Build a professional email signature generator-style footer with your name, title, photo and social links — then paste it into Gmail, Outlook or Apple Mail. Everything runs in your browser and there is nothing to sign up for.
How to add your signature to Gmail, Outlook or Apple Mail
Pasting a signature into an email client is where most of them go wrong, because the clients do not agree
on what HTML they will accept. Gmail rewrites what you paste into it. Desktop Outlook renders it with
Microsoft Word rather than a browser. Apple Mail renders it with the same engine as Safari. The steps below
are for each client specifically, followed by the things that actually break in that client.
1 Gmail (on the web)
Gmail's own sanitiser, on top of your browser engine
Click the gear icon at the top right and choose See all settings.
Scroll down to the Signature section and click Create new. Give it a name such as “Work”.
Paste with Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac). Do not use Ctrl+Shift+V — that pastes as plain text and throws the formatting away.
Set the dropdowns under Signature defaults for new messages and for replies, so it appears automatically.
Scroll to the very bottom and click Save changes.
What goes wrong here
Gmail strips <style> blocks and ignores CSS classes when it renders a signature, so every style has to be inline. The HTML this tool produces is inline for exactly that reason.
Gmail will not load an image embedded as a data: URL. If your signature image comes through blank, paste the text first and then add the image with Gmail's own Insert image button — Gmail then hosts the file itself and it loads for everyone.
The Gmail mobile app has no signature editor. Whatever you set on the web is what your phone sends.
2 Outlook for Windows (classic)
Microsoft Word's HTML engine
Open File → Options → Mail → Signatures…
Click New, give the signature a name, and paste with Ctrl+V.
Under Choose default signature, set it for both New messages and Replies/forwards.
Click OK, then open a new message to confirm it appears.
What goes wrong here
This is the client that breaks the most signatures, because it does not use a browser engine. It has no support for float, unreliable padding on some elements, and no data: images. Table-based markup with inline styles — what this builder produces — is the only layout that survives it.
Outlook blocks remote images until the recipient chooses to download them. If your signature is mostly one large image, it can arrive looking empty. Keep the contact details as real text and let the image be an accent.
If the editor will not accept your formatting, close Outlook. Signatures are stored as .htm files with an asset folder under %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Signatures, and you can place the HTML there directly.
3 Outlook on the web / new Outlook
Your browser engine — far more forgiving
Click the gear icon, then Mail → Compose and reply.
Paste your signature into the Email signature box.
Tick the boxes to apply it to new messages and to replies and forwards.
Click Save.
What goes wrong here
Outlook on the web renders in the browser, so it is much closer to the preview you see above than desktop Outlook is. A signature that looks right here and wrong in desktop Outlook is normal, and the desktop behaviour is the one to design for.
4 Apple Mail (macOS)
WebKit — the same engine as Safari
Open Mail → Settings… (older versions: Preferences) and go to Signatures.
Select the account on the left, click +, and name the signature.
Paste into the right-hand pane.
Drag the signature onto the account name so it is the one used, and untick Always match my default message font if macOS is overriding your formatting.
What goes wrong here
Apple Mail renders closer to a browser than any other major client, so what you see in the preview is roughly what recipients on Apple devices get.
Signatures sync between your Macs through iCloud, but they do not sync to iPhone or iPad. Those have their own plain-text field under Settings → Mail → Signature, with no rich editor and no reliable image support.
FAQ
Email signature: frequently asked questions
How do I add a signature in Gmail?
Open Gmail, click the gear icon, choose “See all settings”, and scroll to the Signature section. Click “Create new”, paste with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V, then scroll to the bottom and click “Save changes”. Using Ctrl+Shift+V pastes as plain text and loses the formatting, so use the ordinary paste. The Gmail mobile app has no signature editor at all — whatever you set on the web is what your phone sends.
Why does my email signature look different in Outlook than in Gmail?
Because the two clients do not use the same rendering engine. Gmail runs what you paste through its own sanitiser on top of your browser engine, while Outlook for Windows renders HTML with Microsoft Word. Word ignores much of CSS, has no support for float, and handles padding inconsistently. A table-based layout with inline styles is the only approach that survives both, which is how the signature this tool produces is built.
Why is my signature image missing after I paste it?
Gmail and Outlook both refuse to load an image embedded directly in the HTML as a data: URL, which is the format most generators use. Paste the text of the signature first, then add the image with the client's own “Insert image” button so the client hosts the file itself — that version loads for every recipient.
Why does Gmail put a “…” at the end of my email?
Gmail clips any message whose HTML passes roughly 102 KB and replaces the rest with a single ellipsis, so the recipient sees a truncated email with no warning. Base64-encoded images are about a third larger than the original file, so one large signature graphic is usually the cause. The builder reports the size of the HTML it produces so you can see the limit approaching.
Why is my signature invisible in dark mode?
Almost always because it is a transparent PNG. On a dark-mode client the message is drawn on a dark surface, and a transparent image keeps whatever ink colour it was drawn in — so dark ink on a dark background disappears. Some clients invert images to compensate and some do not, and that has changed between versions. For email, export the signature with a white or very light background rather than a transparent one.
How do I add a signature in Apple Mail?
Open Mail, go to Settings (Preferences in older versions), and choose Signatures. Select the account, click +, name the signature, and paste into the pane on the right. Drag the signature onto the account name so it is the one used. Apple Mail renders with WebKit, the same engine as Safari, so it is the client that comes closest to matching the preview you see here.
Do you need a confidentiality disclaimer in an email signature?
Not as a general rule. There is no blanket legal duty in the United States or the European Union to attach a confidentiality notice to every message you send; where a notice is genuinely required it comes from a specific regulator, professional body or client contract. If you are required to include one, keep it to a single short line in small text, because a six-line footer buries the contact details sitting next to it.
