Direct link to a hosted image in email signatures

Written by Kamil

Published on Jan 23, 2024
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Direct link to a hosted image in email signatures

Direct link to a hosted image in email signatures

[Update]: There have been important changes to how Google Drive handles direct links. See what’s this all about.

You might wonder how direct image links or direct URLs are related to email signatures. If you can use an embedded image, you do not have to worry about any links. However, linked images have some upsides: for example, they don’t increase the email size. What is more, there are situations in which linked images are the only available option. To add a linked image, you need a direct URL to it.

How to get a direct image link

Mind that it is always better to host images for email signatures on your own servers. If you do not own a server, or even a WordPress based website, your best bet is to use an image hosting service. The article below presents how to get a direct link in some popular image and file hosting services. As you will see, it requires more than just right-clicking the image and choosing copy image address. Click the name of an image hosting service below to learn how to get a direct image URL:

Mind that all specified methods work at the moment of writing this article, but there is no guarantee the procedure will not change in the future.

How to get a direct image URL in OneDrive

Getting the direct link from OneDrive is quick, does not require using any developer tools or URL hocus-pocus. However, it doesn’t work in OneDrive for Business. In other words, you won’t be able to use images from your company’s SharePoint or OneDrive. A personal OneDrive works all right, though:

  1. First, use any method to upload the image to OneDrive:
    Direct image link in OneDrive 01
  2. Once the image is uploaded to your OneDrive, right-click it, and choose Embed from the menu. In the menu which appears on the right side, click Generate.
    Direct image link in OneDrive 02
  3. This generates a direct link.
    Direct image link in OneDrive 03
  4. Before you use this link, delete its attributes (the question mark and the part to the right) as some email clients are picky about displaying images with those attributes included.

How to get a direct image link in Dropbox

Getting a direct link in Dropbox also requires a simple trick.

  1. Like with other image hosting services, start with uploading your image. Drag & drop your image or click Upload > Files and choose the image from your hard drive.
    Direct image link in Dropbox 1
  2. Once you upload the image, hover the mouse over it and click the Share button appearing next to the picture.
    Direct image link in Dropbox 2
  3. In the newly opened window, click Create and copy link. The link gets copied to your clipboard. Paste it into any text editor (or into the address bar).
    Direct image link in Dropbox 06-2
  4. The last thing you need to do is to change dropbox.com to dl.dropboxusercontent.com or dl=0 to raw=1 and visit the new URL. Either method will result in a direct image link.
    Direct image link in Dropbox 08-1An example of the correct format of a direct URL:
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/1gxdgxvj49zajft/admins%20blog.png

How to get a direct picture URL in Imgur

In comparison with other image hosting services, getting a direct URL is a child’s play.

  1. Start with uploading the image you want to host. Like in other services, you can either drag & drop, or use the Browse button.
    Direct image link in Imgur 01-3
  2. Next, click the uploaded image.
    Direct image link in Imgur 02
  3. And finally, copy the direct URL from the Direct Link field on the right. No tricks or other steps are required.
    Direct image link in Imgur 3

How to get a direct URL to an image in Flickr

In Flickr, direct image links are visible without any elaborate tricks.

  1. After you upload or find the picture you want to use, click Share Photo.
    How to get a direct URL in Flickr
  2. In the sharing window, go to Embed and copy the code from the box below. The direct link is the part between quotation marks, right after src=.
    How to get a direct URL in Flickr

How to get a direct image link in Google Drive

If you are using Google Drive links in email signatures, you need to stop. Google has prevented hotlinking of those images in any external domain. So, to put it in simple terms:

  • Google Drive-hosted images will not appear in the signature generator.
  • Images hosted on Google Drive will not appear in any web-based email clients.
  • Even though the images won’t appear in the signature generator, they might appear, for example, in Outlook. Don’t do this, though, because:
  • Google Drive-hosted images can trigger anti-spam solutions, sending your emails to junk.

You have been warned. Don’t use those images for email signatures, use any other hosting service we list above, instead. The instructions below show how to get a direct image URL from Google Drive if you need it for anything other than email signatures. Remember that with the hotlinking blocked, the possible use scenarios will be severely limited.

