, scroll down to Signature and click Create new.
3. Give it a name, then paste your signature into the box.
4. Under Signature defaults, choose it for new emails and for replies and forwards.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click Save changes.

Gmail allows up to 10,000 characters in a signature. Images must be hosted online, which the mktbox generator takes care of.

On the Gmail app: the phone app uses a separate, plain-text mobile signature. To keep your designed signature on mobile, turn the mobile signature off in the app's settings. Gmail then uses your desktop signature.

How to add a signature in Outlook

Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows

1. Click the gear icon for Settings.
2. Go to Mail (or Accounts), then Compose and reply (or Signatures).
3. Click New signature, give it a name and paste your signature.
4. Choose it as the default for new messages and replies, then Save.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Go to File, Options, Mail, then Signatures.
2. Click New, name it and paste your signature into the editor.
3. Pick it as the default for new messages and replies, then click OK.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook, then Settings, then Signatures.
2. Click +, name it, paste your signature and close the window to save.

Some versions of Outlook for Windows show only the first frame of an animated GIF. See how to add an animated GIF to your email signature.

How to add a signature in Apple Mail

1. Open Mail, then Settings, then the Signatures tab.
2. Choose your email account on the left and click +.
3. Untick "Always match my default message font". If you skip this, Apple Mail flattens your fonts and colours.
4. Paste your signature into the right-hand box.
5. Close the window. It saves automatically.

On iPhone and iPad: go to Settings, Apps, Mail, Signature. The iPhone signature box is plain text only, so designed signatures lose their formatting there. A trick that often works is to email the signature to yourself, then copy it from that email on your phone and paste it into the signature box.

Troubleshooting

Images show as broken icons. The images aren't hosted publicly. Use the upload option in the generator, which hosts them for you.

Formatting looks different for the recipient. You probably pasted plain text. Delete it and paste again using Copy signature.

The signature appears twice. Your app adds it to both new emails and replies, and you pasted it manually too. Check the signature defaults.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my email signature in Gmail?

Go to Settings, See all settings, then the Signature section on the General tab. Edit the signature or create a new one, then click Save changes at the bottom.

Why do my signature images not show up?

Email apps need images to be hosted at a public web address. Images pasted from your computer often only work for you. Upload them through a signature generator that hosts them.

Can I use the same signature in Gmail and Outlook?

Yes. Copy it once from the mktbox generator and paste it into each app. It's built with formatting that both keep.