Can I have more than one email signature?
Yes, in every major client, and it is often worth it. Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail all let you create several signatures and choose which one applies to new messages versus replies, or pick one per message as you compose. A short version for internal replies and a fuller one for clients is a common split.
Will a large email signature hurt my deliverability?
It can. Filters score an image-heavy message with little actual text poorly, and an oversized image is one of the more common reasons a perfectly ordinary reply lands in spam. Keeping your name and contact details as real text, with any image as an accent rather than the bulk of the signature, avoids the problem entirely.
Does an HTML email signature work on mobile?
The signature is sent as part of the message, so it renders wherever the recipient opens it — but mobile clients are narrower, which is why a signature wider than about 600 pixels wraps badly on a phone. Mobile apps also generally do not let you edit your signature; you set it on the desktop or web version and the app uses that.
Can I add my company logo to my email signature?
Yes, and the builder includes a logo upload. Keep it between 60 and 100 pixels wide and check that it is still legible at that size — most logos are not, and a logo that has turned into a smudge costs you more than it adds. If you are pasting into Gmail or Outlook, add the logo with the client's own image button so it loads reliably.
Are my details or my signature uploaded anywhere?
No. The builder runs entirely in your browser, and the signature image it produces is embedded in the HTML it copies to your clipboard. If you save a signature it is kept in your own browser storage so it is available next time — nothing is transmitted to us, and the site has no upload endpoint to transmit it to.
Why your signature looks wrong in one client and fine in another
There is no single way an email signature renders, because there is no single engine rendering it. A
signature is HTML, and email clients pick and choose how much of the HTML specification they honour. The
table below is the short version of what each one does to your signature.
How each major email client renders an HTML signature
Client
Rendering engine
What it does to your signature
Gmail (web and apps)
Own sanitiser over your browser engine
Removes <style> blocks and class attributes, drops data: images, clips the message past 102 KB.
Outlook for Windows
Microsoft Word
Ignores much of CSS, needs tables for layout, no data: images, blocks remote images until allowed.
Outlook on the web
Your browser engine
The most forgiving Outlook. Still drops data: images.
Apple Mail
WebKit
Closest to a browser preview. Closest to the preview shown above.
Yahoo Mail, AOL
Own sanitiser over your browser engine
Behaves much like Gmail — inline styles only, no data: images.
Three of these behaviours are worth knowing about before you design anything, because they cause almost
every complaint about a broken signature.
Transparent backgrounds and dark mode
A signature exported with a transparent background is the correct choice for a PDF and the risky choice for
email. On a dark-mode client the message is drawn on a dark surface, and a transparent PNG keeps whatever
ink you drew it in. Dark ink on a dark background is invisible, and the recipient sees an empty gap where
your signature should be. Some clients invert images to compensate and some do not, and that behaviour has
changed from version to version, so it is not something to rely on. For email, either export the signature
with a white or very light background so it stays legible on any theme, or leave the image out and let
styled text carry the signature instead. If you are making the signature on this site, the
signature generator lets you choose the background before you
download.
The 102 KB limit in Gmail
Gmail truncates any message whose HTML goes past roughly 102 KB and replaces everything after that point
with a single “…”. The recipient then sees a clipped email with no indication that anything is missing. A
base64-encoded image is about a third larger than the file it came from, so a 60 KB signature image can push
an otherwise short reply over the limit. That is why the builder above reports the size of the HTML it
produces — if it warns you, use a smaller image rather than discovering the problem in a sent message.
Images that never load
Outlook blocks remote images by default until the recipient allows them, and both Gmail and Outlook refuse
to load an image that is embedded directly in the HTML as a data: URL. A signature built as one
large graphic therefore arrives broken for a meaningful share of recipients. Keeping your name and contact
details as real text, with the image as an accent, means the signature still communicates even when it
cannot load a single image.
What a professional email signature should contain
A signature is read in about two seconds, usually on a phone, usually by someone deciding whether to reply.
Everything in it competes for that attention, so the test for every line is whether it helps the recipient
reach you or remember you.
Your name, as you actually want to be addressed.
Your role and company — the context that tells the reader why you are writing.
One primary way to reach you. Pick the channel you genuinely answer. A phone number you
never pick up is worse than no phone number.
One link to the place that matters — your site, your calendar, your LinkedIn profile. Not all three.
An optional logo, only if it is still legible at 60 to 100 pixels wide. Most logos are not.
Four lines covers that. If yours is longer than the emails you send, it is working against you — see the
fuller email signature best practices guide for what to
cut and in what order.
How big should an email signature be?
Size is where signatures quietly cause problems, so here are concrete numbers rather than advice.
Signature graphic: 200 to 300 pixels wide. Larger than that and it dominates the message on a phone.
Logo: 60 to 100 pixels wide, and check it at that size before you commit to it.
Total HTML: stay under 102 KB, which is Gmail's clipping point. The builder shows you the figure.
Line width: keep the signature block under about 600 pixels so it does not wrap awkwardly on mobile.
Text size: 12 to 14 pixels. Below 11 pixels is unreadable on a phone at default zoom.
What to leave out
Long confidentiality footers. There is no general legal duty in the United States or the
European Union to attach a confidentiality notice to every email, and six lines of small print bury the
contact details they sit next to. Where a regulator or a client contract does require one, keep it to a
single short line.
Tracking pixels. They are a data-protection problem, a spam-scoring problem, and most
clients strip or proxy them anyway.
Every social network you have ever joined. Three icons compete; five become noise.
Oversized images. A heavy image is one of the more common reasons a reply lands in spam,
because an image-led message with little text scores badly with filters.
Animated GIFs, quotations and taglines. Most corporate clients show the first frame of an
animation, if anything, and the rest is decoration the reader scrolls past.