Google Drive has been the most complicated hosting ever if you wanted to use its images in email signatures. This didn’t stop people from using it – it’s been the most popular image hosting service despite the difficulties it came with. Google Drive is great for sharing files with others, but we wouldn’t use it for direct links anymore. If you understand the risks but still want to go with it, here’s how to upload images to Google Drive and get their direct URLs:

  1. First, let’s add an image. Either drag & drop your image (and skip to Step 3), or click New > File upload.
Google Drive - upload a new image
  1. Now choose the image you want to host in Google Drive.
  1. Now, you can access your photo. Select it, click the three dots and go to Share > Share to display file sharing options.
Google Drive - access image sharing options
  1. If you want your online image to work right (display for everyone, that is), you need to ensure the Viewer role and the Anyone on the Internet with the link can view access option are selected. Before you copy the link, go to the advance settings by clicking the cogwheel:
Google Drive the right image sharing settings
  1. In the advanced sharing options, make sure both settings are checked.
Viewers ad commenters can see the option to download, print and copy
  1. Back in the Share image window or in Google Drive folder view, click Copy link.
Google Drive - copy link

Note: Mind that in this step you are not getting a direct link yet, it is a shareable link. A shareable link cannot be used as a source in email signatures. As a reminder, at the moment of writing, no Google Drive link seems to be valid for this purpose.

  1. Now, copy the shareable link by selecting Copy link and paste it into any text editor. You will see a link similar to this one:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=1evNxiyU9A5yB8LYnUVsOq3--Y6hc4JJq
    or
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1evNxiyU9A5yB8LYnUVsOq3--Y6hc4JJq/view?usp=share_link

    The series of letters and numbers in bold is the image id (*img_id*) of this particular graphic file. You need to copy and paste it into the following URL format
    https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=*img_id*
    Simply replace the whole *img_id* part with your id (in this example, it is 1evNxiyU9A5yB8LYnUVsOq3--Y6hc4JJq). This way, you get the proper direct URL ready to use in your signature. For example:
    https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1evNxiyU9A5yB8LYnUVsOq3--Y6hc4JJq

How to use the direct image link in an email signature

Getting your graphics online is the first step. The next one is to use those files in practice. Below, you can see how to use them to create your own, professional email signature using direct image links.

  1. Once you upload your image and get the direct URL, go to our free email signature generator and choose the signature template that suits your needs best. You can use the < & > buttons to see more templates or you can also scroll through all the available signatures in our signature template gallery.
    Free email signature generator - choose template
  2. Next, fill in your data and go to the Graphics section. Replace Logo URL and Banner URL fields with the right direct links you have acquired before. The Logo/Banner linking to fields specify which website will open when the logo or banner is clicked in the email signature. Leaving those fields empty will not add any hyperlinks.
    Free email signature generator - insert graphics
  3. On the right side, you can see the signature preview. When you finish making changes and the signature looks well, click apply your signature and follow the instructions specified for your email client.
    Free email signature generator - preview

A few good tips

Finally, here are some tips for using images in email signatures

  • For best results, use images of the same shape as the sample logo or banner. Using a rectangular logo when the sample logo is square will usually result in deformed graphics.
  • Mind the recommended width and height values. It is best to use exactly the same dimensions, or their multiplied values. This way, when a picture is resized, it shouldn’t become blurry.
  • After you apply the signature, send a test email to yourself. If you are using image hosting services, links might break or change. It is possible for a picture to show up in the signature preview and disappear after applying the signature.

Useful links:

164 thoughts on “Direct link to a hosted image in email signatures”

    1. Tomek Stempniewicz

      As explained in our last article update, Google has prevented hotlinking images hosted on Google Drive, so they will not appear in the signature generator nor in web-based email clients. Even if visible in desktop Outlook, such images can trigger anti-spam solutions so you might end up with your emails categorized as spam. We strongly recommend using any other hosting service we list in our article.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi,
      A link like this can be found by using the browsers’ inspector to find the source address of the image (looking for “img ” in the code should do the trick). Normally, right-click + copy image address would be enough, but Google images have this option blocked.
      For example, for this photo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1evNxiyU9A5yB8LYnUVsOq3--Y6hc4JJq/view
      The src URL right now is as follows: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AKGpihaieIddZyhEyQsYMC2lfmFnP7rj4jdA45_JVvau5NZUFJjWwwd_pTjzfw-QREoiA3H2R_Wx0ofsHfGncTvehCbnNzv_FWePu1c=w1920-h953
      From my experience, however, this is a temporary URL, so if you use it in email signatures or on a website, it will stop working pretty soon.
      So my advice would be to use another hosting, for your own good. It’s easier and works better, trust me.

