How to set up an email signature in Outlook (desktop and web)

Outlook has separate signature editors for each version of the app, and the steps differ between Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web. Here is the exact path for each.

Outlook for Windows

1. Open Outlook and click File → Options → Mail.
2. Click the Signatures… button.
3. Click New, name your signature, and paste or type it in the editor box.
4. In the Choose default signature section, select your signature for New messages and Replies/forwards using the dropdowns.
5. Click OK twice to save.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook and go to Outlook → Preferences → Signatures.
2. Click the + button to create a new signature.
3. Type or paste your signature in the editor.
4. To set it as the default, select your account in the left panel and choose your signature from the dropdown.

Outlook on the web (OWA)

1. Click the Settings gear (top right) → View all Outlook settings.
2. Go to Mail → Compose and reply.
3. Under Email signature, type or paste your signature in the editor.
4. Check Automatically include my signature on new messages and optionally on replies.
5. Click Save.

Formatting tips for Outlook

• Font consistency: Outlook uses its own rendering engine. Use web-safe fonts (Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Times New Roman) for consistent display across all recipients.
• Images:Embed images as attachments or use hosted URLs. Outlook for Windows sometimes shows a red X for externally hosted images if the recipient's settings block them.
• Table layout:Side-by-side photo and text layouts in Outlook work best when built with HTML tables rather than flexbox or grid, since Outlook's rendering engine does not support modern CSS layout.
• Size: Keep the signature under 10 KB of HTML. Outlook imposes limits, and large signatures slow down email threads.

Keeping it consistent across devices

Outlook desktop and Outlook web do not share signature settings. If you set a signature in the desktop app, you need to set it separately in Outlook on the web. Tools that generate clean HTML make it easier to copy the same signature to both without reformatting.