How to Create an Email Signature in Outlook

Why Include a Signature With Every Email You Send?

At the same time, you can include a short display of your copywriting skills with every email, and the benefit — possibly through people seeing your message repeatedly — can be enormous.

These are but two good reasons to automate the addition of some essential text to every email you send. In Outlook creating a signature comprised of this text is easy, even though you have to explore the depths of Outlook's settings a bit.

Create an Email Signature in Outlook

To add an email signature to your Outlook:

• Select Tools | Options... from the menu in Outlook.
• Go to the Mail Format tab.
• Click Signatures... under Signatures.
• Go to the E-mail Signature tab.
• Click New.
• Type the new signature's desired name.
  • If you have more than one signature for different purposes, name them accordingly.
• Click OK.
• Type the desired text of your signature under Edit signature.
  • It is best to keep your signature to no more than 5 or 6 lines of text.
  • Include the standard signature delimiter.
  • You can use the formatting toolbar to format your text, or insert an image in your signature.
  • To add your business card as a vCard file (with which recipients can import or update your contact details):
    • Move the cursor where your business card should appear in the signature.
    • Click Business Card in the formatting toolbar.
    • Locate and highlight yourself.
    • Click OK.
• Click OK.
• Click OK again.

Create an Email Signature in Outlook 2003

To set up an email signature in Outlook:

• Select Tools | Options... from the menu in Outlook.
• Go to the Mail Format tab.
• Click Signatures... under Signatures.
• Click New....
• Give the new signature a name.
  • If you set up more than one signature for different purposes — work mail vis-à-vis personal chat, for example —, name them accordingly.
• Click Next >.
• Type the desired text of your email signature.
  • It is best to limit your signature to no more than 5 or 6 lines of text.
  • Include the standard signature delimiter (it does not count as a line of text).
  • You can use the Font... and Paragraph... buttons to format your text.
  • Additionally, select a business card to add under vCard options.
• Click Finish.
• Now click OK.
• If you have just created your first signature, Outlook has automatically made it the default — automatically inserted — for new messages. To use it for replies as well, which I recommend, select it under Signature for replies and forwards:.
• Click OK again.