      Reply ↓
    1. Tomek Stempniewicz

      Hi Andre,
      As mentioned in our recent article update, Google has prevented hotlinking Google Drive-hosted images in any external domain. This means that the images will not appear in the signature generator nor in any web-based email client. They might appear e.g. in the desktop Outlook, but they can trigger anti-spam solutions which will send your emails to the spam/junk folder. Therefore, we strongly advise against using those images for email signatures. Use any other hosting service we list in our article instead.

      Reply ↓
    1. Jacek Szafran

      Hi Lara,
      if you are referring to social media icons in our signature templates, there’s no such option to do this in the current version of the email signature generator. However, you can replace social buttons manually in your email app’s signature editor, after you apply the signature from our generator. You might also want to check this article if you are looking “standard” social media icons: https://www.mail-signatures.com/articles/free-social-media-icons-for-email-signatures/

      Reply ↓
  5. Joei Skeffington

    Hello. Great presentation!!

    I did everything you said. (I think correctly)… but when I then attach the link to the email signature image in Microsoft Outlook, it’s fine. But when I test it and send it to myself at my Gmail address, it still shows up in Gmail as an attachment. 🙁

    I’ve been working on this for ages. Can’t seem to get it right. Any extra advice would be greatly appreciated. 

    Thank you, Joei

    Reply ↓
    1. Tomek Stempniewicz

      Hi Joei,
      First thing I would suggest is to use our free email signature generator and to provide your direct URLs there (in the Graphics section). You can use any template from our library to create your personalized signature which you can later paste into the signature editor in your Outlook.
      Feel free to write me a message using our contact form. I will help you get the signature working.

      Reply ↓
  7. Vilantas

    Hello,
    great post!

    I’m searching a solution for our case.
    We have multiple MS Windows computers with permanent licenses of MS Outlook (not 365).
    We are using HTML signature with a photo at the bottom. If you click a photo, you are redirected to our social media page.

    The photo itself is stored in our local network share.
    If the photo needs to be replaced in all signatures, it is replaced in the network share (retaining format and filename) and the next time you start Outlook the new photo is already there in your signature.
    We are usually embedding photos within email messages (registry key set to “Send pictures with document”) otherwise those cannot be seen outside of our LAN and are slowing down computers of recipients while attempting to download the photos.

    Example of our HTML code related to photo and links:

    I’m searching for the solution to resolve the issues for recipients and to retain possibility to centrally change photo for all users at once.

    Are the options name here suitable to replace the local share with hosted share?

    Kind Regards

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Here you go:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1SUbPId3RUsJPRfv9hCPNgwT55mrgxwhQ

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Here you go:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1KH6oJVaK33AZzsx0snvDQR5u7d6PBAXE

      Reply ↓
  12. Sümeey Noman

    I don’t know how to thank you enough !!!
    I have been trying to do this for the past three hours , no kidding 😭
    and NO ONE helped me as much as you did, it finally worked 🤩🤩🤩🤩
    Thank you from the bottom of my heart 😊😊😊😊😊😊

    Reply ↓
  13. Ultimate Speed Proxy Servers

    I’m excited to find this web site. I wanted to thank you for your time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely savored every little bit of it and i also have you book marked to see new things in your blog.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      The main point of the article is to inform that shareable links won’t work and show how to “convert” them to direct URLs (the ones you need).
      If you let me know what’s your shareable link, I can convert it for you.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Here you go:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1xRflG9J66EQadh-dIYZ49mJ_yUhpyy8i
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15Ah05K1gStQ4YEuO5zfx96eF5lujw81r

      Reply ↓
  20. Adam Ellis

    I’ve used the one drive method, the image loads perfectly in outlook, however if i delete anything of the end of the link as suggested in your guide, the image no longer works.

