How to create HTML signature in Microsoft Outlook

By Angsuman Chakraborty, Gaea News Network
Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Email signature are by default text messages. However I wanted to create HTML signature (see below) for my email messages. The procedure is supported but not at all straighforward.

Steps:

  1. Go to Tools/Option/Mail Format and set Send in this message format to HTML.
  2. Create a file with .html extension in notepad containing your only HTML text (don’t bother about making it correct HTML) and save it. Remember to set Save as Type to HTML
  3. .

  4. Open it in Internet Explorer and copy it to clipboard using Ctrl-A Ctrl-C after first clicking within the explorer. Now the HTML is copied in proper format to clipboard.
  5. In Microsoft Outlook go to Options/Mail Format/Signature Picker and click on New.
  6. Choose a name for your signature (any name is fine) and click Next.
  7. Paste your signature in the box provided using Ctrl-V.
  8. In Tools/Options/MailFormat ensure that your signature name (chosen earlier) is selected as Use this signature by default.
  9. Test by creating a new email and verifying that the HTML signature is actually included in the created email.

Note: In case of any problems read the instructions carefully again. The instructions are for Microsoft Outlook 2000. If you have a different version adjust accordingly.

Now you know how to create a signature like this:
Simple Thoughts

If you are using this please do leave a comment or trackback from your post.

Filed under: How To, Microsoft, Technology, Web, Windows

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Discussion
August 31, 2010: 12:25 am

Nice blog. The content of your blog is exactly wonderful, and your blog template is Simple generous. So good

August 19, 2010: 2:46 am

Nice blog, looking good. :)

July 22, 2010: 11:09 pm

That’s absolutely brilliant, thank you.

I used it to set up my DOOID signature. It worked fine for Outlook 2003. Using notepad as the txt editor didn’t show an html option for saving but it did allow me to type that as the extension and save it that way.

Thanks again


Meghan Iverson
July 7, 2010: 1:02 pm

This is the same technique I stumbled into. Only thing you have to be obvious about is that you must use IE (otherwise you can’t select the whole signature).

If you use the signature for replies and forwards though, the reply wraps about the signature - doesn’t go to another line. I’ve tried adding line breaks, paragraphs, and a div with clear: both. None of these techniques have fixed that issues. Any ideas?

(We used to use have people add directly to their signature folder, but some had to show hidden folders and if they’d never created a signature before they don’t have signature folder yet.)

July 7, 2010: 10:42 am

Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! I’m sure you had fun writing this article.

June 21, 2010: 3:00 am

Ah, I see why you posted that comment on my blog. You feel the Dell to LHN comparsion to be unequal, what with EQL costing over 4 times as much.


RoadRage
May 28, 2010: 2:28 pm

I know this thread started a long time ago, but I was hoping someone could help me out.
I have an html signature which I want to use in outlook and mac mail. Part of the signature is a picture that has a few hotspots on it that link to other pages (youtube, facebook). Problem is the hotspots only seem to work in a browser. Once in outlook or even a text editor that accepts html, the links are gone.
Any ideas on how to fix that?

May 15, 2010: 8:36 am

Geetha’s Gallary
Ambur

April 8, 2010: 5:51 pm

Thanks for the tip! I am trying to implement a standard email signature for my company. Too bad we don’t all have the same OS, email programs, or computers.


Sumit Deb

Sumit Deb

Eric
March 16, 2010: 6:54 pm

This was very helpful…thanks!


Marian
March 4, 2010: 11:33 am

Thank you google and thank you Mr. angusman

February 18, 2010: 9:05 am

I need add my company logo my mail account


RAB
January 11, 2010: 10:40 pm

I found that when I changed to the 2003 word as my email editor, I too had lost my signatures. All I had at the bottom of my emails was a dotted line. I then right clicked onto that dotted line and it brought up a drop file. I then clicked onto ‘email signature’ then ‘general’ and selected ‘none’ for keep all formatting. I then opened a new email and there was my signature……


ashley-marie
December 1, 2009: 4:20 pm

This is semi-complex is it possible to just put an html script at the end of an email?


Mike V.
October 8, 2009: 3:40 pm

Ok, I’m not the least bit computer savvy, but I’ve managed to create a signature with my company’s logo w/ hyperlink to website via Microsoft FrontPage (Outlook takes me there when “advanced editing”).

The logo and hyperlink work fine when composing new emails, but when I reply to or forward an email that has an attachment, I get a red X where the image should be. WTF??? I use Outlook 2000, if that helps.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!


Clint
September 30, 2009: 4:20 am

This worked, thanks, but now I’ve made a new image with the same name to replace my first image, but it seems that I can’t get Outlook 2000 to clear its cache. The new image is on my webserver and the old one has been deleted. Do you know a manual way of doing this?

Thanks


Monica Fineis
September 15, 2009: 12:16 pm

Thank you, this worked!


pelli
September 10, 2009: 11:13 pm

thank you so much - i been trying to get my logo to work in outlook signature and you have solved the issue

keep up the good work


Thommy
September 10, 2009: 12:13 pm

Worked perfectly! Thanks :D

September 9, 2009: 6:00 am

Your directions were successful with the exception of maintaining the

in the body. https://www.universityhealthcenter.net/stationery/index.html

I cannot seem to keep the text that would be written in the body of the email to stay off the left margin. Please advise.


richard
August 18, 2009: 7:11 pm

great solution


Jep
July 23, 2009: 8:34 am

I am not familiar with the HTML file.

All I want is to create my personalize signature with logo’s and different text font and color.Please give me ways in more friendly approach. Take note that I am using Outlook 2000.

Big Thanks!

July 14, 2009: 7:54 pm

Very easy to use! Thanks


Tracy
July 6, 2009: 10:07 pm

My notepad does not give me an option to save in .html only .txt Thoughts?


Dave
June 24, 2009: 6:08 pm

I’m not clear on this…

All I want to do is use a particular image (stored on my web server) as my signature. I don’t want to attach the image, so I want to use HTML.

But this method seems to just paste the image into the signature (same as inserting the image itself), not insert the HTML that calls up the image from my web serer. Hence, this method is still attaching the image to the email.

Am I doing something wrong? Thanks.


cheryl
June 17, 2009: 6:43 pm

I’m trying to insert a LOGO into outlook signatures…Outlook 2000. Any suggestions? Can do it 2003 and higher….but we have 2000


Dana
April 17, 2009: 8:42 pm

Thanks for the tutorial. One thing to note: It won’t bring the format over correctly if you have CSS in your original signature file (like I did) I had to fix my font type, color, and sizes inside Outlook as it didn’t bring the CSS info over unfortunately.


wulfran
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