Outlook: Adding Email Signatures

Tags outlook OWA

Summary

This article covers general recommendations for email signatures with steps for how to add a signature in Outlook (Windows, Mac OS, Web), for faculty, staff, or students.  UNH Marketing has recommendations specifically for University of New Hampshire faculty, staff, and students at their Email Signatures SharePoint Online site.

 

General Recommendations 

Keep it Clean and Simple! 

The more links you include in your signature, the more likely it will be flagged as spam and possibly not delivered. 

  • If you include a logo, keep it small and directly embedded (not linked) in the signature
  • Do not include confidentiality statements -- they are nonbinding and ineffectual 
  • If you are going to include a link, don’t include more than one
  • Avoid social media links, especially images that are also hyperlinks
  • Avoid URL shortening services (Bitly, etc.) in signature. This will help insure your email is delivered and not sorted as spam or blocked all together
  • If available, use your campus's email signature template for a consistent campus image.  See Further Readings section below for links to campus email standards and templates where available.

 

Sample Signature Template - copy/paste and fill in your own specific information

Firstname Lastname
Your Title Here

Your Department Here
College/University Name Here
Street Address, City, NH, ZIP
603-XXX-XXXX
emailaddress@campus.edu
https://campus.edu/department

 

How-To

 

Task: Add a signature in Outlook (classic)

Instructions

Step 1 - Launch the Outlook desktop app on your Windows computer.

 

Open Signature Settings

Step 2 - Click File in the top-left corner.

Step 3 - Select Options from the left-hand menu.

Step 4 - In the Outlook Options window, click Mail in the left pane.

Step 5 - Click the Signatures... button on the right under the Compose messages section.

 

Create or Edit a Signature
In the Email Signatures window:
Step 6 - Click New to create a new signature and give it a name.

Step 7 - Use the editor to type and format your signature (fonts, colors, images, links, etc.).

Note: You can create multiple signatures if needed.

 

Set Signature Defaults

Step 8 - Under Choose default signature, select:

  • Your email account (if you have more than one).
  • The signature to use for New messages.
  • The signature to use for Replies/forwards (optional).

Step 9 - Click OK to save your signature.

Step 10 - Click OK again to close the Outlook Options window.

 

Outcome

Your signature will now be automatically added to emails based on your selected defaults. All your signatures will be available under the "Signature" option when composing messages.

Back to Top

 

Task: Add a signature in the New Outlook app on Mac or Windows

Instructions

Step 1 - Launch the New Outlook on your Windows or Mac device.

 

Open Signature Settings

Step 2 - Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner.

Step 3 - In the Settings pane, scroll down and click Mail > Compose and reply.

 

Create or Edit Your Signature

Step 4 - In the Email signature section, you’ll see a rich text editor.

Step 5 - Enter your signature text and format it as needed (fonts, colors, links, images, etc.).

Step 6 - Below the editor, choose your preferred Signature Defaults:

  • Automatically include my signature on new messages I compose
  • Automatically include my signature on messages I forward or reply to
    (Check or un-check based on your preference.)

Step 7 - Click Save at the bottom of the settings pane.

 

Outcome

Your signature will now be applied automatically based on your selected preferences. All your signatures will be available under the "Signature" option when composing messages.

Back to Top

 

Task: Add a signature in Outlook on the Web (OWA)

Instructions

Step 1 - Go to https://outlook.office.com  and sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.

 

Open Signature Settings

Step 2 - Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner.

Step 3 - In the search bar, type "email signature" and select Email signature from the dropdown.

 

Create or Edit Your Signature

Step 4 - In the Email signature settings panel, you’ll see a text editor where you can:

  • Type your signature.
  • Format text (bold, italic, font size, color, etc.).
  • Add images or links if needed.

Step 5 - Below the editor, check the boxes for When to Use the Signature:

  • Automatically include my signature on new messages I compose
  • Automatically include my signature on messages I forward or reply to
    (Optional, based on your preference)

Step 6 - Click Save at the bottom of the settings panel.

Note: View existing signatures by clicking the drop-down arrow in the signature name field.

 

Outcome

Your signature will now appear automatically based on the options you selected. All your signatures will be available under the "Signature" option when composing messages.

Back to Top

 

Further Readings

Outlook on the Web - https://outlook.office.com  

Outlook: Applying Sensitivity Labels

 

Campus-specific email signature templates and standards

UNH - Email Signature Template

 

Need additional help?

Submit an Email Services support request with as much detail as possible, or visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request.  For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.  

For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:

Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!

 

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