How to Change Your Email Signature in Outlook

An email signature can often make or break your professional identity. After all, if it’s nonexistent, people won’t know much about you beyond your name. If you have an email signature that bogs down the message or is almost a novel, you might want to pare it down a bit. Fortunately, with today’s many email providers, setting and changing an email signature is a fairly simple task. 

A lot of businesses today use Outlook, so we want to make sure that you can use it in the best ways, including making the right impression with your email signature. Having a good signature when you send emails will allow you to appear professional, give contacts information, and more. 

Imagine if you didn’t have a signature (or perhaps if you don’t have one right now). You’re left to sign off on every email and you will be responsible for making sure that you cover all the information that people need to know. Changing that signature can help you keep things updated and fresh. Here’s what you need to know. 

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How to change your signature in Outlook

If you're specifically interested in learning how to manage corporate email signatures through Outlook, check out Newoldstamp's article, How to Set up and Manage Company-Wide Email Signatures in Outlook. Keep in mind the following instructions are for changing your individual signature.

These instructions are for the desktop client specifically. If you want to change your Outlook signature in the mobile apps, the process might be slightly different. We’ll go over that, also, though. 

Typically, with a platform like Outlook, it’s best to change and create signatures from the desktop application. Thanks to Microsoft’s design, it’s easier than ever (and pretty familiar) to find the signature option so that you can create or change yours. As with many Microsoft products, it all starts by going to the File menu. From there, you’ll click “Options” and find the tab for Mail on the navigation pane to the left. Then click on signatures to add and modify your signatures. 

If you’re using macOS, you can go to Outlook > Preferences > Signatures, and then follow the same steps below. 

If you’re creating a new signature, you’ll need to click the “New” option. Create a name that you will remember for the signature such as “Office signature” or “Social signature” so that you know what to use it for and can organize it if you create more than one signature. 

The option to create a new signature opens up a simple editor that allows you to create the perfect signature. You can choose:

• Size 
• Styles and fonts
• Colors
• Links
• And even photos!

Thus, if your email signature needs a good headshot, Outlook has you covered. In today’s remote world the fact that everything is instantly connected is great. However, it often leads some people to feel like they’re getting an impersonal connection.

Outlook gives you the option to apply the signature to new messages or replies, or all of your emails. Then, you can simply select “OK” and the saving will be done. 

Editing your signature or making changes

Of course, the process of making changes is fairly similar to creating a signature in the first place. You can use the instructions above to navigate back to the options menu, or you can even change the signature right in your email messages. Just click Messages on the menu and in the Include section, you’ll see a listing for signatures. Click that. Then, you’ll be able to make all the changes you want from the message itself. 

Outlook mobile signatures

If you’re using Outlook for Mobile, you will not have as much editing flexibility, but you still can create and save signatures on the go. Simply find the home icon on your app and then:

1. Tap the gear icon, which opens the settings menu.
2. Then, you’ll find the mail section, and under there you will see a link to your signature.
3. If you'd like to create a different signature for each account, toggle on the "Per Account Signature" option.
4. Create your text-based signature(s) here.

Outlook for mobile doesn’t allow you to add links or photos, customize the text and fonts, or any other features. It just lets you generate a text-based signature so that you don’t have to sign your emails every time you create one. 

(We suggest sticking with the desktop client to create dynamic signatures—then you can swap them out on the go)

The benefits of having a signature 

Email signatures have a lot of perks. For starters, they can be automatically generated so that you never actually have to sign off on an email again. Plus, it gives people a chance to get to know you and see all that you have to offer. 

• Signatures make companies and individuals look more professional
• It’s another space for free marketing for your business
• You will never have to type in all the info again
• You can add links and images to create a dynamic piece of marketing, not just a “signature”

Outlook makes it easy to create and edit dynamic signatures that are sure to get people’s attention. If you’re looking for a great way to make a lasting impression, this could be just what you need. Remember to stick with the desktop app for the most convenience and options. 

Speaking of options… 

If you’re busy sending emails and reaching out to clients, who’s answering the phones and fielding all those new leads? When you partner with the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai, we’ll handle every detail, delivering a 24/7 answering service solution along with support for live website chat, appointment scheduling, lead intake, and so much more. 

While you’re busy handling business, we can handle all the details, no matter how big or small they might be. Plus, our experienced team can even help with things like outreach campaigns and outbound sales so that you don’t have to manage the marketing in the first place. Whatever you need, we’ve got you covered. When that perfect email signature starts hitting just right, we’ll be there to answer the calls. 

If you want to learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do for your business. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.