How to create an email signature in 5 steps (free)

To create an email signature, decide what goes in it, build it in a signature generator, copy it, and paste it into the signature setting of your email app. Then send yourself a test. The whole job takes about ten minutes, and the generator is the only step that needs a design decision.

1. Decide what goes in it

Keep it to what a reader needs: your name, your role, your company, one way to reach you, and one link. The checklist of what to put in an email signature goes through each line and what to leave out. A phone number and website are enough for most people. A long list of social links makes the signature heavy and harder to read on a phone.

2. Build it in a generator

Open the free email signature generator. You do not need an account to build and copy a signature.

1. Pick a template. Start with the layout that suits your job, and change the colors to match your brand.
2. Type your name, title, company, phone, email and website.
3. Add a logo or a photo if you have one. Use an image that is hosted online at a public HTTPS address, because images that live only on your computer do not load for the people you write to.
4. Check the preview. The right layout reads well when you shrink the window to phone width.

The generator also has templates drawn for right-to-left languages. The Arabic email signatures guide covers the details.

3. Copy it

Use Copy signature. This puts the formatted signature on your clipboard, so the layout, colors and links travel with it. If your email app has an HTML box, such as Thunderbird, use Copy HTML instead.

4. Paste it into your email app

Each app keeps its signature in a different place. The table in the guide to adding a signature in every email app lists them. The most common ones:

• Gmail: Settings > See all settings > General > Signature. The Gmail guide has the full steps.
• Outlook: Settings > Accounts > Signatures in new Outlook and on the web. The Outlook guide covers new, classic and web.
• Apple Mail: Mail > Settings > Signatures. See the Apple Mail guide.

Set the signature for new emails and for replies and forwards. If you skip the second one, replies go out without it. The replies checklist explains how.

5. Test it

Send a message to yourself and open it on your computer and your phone. Check that the logo loads, the links work, and the text is readable. If an image is missing, the logo not showing guide lists the usual causes. If it looks wrong in dark mode, see the dark mode guide.

Keep it small

Gmail allows 10,000 characters in a signature, and images count toward that. A signature with a few lines of text and one image fits easily, but a long legal disclaimer plus a large banner may not. The size limits guide explains the limits in Gmail and Outlook.

FAQ

How do I create an email signature for free? Build it in a free generator, copy it, and paste it into your email app's signature settings. You do not need an account to build or copy a signature with Sendoff.

What should I put in my email signature? Your name, role, company, one way to contact you, and one link. Add a logo if it helps people recognise you.

Can I use the same signature in Gmail and Outlook? Yes. Build it once and paste it into each app. The paste steps differ, but the signature is the same.

Why does my signature look different on my phone? Mobile apps keep their own signature, and some take plain text only. Set the phone signature separately.

How big can an email signature be? In Gmail, 10,000 characters, with images counting toward the limit. Keep the signature short and the image small.

How Sendoff handles this

Sendoff is a free signature generator with templates that hold up in Gmail and Outlook, and a Copy signature button that keeps the formatting. If you manage signatures for a team, one template can be deployed to everyone from the teams page.

Sources

• Google: Create a Gmail signature
• Microsoft: Create an email signature in Outlook
• Apple: Add and use email signatures in Mail on Mac