    Cheers

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Thanks for noticing, Adam!
      I’ve just checked a few links from OneDrive, and it seems there have been some changes to how direct links work – after deleting attributes, they don’t work. I removed the final step from the OneDrive instruction.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Here you go:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1K2tqz6mfNhYPv6i1bjE7L9aerduJvRF_
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1xVnBQlEt6wCSAw7fkly0xI7mLB6zv7oo

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi,
      here are the links for the logo:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1RgcSpKLN-yWqcm2-bmwdCLKvHB6YSy5m
      and the banner:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1vAjhvwirHWGcPoH-LDz7TSz0kld2oGaW

      Reply ↓
  23. Lisa

    Hi Kamil,
    Found your article and has been extremely helpful, thank you! Able to create direct link and image shows in my signature. But when I check the sent email and what the recipient sees, it’s just the image icon with an outline of the rectangle (where the image should be).
    For Share, our company settings are only “Restricted” and “Company”. There is no option for “anyone on the internet…” Is this the reason?
    Thanks

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      I’m afraid that your company might not allow you to create public links. You can use a private Google account instead of the Google Workspace.

      Reply ↓
  25. Hobbling thru tech

    Nice post Kamil! I used the Dropbox method. Worked perfectly when following the directions.

    It may help for folks to know the full workflow.

    1. In Dreamweaver (which I used to create the signature code), I replaced the image link with the one generated as you described.
    2. I next pressed the “Preview in browser” button to publish the preview in Safari.
    3. Finally, I highlighted and copied that preview, then pasted into the email signature fielding in settings in OWA.

    It works perfectly so far (fingers crossed!).

    Reply ↓
  26. bahman

    hi thanks for your helpful blog
    i edited the dropbox link as you explained.
    so i changed dl=0 to raw=1 the question is should i use the link with raw=1 in my html email or the link that it generates when i copy paste it into browser.
    because i tried to use the link that it gave me by copy pasting the raw=1 version into the browser but after a few hours the link was broken. are they random links?

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      You should use the link with the raw=1 part. If you use the URL it redirects to, it will always break after a while. The same if you right-click and choose “copy image address” in DropBox or Google Drive. When I first saw this, I was quite surprised. It took me a while to find the link format that doesn’t break and can work with email signatures.

      Reply ↓
  27. Brooke

    when I shorten my Google Drive link, the link displays a broken question mark symbol when composing an email. Where have I gone wrong?

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      That’s because shortened links are not direct links. They won’t work in email signatures. The only way to make your Google Drive link work is to you convert it to direct one and make sure the privacy options are set to “generally available”.

      Reply ↓
  31. Anita

    Hi I used Google drive to generate a direct link to my logo, which worked at my end. The email generator worked fine, but when I send out an email on gmail with the email signature attached, the logo does not display at receivers end. So incredibly frustrating. I’ve spent hours at this!

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      If your recipient doesn’t add your address to the safe senders’ list, they usually need to use a dedicated option to display your images. Then, both your images and social media buttons will not appear right away.
      And if the recipient can see your social media buttons and cannot see the logo – it might mean that you have either used a shareable URL, or the image’s privacy options aren’t set to Available for everyone on the Internet and Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi,
      The direct URL to this image is: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1q683OTzIPd90n-Ks7yQZ_cM_vaqki1Nj

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Kellie,
      Here is the direct link to this photo:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1LtAemipHMlvTLrSdEBRYtCtuCMnAKXUU

      Reply ↓
  36. Shelly

    On a previous post you mentioned it is not recommended to use an email signature that is all one image. That is what I was hoping to do. Will it not work properly using one of these options?

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      It should work, but that doesn’t make it a recommended option.
      Image-only email signatures make it impossible to copy any signature details straight from an email, can contain only one link (on the whole image) have the tendency of being blocked by email clients (and are rarely unblocked by recipients) are extremely screen-reader-unfriendly. What’s more, text included in such emails tends not to scale correctly. And that’s only some of the arguments against.
      The only upside of such a signature (as long as it is actually displayed) is that its layout will not break, regardless of the target email client. However, it applies to correctly HTML-coded email signatures as well.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hello Carlos,
      The direct URL is: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1dixPakx-Le1EwkpdPrsUYMXk99CedHoa

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      The direct URL for the image is:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1pBFZ6OTtR-YfAby2jPYc712QhYc8rvSG

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      The direct link for this image is:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1t2Eo9gM-fUnyYvjVLxXuZ4aXVCtBlX8j

      Reply ↓
  41. Timea Viragh

    Thank you for this post! It is super helpful. I was wondering if you know the trick for Box. Unfortunately, my work uses Box, and I didn’t find any useful information online on how to get the direct URL from Box. Thank you in advance!

