Copy an Outlook signature to new Outlook (and Gmail)

Classic Outlook and new Outlook store signatures in different places, so a signature does not carry over when you switch. Microsoft says a signature saved on one device may not appear on another. Copy the signature from classic Outlook, paste it into a new signature under Settings, Accounts, Signatures in new Outlook, and check the images afterwards.

Why the signature does not come across

Microsoft's signature article says: "Signatures on this device are stored locally on the device where they were created and may not be available when you use Outlook on another device." It recommends creating and managing the signature through your Microsoft account where that is available.

In August 2025, a Microsoft Q&A moderator answered the question directly: "you cannot import signature files directly from Old to New Outlook." That is a moderator's answer, not a product document, but it agrees with the storage note above.

If you use Outlook and Outlook on the web with a Microsoft account, Microsoft's article says you need to create a signature in both products.

Copy the signature from classic Outlook to new Outlook

Keep both apps open side by side. These steps are for Windows and come from a Microsoft Q&A answer; the menu paths match Microsoft's article.

1. In classic Outlook, select File, then Options, then Mail, then Signatures.
2. Select the signature you want to move. Click in the Edit signature box, press Ctrl+A to select all of it, then press Ctrl+C.
3. In new Outlook, select the Settings gear, then Accounts, then Signatures.
4. If you have more than one account, choose the one this signature belongs to.
5. Select Add signature, give it a name, and press Ctrl+V in the editor.
6. Use the checkboxes at the bottom to apply it to new messages, and to replies and forwards if you want it there too. Leave them blank to add it by hand.
7. Select Save, then send a test message to yourself.

If classic Outlook prompts you to migrate

Microsoft Q&A moderators have said that when you switch to new Outlook for Windows from classic Outlook, you are prompted to migrate settings, and signatures appear in the imported list. A moderator also gave a way to run it again: Settings, then Accounts, then Manage next to your account, then Get Started. That advice is from a community forum, not the product documentation, so check whether the prompt appears on your version before you rely on it.

Do not hand-copy the signature files

Community answers say classic Outlook keeps each signature as .htm, .rtf and .txt files, usually in the Signatures folder under AppData\Roaming\Microsoft. I could not confirm that path in Microsoft's documentation. In an August 2024 thread, a user who tried to load the .htm file into new Outlook said the suggested steps did not work. Copy and paste from classic Outlook instead of moving files around.

Check images and GIFs after the paste

Pasting keeps the text and most of the layout, but images are the weak point.

• In the August 2025 thread, another user reported that an animated GIF turned into a still image when copied, and that new Outlook would not let them add a GIF. Use a still image.
• In a separate Microsoft Q&A thread, a user said pasting from Word into the new signature editor removed the image and font formatting. Look at the result before you save, and add any missing image again.

Signature missing after the move

• Open Outlook on the web and check whether the signature is there. A Microsoft moderator suggested this to tell an app problem from an account problem.
• Check the account. Signatures are set per account, so one set on your work account will not show on another.

Gmail

Gmail does not import Outlook signatures, so you paste the copied signature into Gmail. Click Settings, then See all settings, scroll to the Signature section, paste, and click Save Changes at the bottom. Gmail allows up to 10,000 characters in a signature. The full paste steps are in how to add a signature in Gmail.

How Sendoff handles this

Sendoff does not read signatures from your Outlook account, so the copy step is yours. The signature editor has two buttons. Copy signature puts formatted content on the clipboard, which is what you paste into Outlook or Gmail. Copy HTML gives you the source for any app that accepts HTML signatures. The preview shows a size meter against Gmail's 10,000-character limit, and the output is table-based HTML with inline CSS. Setup steps are on the Outlook integration page, and you can build one in the free email signature generator.

Sources

• Microsoft Support, How to add and change an email signature in Outlook: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/mail/how-to-add-and-change-an-email-signature-in-outlook
• Microsoft Support, Create an email signature in Outlook: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-an-email-signature-31fb24f9-e698-4789-b92a-f0e777f774ca
• Google Help, Create a Gmail signature: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/8395
• Microsoft Q&A, Import signature files from old (classic) to new Outlook (August 2025): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5520553/import-signature-files-from-old-classic-to-new-out
• Microsoft Q&A, How do I add my signature from C:\Users...\Signatures to Outlook new? (August 2024): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1855088/how-do-i-add-my-signature-from-c-usersuserappdatar