Email Signatures: Setup and Common Problems
Where to set one up
- Gmail: Settings → See all settings → General → scroll to Signature.
- Outlook / Outlook.com: Settings → Mail → Compose and reply → Email signature.
- Yahoo Mail: Settings → More Settings → Writing email → Signature.
- Apple Mail: Mail → Preferences → Signatures (on Mac); Settings → Mail → Signature (on iPhone/iPad, separate from the Mac app's signature).
"My signature looks fine to me but broken to the recipient"
This is almost always about images or formatting that don't survive the trip cleanly:
- Embedded logo images can show up as a broken image icon or a "download attachment" prompt on the recipient's end, particularly if their mail client blocks images by default until manually allowed.
- Copy-pasted formatting from Word or another app often carries invisible extra styling that renders inconsistently across different mail clients.
- Fonts that aren't universally available fall back to something generic on the recipient's device — the signature isn't "broken," it just isn't showing your exact intended font.
If a clean, consistent look matters, simpler generally wins here — plain text with minimal formatting is far more likely to render identically everywhere than something image-heavy or elaborately styled.
"My signature is missing on my phone but shows up on my computer" (or the reverse)
Most providers store the signature separately for the app you're using — a signature set up in Gmail's website settings doesn't automatically carry over to the iPhone Mail app if you're accessing Gmail through Apple Mail rather than the Gmail app itself. Check the signature setting specifically within whichever app is missing it, rather than assuming it should inherit from elsewhere.
"My signature is appearing twice"
This usually means it's set up in two places at once — once inside the provider's own web settings, and again as a separate signature configured within a desktop or mobile app connected to the same account. Check both locations and remove it from one of them.
A signature that behaves consistently everywhere
- Keep it simple — name, title, one contact method or link, minimal or no image.
- Set it up once per app/device you actually use, rather than assuming it'll carry over automatically.
- Send yourself a test email after setting it up to see exactly how it renders, not just how it looks in the settings preview.