    Reply ↓
    1. Timea Viragh

      Here is the solution in case others need it:
      1. Go to the folder where your picture is located in the Box folder.
      2. Click “Share”, and then a new window comes up. Create the share link.
      3. Change the option for the shared link to “People with the link”
      4. Go to Link Settings
      5. The bottom of that window contains the Direct Link. Click Copy and there you have your direct link.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Those are the correct formats for direct links, they seem to work just fine. Mind that it is not recommended to use an email signature which is only a single image.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      That’s because you are using the shareable links, instead of direct URLs.
      Direct URLs for those images would be:
      https://www.dropbox.com/s/bi130xnmq14b31k/provisionsSupplies_logo_black.png?raw=1
      and
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1nXfrC_1AMyhiSXL9MbRgROd-1SZwpITC

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi,
      Here you go:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1jgmN5oftUsEI-gWjasW8RRmJ1UoE_6rj

      Reply ↓
  45. Martins

    Hello Kamil,

    In the posts could not find such an issue.
    I use google drive as onedrive did not work. I would say the onedrive and google drive has the same issue.

    I shared the link. corrected as per Your instructions. When I copy link in browser – the logo shows.

    When I put the link in the Thunderbird and open a new letter the logo shows. But when I get a reply , logo is not showing and also, the person whom receives my email, picture does not show.

    What could be the issue?

    The same is for onedrive and google drive.

    Thank in advance.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hello Martins,
      First, check in Google Drive if the image’s visibility is set to “everyone on the Internet”. Although it might seem as the same as “anyone with the link can view”, the latter option will always break the image.
      Next, does it happen to all recipients? Could you check if the image shows when you send an email to a Gmail user, for example? It could break only because the recipient filters out images by default.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Try the direct URL, instead:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1hFcGhgPU09gH61Zfp8FhNGGldL1Yj3HB

      Reply ↓
  47. Susan Flemmings

    wonderful post, very informative. I wonder why the other specialists of this sector don’t notice this. You must continue your writing. I’m confident, you have a huge readers’ base already!

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Here you go:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=13t-Us9j_X6zsqdLQ7DWhtf6q8baCzIy2

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Mary,
      Your direct URL is as follows:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1qWZ9vM_XEdcankjo14glY68KdYvkdBy3

      Reply ↓
  53. Sharon

    Worked beautifully! I have 100s of images I need uploaded to a CMS using a CSV file, but It could not pull in the google drive images. This fixed the problem and saved me thousands of hours uploading one at a time.
    Thank you!

    Reply ↓
  54. Michelle Davis

    What would be the reason why my image is showing up when I create my signature here (using my OneDrive), but when I paste it in outlook signature, it’s not showing there?

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Michelle,
      It seems that Outlook is picky about those URLs. But if you use the URL without attributes (the question mark and everything to the right from it) the image should show up without any problems.

      Reply ↓
  55. Ananya

    Hello!
    How do I embed an animated banner? It only allows me to upload images.
    Thank you for your help.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hello Ananya,
      Following the steps from the article allows you to upload any kind of graphic file that can be used in email signatures. Including an animated gif. Using an animated gif in the signature is the same as using a standard *.png image.
      However, all the steps apply to hosted, online images. If you want to use an embedded image/animation, the instruction will be different for every email client. And not every email client allows you to use embedded images.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hello,
      Your direct link looks like this:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1UPZX0R1aHGWAygKjopDEYFlocZTux3oz
      The embed option is not available in OneDrive for Business, otherwise – it should be there.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Robyn,
      It seems you put a space between the first part of the link and its id, try this one:
      https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1OpEi7koyZEyWF7VV2DfU54qmfnCVwAGw

