How to create an​d set up​ Office 365 & Outlook email signatures

Are you transitioning to Microsoft's cloud platform or already using it? Implementing a consistent Office 365 (Microsoft 365) email signature template across all users is essential. A well-crafted Office 365 email signature boosts your brand's professional image and leaves a lasting impression.

For IT admins, setting up an email signature in Office 365 involves using a transport rule and the native disclaimer function. But how do you achieve that?

This guide will walk you through creating an Office 365 email signature in Exchange Online, step-by-step.

Requirements for creating an Office 365 email signature

Before we get started, ensure you have the following:

• An active Office 365 subscription

• Admin access to your Office 365 account

• A web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge)

• Optional: An HTML editor for coding your signature design

How to create and ​set up​ a custom Office 365 email signature

Important: This can be very time-consuming. To create professional email signatures more easily, consider using our Office 365 email signature management solution. 

How to add company wide email signatures in Office 365

By default, there is no central platform within Office 365 that can help you manage all users' email signatures. Each user has to manually set up their Outlook signature—an inefficient option if you have hundreds or thousands of users.

Given the limitations of manual setup and mail flow rules, using third-party solutions offers many benefits. These platforms can design, manage, and deploy professional Office 365 email signatures from one central location.

For instance, Exclaimer's email signature software for Office 365 provides a robust system that lets you easily design professional email signatures that are automatically added to all Office 365 emails. It assures 'brand consistency' among all employees.

How to set an automatic Outlook 365 email signature

We can leverage Office 365’s mail flow rules to append text at the bottom of every email. This is a basic form of automatic signature addition but not as feature-rich as we might want it to be.

Steps to use mail flow rules for automatic signatures

• Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Exchange > mail flow

• Click on + symbol > Apply disclaimers…

• Fill out a name for your new rule in Name… field.

• Apply this rule if… > Sender is… > ‘OutsideInsideOrganization'

• Choose all recipients inside your organization if you want this signature to appear on emails sent from within your organization only.

• In Add a disclaimer…, copy-paste your plain text email template in Enter Text Field.

• Finish up by clicking on Save

Now all emails sent from within your organization will have this disclaimer added as their email signature.

The limitations with a manual Office 365 signature setup: What you can and can't do

Using transport rules and the Office 365 disclaimer function works if you’re just looking to ​add​ a basic signature. However, there are limitations to consider, beyond the manual work involved.

1. You can't automatically add an email signature under a reply 

The Transport Rule feature in Microsoft 365 is designed for adding email disclaimers, not email signatures. This feature will automatically add plain disclaimer text to the end of your email message, rather than an HTML email signature. When using Microsoft 365, remember that the email signature will be inserted at the very bottom of the message body.

If a recipient replies to your email, the signature will not appear directly under your latest message. Instead, it will be placed at the bottom of the email thread, underneath all replies and forwards. For those looking to manage email signatures effectively in Microsoft 365, it's important to consider these limitations when setting up your email signature or disclaimer.

2. An email signature can include HTML images and hyperlinks 

While it might seem that only basic text can be added using a Transport Rule, you can actually include HTML images and hyperlinks in your email signature. To do this, ensure that your images are hosted on public web addresses, as direct embedding is not supported. Note that HTML images might display as a red ‘X’ until the recipient downloads the content.

A common issue is that email signatures don’t display correctly on mobile devices. Since mobile devices typically send emails in plain text, your HTML email signature might be stripped out. A potential solution is to include italic or bold text in every email sent from your mobile device, which can occasionally maintain the HTML format in Office 365 email signatures. However, this method is not foolproof.

For more tips on optimizing your email signature, visit our guide on embedded versus hosted images in email signatures.

3. You can autocomplete email signatures with each user’s contact details 

To personalize email signatures in Office 365, use placeholders like %%DisplayName%%. This will automatically replace the placeholder with the user’s real display name, ensuring each email signature is customized within your Microsoft 365 tenancy. For a comprehensive list of available email signature attributes, perform a quick Google search or check the available email signature attributes.

Keep in mind that not all users may have the same contact information. While you may want all Office 365 email signatures to include direct dial and mobile numbers, some users might not have a mobile number. This could result in email signatures with a line like ‘M:’ followed by a blank space.

To avoid this issue, create separate Transport Rules based on the contact details in your Microsoft 365 or Azure Directory. This ensures that every email signature is complete and accurate, improving communication and professionalism.

4. You can have different signatures for different departments 

You can create multiple Transport Rules in Office 365 to customize email signatures and disclaimers for specific distribution groups. For example, you can set up a Transport Rule to add a unique email signature for your sales team and another for marketing, each with distinct contact details.

To update an Office 365 email signature for a particular distribution group, you must update each relevant Transport Rule. While this may require multiple updates, it's crucial to ensure consistent contact information and avoid any gaps. By optimizing your Office 365 email signatures through Transport Rules, you can maintain professional communication tailored to each department.

