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How to add a signature in Apple Mail on Mac and iPhone

Create a signature in Apple Mail on Mac, add an image, choose the accounts, and set the plain-text signature on iPhone.
The Sendoff team4 min read

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On a Mac, open Mail > Settings, click Signatures, choose your account, click Add, name the signature and build it in the preview. On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings > Apps > Mail > Signature (older iOS versions use Settings > Mail > Signature) and type it. The iPhone field takes plain text, so a logo and layout belong on the Mac.

Add a signature in Apple Mail on Mac

  1. Open the Mail app.
  2. Choose Mail > Settings, then click Signatures.
  3. In the left column, select the account that should use the signature.
  4. Click the Add button under the middle column and type a name. That name appears in the Signature pop-up menu when you write a message.
  5. In the preview on the right, type the text and format it. Use the Edit menu in the menu bar to paste text and turn it into links, and the Format menu for font, color, alignment and lists.
  6. To add an image, drag it into the preview.

A signature is tied to the account you had selected in the left column when you created it. Apple says that if All Signatures is selected, you have to drag the new signature onto an account before you can use it. If a signature "does nothing", this is the first thing to check.

Choose where it appears in replies

Apple Mail has a Place signature above quoted text checkbox in the same window. Tick it and the signature sits directly under your reply, above the message you are answering. Untick it and the signature goes after the original text, at the bottom of the thread.

Add a signature built elsewhere

Apple's page covers typing and dragging an image in. It does not describe pasting a finished design. If you made the signature in a generator, copy it there, click inside the preview and paste. Then check every image before you send a test message. If fonts change after pasting, the Apple Mail font guide explains why. If your logo does not show, see the Apple Mail logo guide.

Add a signature on iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Settings, then Apps, then Mail.
  2. Scroll to Signature and tap it.
  3. Type your signature.
  4. If you have more than one email account, tap Per Account and give each address its own signature.

Apple's iPhone guide lists Settings > Apps > Mail > Signature, and its pages are labelled by iOS version, so the wording can differ slightly on your phone. An Apple Community answer says the signature field is plain text. Keep it to a name, title and phone number, and set the designed version on your Mac. The iPhone does not copy your Mac signature, so each device needs its own. For the Gmail app, which has its own mobile signature, see the Gmail app guide.

When the signature does not appear

No signature in a new message. Check the Signature pop-up in the message window. If the signature is not listed, you created it under All Signatures and never dragged it onto an account.

The signature sits in the wrong place in replies. Change the Place signature above quoted text checkbox described above.

The signature is correct on the Mac and missing on the phone. They are separate settings. Set the iPhone one under Settings > Apps > Mail > Signature.

How Sendoff handles this

Build the signature in the free email signature generator, then use Copy signature and paste it into the Apple Mail preview. Images are hosted at a public HTTPS address, not embedded in the message. The Apple Mail integration page covers the install steps in more detail.

FAQ

How do I add a signature in Apple Mail? Choose Mail > Settings > Signatures, select an account, click Add, name the signature and build it in the preview.

How do I add an image to my Apple Mail signature? Drag the image into the preview area in the Signatures settings.

How do I change my signature on iPhone? Open Settings > Apps > Mail > Signature and type the new text. On older iOS versions the path is Settings > Mail > Signature.

Can I use a different signature for each email account on my iPhone? Yes. Tap Per Account under Signature and set one for each address.

Why is my Apple Mail signature missing? Usually the signature was created under All Signatures and not dragged onto an account, or the account was never selected for it.

Sources

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