      Reply ↓
  62. Paul C

    Hi Kamil, I accidentally stumbled upon this thread in my Google search of trying to solve my problem, which is as follows: When I originally set up my e-mail signature a couple of years ago on my Gmail account, I had an image of my company logo which I stored on my Google drive account and I was able to insert this image with no problem. A few months ago, this image is now showing up as a “broken link” every time I compose a new e-mail. I went through all of your steps to create the direct link and tried to re-insert this image into the signature using the “Web Address (URL)” method. (It won’t work by directly accessing it from “My Drive” and I don’t want to “Upload” because that’s only temporary.) So, when I insert the new “direct link” URL from your instructions, I get returned to my Settings and it shows up as a “broken image” square. In other words, the link doesn’t work. I checked and double-checked that the image is publically accessible, and it IS. What am I doing wrong??? I have racked my brain trying to figure this out. Why can’t I select the “My Drive” option to specify the image like I did when I FIRST set up this e-mail signature? Is that no longer working? If it’s not, then why does Google show that as an option?? PLEASE HELP!

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Paul,
      If you double-checked that your image URL has the right format and that its sharing properties are set to “anyone on the Internet can find and view”, then it might be a bug reported in this Google Support thread. Try opening the new Incognito window, sign in there and set up your signature image.
      If this doesn’t help, I’ll need the link you are using to get to the bottom of the issue.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi,
      How did it break? Did it suddenly stop working? I’d double-check if no image’s settings were changed and if you converted the link to the right direct URL format.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Claire,
      By following the step 5 under How to get a direct image link in Google Drive 😉
      The direct url of your image looks like this: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1GgkaHwY3PJhjwTJFDW60BcLUbeqcWJD_

      Reply ↓
  67. Lisa

    Hi Kammil,

    I’ve done everything you mention on the article, including setting the image as publicly accessible.
    I replaced the id part with the image’s id and I end up with this url: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1IU1XYyiKRwYAS-bS7CuiE3pfPZx4yDTJ

    When I add it on the email signature, the image doesn’t load. I’ve also tried the url on a Chrome browser and I get an error message from Google, saying:
    “We’re sorry… but your computer or network may be sending automated queries. To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.”

    There’s another weird thing happening… Here are the steps that I follow:
    1) I right click on the image on Google Drive
    2) The pop up window opens – I set the image as publicly accessible and click Save
    3) Now the link that is generated, (this is the weird part), is not an “id=…” link. It’s the following:
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IU1XYyiKRwYAS-bS7CuiE3pfPZx4yDTJ/view?usp=sharing
    4) Since it’s not an id link, I click Done. And I then right click the image on Google drive and select “Get a Shareable Link” and that’s when I get the id link which is: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IU1XYyiKRwYAS-bS7CuiE3pfPZx4yDTJ
    5) I then replace the id and end up with this link: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1IU1XYyiKRwYAS-bS7CuiE3pfPZx4yDTJ
    6) I paste that to the email signature generator and it still doesn’t work!!

    A few notes:
    – The image is 150x150px.
    – The image is a png (also tried with a jpg – doesn’t work)
    – The folder on Google Drive that contains the image is also set as publicly shared (I’ve also tried with an image outside a folder – same thing, doesn’t work!)

    Can’t see what could be going wrong…

    Any help would be much appreciated!

    Thanks,
    Lisa

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Lisa,
      The URL you are using is a perfectly fine direct URL and it should work without any problems. I’ve just tested it and it works both when I visit the URL and paste it into the generator. The issue lies elsewhere. It seems that Google suspects you are using some kind of automation. There are multiple possible reasons for that and some threads provide answers that can help you. Here is an example with some further links: https://www.linode.com/community/questions/418/i-just-got-the-message-your-computer-or-network-may-be-sending-automated-queries

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hello Anna,
      The direct link for this image would be https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1q6Xn73rCKAwTvLf3GhxNxuayT3_ZVfaa. Mind that it will not work unless you set the image as publicly accessible (step 4).