5. You can't test your email signatures in advance 

Unfortunately, Office 365 doesn’t allow you to preview your completed email signature before deploying it to users. However, you can review the HTML code you’ve created. The template won't include user contact details until added to a Microsoft 365 Transport Rule. You'll only see how the email signature looks in Outlook, which is when you'll know if any changes are needed.

To ensure a smooth transition when updating email signatures in Office 365, it's best to apply changes during IT downtime or outside of working hours. This minimizes the chances of issues affecting important business email communications.

6. Email signature updates can take up to two hours to take effect 

Microsoft explains that changes to a Microsoft 365 Transport Rule might not take effect immediately. If you're setting up an Office 365 email signature or updating an existing one, be prepared to wait up to two hours for the new email signature template to become active. For more details, visit the official Microsoft documentation.

How to add a signature on Outlook365 mobile

It’s also possible to create and apply professional email signatures in the Outlook app for Android and iOS devices. 

1. Open the Outlook app and select Settings via the gear icon on either iOS or Android.

2. Select Signature from the menu.  

3. On the following screen, enter a new email signature.  

4. Select the Checkmark icon in the top right-hand corner to save and apply your new email signature. 

The iOS and Android apps for Outlook are more limited than the desktop version, with only text options available. 

A common example of an email signature in Outlook for Android is: 

This provides the contact information a recipient needs to contact the sender. While it doesn’t include images or links, it’s an effective placeholder until the sender is back at their desktop. 

Outlook signature best practices

To ensure your email signature design for Outlook makes the right impression, consider the following best practices:

• Keep it simple: A signature in Outlook that looks cluttered can be overwhelming. Stick to essential information like your name, position, company, and contact details.

• Use professional fonts: Choose fonts that are easy to read and professional. Standard fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman are safe bets.

• Include social media: If relevant, include links to your professional social media profiles. Make sure these links are up-to-date and lead to profiles you’re comfortable sharing with all recipients.

• Optimize images: If you include an image or logo in your Outlook signature, ensure it’s high quality but optimized for size to prevent it from unnecessarily increasing email load times.

• Mobile responsiveness: Test your signature in Outlook on multiple devices to ensure it looks good on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

• Standardize across the team: If you’re managing a team, consider creating a standardized email signature design for Outlook everyone can use. This promotes brand consistency.

How to add images to Outlook email signatures 

Images in professional email signatures draw the recipient’s eye to your template. This might be a company logo or a marketing banner advertising a new offer, service, or promotion. 

To add images to email signatures in Outlook, do the following:  

1. Open the Signatures tool from the File > Options > Mail menu or Signature menu in a new email window. Select the email signature you want to customize.

2. Select the images icon from the Edit Signature panel. This opens the Image Finder window. Select your image and click Insert. 

Once your image has been added to your Outlook signature, you can resize it in two simple steps: 

1. Right-click the inserted image and select Picture.  

2. Select Size and edit the image dimensions to change the scale of the picture.  

Keep the Lock aspect ratio option selected to avoid changing the proportions of the image. This is important when adding a company logo. 

How to add a signature in Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook for Mac.

2. Go to the top menu bar, click Outlook, and select Preferences.

3. In the Outlook Preferences window, under the Email section, select Signatures.

4. Click the + button, name your signature, and customize it in the right pane.

5. Use the drop-down menus next to "New messages" and Replies/forwards to select your signature preferences.

6. Close the Outlook Preferences window, and you're done.

Choosing Exclaimer for Office 365 email signature management 

Controlling and designin email signatures in Office 365 is more challenging than first appears.  That’s why so many companies worldwide choose Exclaimer.  

With Exclaimer, you can create professional email signatures for Office 365 users with absolutely no IT expertise. From one central location, a non-IT user with no HTML skills can design and deploy multiple signatures with just a few clicks.  

The drag-and-drop signature designer lets you easily add different visual elements like logos, promotional banners, social media icons, and user photos. And any signature updates can be automated using simple, yet powerful rules. 

All contact details are automatically pulled from your Active Directory, plus you can include custom attributes where needed. Any fields that aren’t populated for a specific user will automatically be hidden without messing up your design.  

Compare Exclaimer with Office 365 email signature features

Choose the best way to manage Office 365 signatures

Adding or updating an email signature in Microsoft 365 is easy, but the built-in options might not let you make the most of your email communications.

Exclaimer's platform is tailored for Microsoft 365 email signatures, offering features to boost your brand's presence. With centralized management, consistent branding, and customizable designs, Exclaimer lets you update and manage multiple signatures effortlessly. This ensures every email sent from your Microsoft 365 domain reflects a professional and cohesive image.

When it comes to the creation distribution and management of professional Office 365 email signatures, you won’t find anything better than Exclaimer.

So, make the smart choice and get yourself a free trial or get an online demonstration of this cutting-edge Office 365 email signature software today.