Adding an email signature in Gmail takes under two minutes on desktop: open Settings, go to the General tab, create a new signature, paste your content, and click Save Changes. On mobile it's a separate setting found inside the Gmail app itself. This guide covers every platform and every edge case you're likely to hit.
What You Need Before You Start
Before you touch Gmail's settings, you should have your signature content ready. If you don't have one, use the email signature generator at signcraft.email to build a formatted signature for free — no account required. Once you're happy with the preview, click the Copy HTML button to put the correctly formatted code on your clipboard.
If you're working with a Gmail signature with a photo or a company logo, have the image URL or hosted file ready before you start. Gmail links to hosted images rather than embedding them, so images need to be publicly accessible online.
How to Add an Email Signature in Gmail on Desktop
The desktop web version of Gmail gives you the most control. You can create multiple signatures, choose which one appears on new emails versus replies, and paste formatted HTML.
Step 1: Open Gmail Settings
- Sign in to Gmail at mail.google.com.
- Click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
- Click See all settings — not just the quick-settings panel that slides in from the right.
Step 2: Navigate to the Signature Section
- You will land on the General tab by default. If not, click General.
- Scroll down until you see the Signature section. It sits roughly halfway down the page, below the "Undo Send" option.
Step 3: Create a New Signature
- Click Create new.
- A dialog box will ask you to name the signature. Choose something descriptive — for example, "Work — Full" or "Work — Replies only". This name is only visible to you.
- Click Create to confirm.
Step 4: Add Your Signature Content
You now have a rich text editor. You have two options:
Option A — Type directly. Use the toolbar to format text, change font size, add links, and insert images via URL.
Option B — Paste from signcraft (recommended for HTML signatures). If you used the email signature generator and clicked Copy HTML, paste directly into the editor with Cmd+V (Mac) or Ctrl+V (Windows). The generator produces table-based HTML with inline styles — the format Gmail accepts. Do not paste into the HTML source view; paste into the visual editor. The formatting will come through correctly.
For further detail on why this matters, see the HTML signature guide.
Step 5: Set Defaults
Below the editor, use the Signature defaults dropdowns to:
- Set which signature appears on new emails.
- Set which signature appears on replies and forwards (many people prefer a shorter signature here, or none).
Step 6: Save Changes
Scroll to the very bottom of the General settings page and click Save Changes. Gmail does not auto-save — if you navigate away without saving, everything you just did is lost.
Your signature will now appear automatically in the compose window the next time you start a new email.
How to Add a Gmail Signature on iPhone (iOS)
The Gmail iOS app manages signatures separately from the web version. A signature set on desktop will not appear on mobile automatically — you need to configure it in the app.
- Open the Gmail app on your iPhone.
- Tap the three-line menu (hamburger icon) in the top-left corner.
- Scroll down and tap Settings.
- Tap the Google account you want to configure (if you have more than one).
- Tap Signature settings.
- Toggle Mobile Signature on.
- Type your signature text in the box that appears.
- Tap Done or Save (top right).
Note: the Gmail mobile app does not support rich HTML signatures. You can use basic text, line breaks, and manually typed details. If you need a formatted signature on iOS, the workaround is to use the mobile browser at mail.google.com and set the signature there — it will render when people receive the email regardless of where you sent it from.
How to Add a Gmail Signature on Android
The process on Android mirrors iOS closely.
- Open the Gmail app on your Android device.
- Tap the three-line menu (hamburger icon) in the top-left.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap the account you want to update.
- Tap Signature settings.
- Enable Mobile Signature.
- Type your signature text in the input field.
- Tap OK to save.
The same limitation applies: Android Gmail app signatures are plain text only. Use the desktop web or mobile browser version to set a full HTML signature.
Gmail vs. New Outlook — Don't Confuse the Two
If you searched "how to add a Gmail signature" and ended up on a page describing the New Outlook for Windows, you were looking at the wrong app. Microsoft's New Outlook for Windows — a separate app from Gmail that replaced the classic Windows Mail app and is progressively replacing classic Outlook desktop — can connect to Gmail accounts but uses its own signature settings.