      Reply ↓
  69. Andrea

    Any clues on how to get this signature to work on iphones/ipads? I found a page that walked me through copying and pasting into the signature field in settings, and it copies just fine. But when I go to send a message my photo and social media icons don’t come through.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      If you can see the graphics after pasting the signature, most probably the signature works fine on your end and the images are blocked by your recipient’s email client. When the recipient adds you to a safe senders list, or clicks the option to download pictures, your images will appear.
      It could also relate to the problem with iPhone deleting images from replies and forwards, described in this article.

      Reply ↓
  71. DB

    HI Kamil,

    How can I make sure the direct link I created via dropbox doesn’t expire when I Insert it into gmail’s inline image icon on the signature section? Ive tried this a few times with another image url link generator from online and the image link broke after a few days, but hoping the link I created with dropbox will stay as is. thanks!

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      If you follow the steps from this article for Dropbox, the link should not expire – the one I have used has been valid since I’ve written the post (around 9 months now). Just make sure you do not delete or change settings of the image from your Dropbox.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      And for this one: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Ej5YKf_BfoG319I4BQzcg9BVPUa6-FY3
      Aren’t those a bit blurry?

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Felix,
      the link would be https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1V5qA0W5jfX9IMWAHMunJ1ZTrECp3VCwQ.

      Reply ↓
  75. anon

    How do you get a direct image URL in OneDrive?

    step 2 says to “Once the image is uploaded to your OneDrive, right-click it, and choose Embed from the menu. In the menu which appears on the right side, click Generate.”

    right click image in browser shows menu which does not offer Embed as a possible action. open file on one drive, view original, right click image , copy link produces:
    nifsw-my.sharepoint.com/personal/m16096_mc365vip_com/Documents/photos/20171018_003953.png

    the above link does not show image.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Anon,
      the problem is that you are most probably using OneDrive for Business and not OneDrive. Using the company’s OneDrive for Business will not work for embedding images.

      Reply ↓
      1. anon

        Thanks for replying. ok so this direct link does not work for onedrive for business. Does this direct link method work for the G suite version of Google Drive? G suite version of Google Photos? which would you recommend Google Drive vs Photos for image hosting to directly link to other apps?

        Reply ↓
        1. Kamil Glaser Post author

          G Suite version of Google Drive should work without any issues. You can follow the exact steps listed in this article to get the direct link.

          Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hi Brandon,
      I’m pretty sure you haven’t set the visibility of the image to “Anyone on the Internet can find and view it”. Clicking the sharing settings and switching to this option would be the first step to make it work. Now that I look at the article, I don’t think I have mentioned it in the instructions, thanks for noticing!

      Reply ↓
  79. Ahmed AboKhozim

    Good day
    i need to make fixed shared link to be enable to change the photo in it and the link is notchanged
    to be able to distribute this signature contain this photo link on many PCs and when change the photo in the sorce changed on this many PCs

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hello Ahmed,
      As far as I know, it’s impossible with image hosting services. With your own website – it depends heavily on what tools you use, but should be as easy as uploading an image via FTP and then replacing it with another image, using the exact same path and file names.
      By the way, if by “shared link” you mean “shareable link” – it will not work in email signatures. Only direct links will do (as stated in the article).

      Reply ↓
        1. Kamil Glaser Post author

          Hi Kelly,
          here you go: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Yw6xnhnJKPRSnVgQtS_Xc-q_lLNrvdxn

          Reply ↓
      1. Kamil Glaser Post author

        Hi,
        https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1p2FD93qIZOXtoUPk8itZLA__jRf-lB2z is its direct form.

        Reply ↓
        1. Kamil Glaser Post author

          This is how your direct link looks like:
          https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15KMras_g61IueGg8VJu2eYGYIP3mHeG9

          Reply ↓
  83. Chris Smith

    As far as I can tell the direct link option has been removed from imgur. I could be missing something however. If you get the chance you may want to confirm this finding.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      I have just checked, and I can still see the direct link field. Make sure you are in the Image section of settings (To access it, you can click your profile name in the top-right corner and go to Image. If you are looking at a post, and not an image, right-click the graphic and choose Copy image address from the context menu to get the direct link.

      Reply ↓
    1. Kamil Glaser Post author

      Hello Jacqueline,
      I would love to help you, but I would need more information to be able to do so. Which hosting service have you used? What is the direct link you have generated? Have you set the image to be visible for everyone?

      Reply ↓

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