[Update]: This article was updated on October 28, 2019.
Option and menu names and locations used in this article are the same for Outlook 2016, 2013 and Outlook 2010.
I. To create a signature in Outlook 2016, 2013 or 2010, what you have to do first is get to the Signatures and Stationery menu (Fig.5). There are 2 simple methods of doing this.
Method 1: When composing a new email, click INSERT and then click Signature, Signatures… (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Accessing the Signatures and Stationery menu via the new message editor.
Method 2:
1. Click File to go to the Outlook 2016/2013/2010 Backstage view (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. File button in Outlook 2013.
2. Click Options (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Options button in Outlook 2013 Backstage view.
3. In the resulting window choose the Mail tab and then click the Signatures… button (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4. Outlook Options – Signature button in the Mail tab.
If you have never created an email signature in your Outlook, the Signatures and Stationery menu should look something like this:
Fig. 5. Signatures and Stationery menu in Outlook 2013.
II. Once you are in the Signatures and Stationery menu, either highlight the signature you want to modify, or click New, type in the name of your new signature and click OK – I’ll just call mine “New signature” (Fig. 6).
Fig. 6. Creating a new signature – first step.
III. Now for the final step – designing/modifying the signature. There is more than 1 option here:
1. Create your signature in email signature generator.
2. Use the built-in Outlook 2016/2013/2010 signature editor (a very condensed version of what you would get in Word), but bear in mind that it is a little clunky and achieving advanced effects can prove frustrating, if not impossible.
3. Compose your signature in Word, copy it into the Outlook 2016/2013/2010 signature editor and click Save.
Tip: If parts of the signature get copied incorrectly, you can always go to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures, open the RTF version of your signature (in my case it will be called New signature.rtf – Fig. 7), correct the errors directly in the document using e.g. Word and save changes.
Fig. 7. My “New signature” RTF file.
Suggested reading
Creating a signature for a single user may be child’s play. A user can even create it on their own using one of the free email signature generators. But when you have a large number of users and want to make sure their emails are stamped with unified signatures containing personal details, better start rolling up your sleeves.
In Microsoft Exchange Server organizations you can deploy server-level email signatures via the transport rules in Exchange 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 and 2007. A similar feature exists in Google Apps for Business and Exchange Online.
If you’re running Windows Server in your company, you should be able to deploy multiple personalized email signatures for Outlook using a Visual Basic script. More details in the following articles:
- Active Directory Outlook Signature – VBScript
- VBScript: create an HTML Outlook email signature for the whole company
CodeTwo offers products, which extend the range of email signature design, control and positioning options available on the above platforms. For Microsoft Exchange Server it is CodeTwo Exchange Rules or CodeTwo Exchange Rules Pro, while for Office 365 it is CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365.
How do you choose where you want your signature inserted?
I have a number of templates that normally have the signature added at the bottom. However, I want to create a template with an infographic that appears below my signature. I don’t want to modify my signature because that will affect all the other templates so I want the infographic in the template and have the signature inserted just above it.
Can this be done?
Hi,
Outlook lets you insert only one signature at a time, so using two different signatures at a time is not an option. If you do not want to edit your other templates, you can create new signatures which include the infographic and manage everything manually. Another option is to manage email signatures in a company using a dedicated software for Office 365 or Exchange Server. Those third-party tools let you add many signatures automatically for all users in a company.
I have 2 email addresses. Setting up the signature for each email address is very simple. One of the 2 email addresses has a signature, the other email address, does not. However, I would think that since you have an option to select which signature goes with which email address when you are first designing your signature, so that when you are ready to use one of the 2 email accounts, that the correct signature would appear in the email. It doesn’t. You have to manually go to signatures and select the correct email address if the email address that you are using is not your default email address. I would expect that when I use either email address, that the correct signature would appear automatically commensurate with the email address that I am using. Is there a way to get what I want automatically?
Hi Gary,
which Outlook version are you using? If it is 2007+, the signature should change automatically, but first, you must set a default signature for both accounts (the signature can be empty). After that, changing the From address should automatically change the email signature.
I have deleted and created new signatures for my OUTLOOK but always get back the OLD signatures 1 for outgoing and 1for reply
Hi abrahanmonheit, try hard-deleting the signature files: https://www.mail-signatures.com/articles/outlook-email-signature-location-and-backup/ and designing new ones from scratch.
Hi, I have dozens of signatures in Outlook 2010. But the folder “signatures” is empty. Properties shows there are “0” files in it. I’m driving crazy to find them to export to a new computer. Can you help?
Thanks
Hi Gabriel,
That’s weird. What version of Windows do you have?
Could you try to create a test signature in your Outlook (let’s use method 1 from this article), save it and check whether the test signature appears here:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures?Let me know about the results!
I have no problem creating signatures, but the images refuse to display in my signature and hence I can’t insert a hyperlink. Any suggestions?
Hi Linda,
Do you encounter the problem when you try to add images in Outlook’s E-mail Signature editor or elsewhere? Also, which Outlook version are you using?
Pawel
Hi
I’m experiencing the same problem. From within outlook’s email signature editor I can’t modify the image in anyway, that includes resizing or moving it in anyway.
I’m using outlook for 2013.
Thank you
Hi Chanél,
Outlook’s email signature editor is a bit clunky. The best solution is to do the editing work (resizing images, etc.) outside of it – in a new message in Outlook, an external image editor – and then copy and paste into Outlook’s editor.
Hope this helps!
Great article, thank you!
Very useful indeed