Change Microsoft Outlook signature - explained quickly and easily!

How to change the Outlook signature? In the past, when all letters were still sent in paper form, the so-called farewell formula could not be missing under any circumstances. Something like „Best regards“ or „Yours sincerely“ and a personal signature was a must. But who actually says that this should no longer be the case in e-mail correspondence today? If you work with Microsoft Outlook, for example in Windows 11 or Windows 11 Home, you can easily create an Outlook signature and change it at any time.

Do I have to create an Outlook signature?

That depends on whether you are writing a purely private or a business e-mail. In the business sector, a signature has been mandatory for e-mails since 2007. This means that for self-employed persons, freelancers or companies, as soon as they send an invoice or an offer by e-mail, the same information as in an imprint must be included as sender information. These minimum details are mandatory:

  • Company name
  • full name of the owner
  • summonable address

Fortunately, with Microsoft Outlook 2021, this can be done in almost no time at all. And a great company logo, a ready-made signature or even a portrait of the sender can also be easily integrated when you want to create the Outlook signature.

And this is how it’s done

For example, in the Microsoft Outlook 2019 Multilanguage full version with the Windows 11 Pro or Windows 11 Pro N operating system, signatures can be automatically attached to all outgoing mails. It is also possible to add a signature to individual e-mails. If you want to change an Outlook signature, proceed in the same way:

  • To do this, first open a new e-mail message.
  • Select the option „Signature“ in the menu “ Message „.
  • Under „Edit signature“select the option „New“.
  • In the „New Signature“ dialogue box, give the signature a name.
  • Use „Edit signature“ to write the personal farewell formula. The font, font size, text alignment and colour can be easily specified. If you want to change the Outlook signature later, each individual point can also be edited later.
  • Using the option „Select default signature“ in the drop-down menu „E-mail account“, first select the corresponding account to which the signature is to be assigned.

Tip: Each e-mail account in Outlook, for example in Windows 11 Education, can be given its own individual signature. The more individual and specific these are, the more personally the recipients feel addressed. In a business context, this can have a more professional effect.

  • If all messages are to receive the signature, select one of the signatures in the drop-down menu „New messages“ .
  • If you do not want all new messages to automatically receive a signature, simply click (none)
  • If the signature is also to be shown on reply mails or forwards, select an appropriate signature under „Replies/Forwards“.
  • If this is not necessary, select the standard option (none).

Add signature manually one by one

If you have decided not to automatically add a signature to every e-mail, you can still add a signature, address, picture, etc. to individual e-mails afterwards. Select an individual e-mail and choose the option „Signature“ on the „Message“ tab. In the flyout menu, each signature created can now be selected to be displayed under the individual message.

Add picture, logo and signature

With Microsoft Outlook, a signature with pictures can also be created or the Outlook signature can be changed accordingly under Windows 11 Enterprise and Windows 11 Pro for Workstation.

  • To do this, select Signature> Signatures in a new e-mail.
  • In the field „Select signature for editing„, click on the signature that is to be provided with a logo, an image or with the digitised signature (as an image).
  • Now select a corresponding image file on the PC with the icon Image and connect it to the signature by clicking on „Insert“.
  • With a right mouse click on the picture under the tab „Size“ adjust the area of the picture.

Tip: If the „Lock aspect ratio“ check box is activated, the image ratios are retained.

Header Image: ©monticellllo, stock.adobe.com