If you are using Gmail in a browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) at mail.google.com — follow the desktop steps above. If you are using the Outlook desktop app or the new Outlook for Windows and have connected your Gmail account to it, you need to set signatures inside Outlook's settings, not Gmail's. Changes made in Outlook will not sync back to Gmail's own settings.
For Gmail-specific setup with your own domain via Google Workspace and Gmail, the steps are identical to the standard Gmail desktop process above.
Formatting Tips for Gmail Signatures
Keep It Under 10,000 Characters
Gmail enforces a hard limit of 10,000 characters per signature. For most text-based signatures this is not a concern, but if you are pasting a heavily formatted HTML template, you can hit this limit. If Gmail silently truncates your signature or the Save button appears to do nothing, character count is the first thing to check. Paste your HTML into a character counter before adding it.
Use Table-Based HTML with Inline Styles
Gmail strips most CSS — class-based styles, style blocks in the <head>, and most CSS properties that rely on inheritance will be removed or ignored. The reliable approach is:
- Table-based layout (nested
<table>,<tr>,<td>) for positioning elements side by side, such as a photo next to text. - Inline styles on every element (
style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #333333;"). - No external stylesheet links. No
@font-face. No flexbox or grid.
The signatures generated by signcraft.email use exactly this format. When you click Copy HTML, the output is already optimised for Gmail. See the HTML signature feature page for a deeper explanation.
Image Size and Dimensions
Keep signature images — logos and photos — at a maximum width of 300–400px and file size under 100KB. Oversized images cause layout breaks on mobile and slow down email rendering. For a full breakdown of recommended dimensions, refer to the email signature size guide.
Gmail will display images from hosted URLs. For a signature with a photo, ensure the image URL is publicly accessible (not behind a login or a private CDN). Google Drive links do not always work reliably — use a dedicated image host or your own domain.
Avoid These Common Mistakes
- Copying from Word or Google Docs: this introduces invisible characters and broken HTML that Gmail will not render correctly.
- Using the HTML source view in Gmail: Gmail's source editor is not a full HTML editor. Paste into the visual editor, not the
<>source mode. - Forgetting to save: there is no auto-save in Gmail settings. Always scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes after every edit.
FAQ
How do I add a signature in Gmail on desktop?
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of Gmail, then click "See all settings." On the General tab, scroll to the Signature section, click "Create new," name your signature, write or paste your content into the editor, and scroll to the bottom of the page to click "Save Changes."
Why is my Gmail signature not showing up?
The most common reason is forgetting to click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the General settings page after editing. The second most common cause is that the signature was set on desktop but you are sending from the mobile app — Gmail treats mobile signatures as a separate setting. Finally, check that the correct signature is assigned to new emails in the Signature defaults section.
Can I use HTML in my Gmail signature?
Yes, but not by pasting raw HTML into the source view. Gmail accepts formatted HTML when pasted into the visual editor. The reliable approach is to use a tool like the email signature generator that produces table-based, inline-styled HTML, then paste directly into Gmail's rich text editor using Ctrl+V or Cmd+V.
What is the Gmail signature character limit?
Gmail allows up to 10,000 characters per signature. This covers several paragraphs of text and a standard HTML signature without issue. If you are pasting a large HTML template, verify the character count before saving.
How do I add a signature in the Gmail mobile app?
Open the Gmail app, tap the three-line menu (hamburger), tap Settings, tap your account, tap "Signature settings," enable "Mobile Signature," and type your text. Tap OK or Save. Note that mobile app signatures are plain text only — HTML formatting set on desktop will not carry over to the mobile app's signature field.
Does my Gmail desktop signature appear when I send from my phone?
No. Gmail on mobile uses a separate "Mobile Signature" setting within the app. Your desktop signature and mobile signature are independent. If you want the same formatted signature on both, set the desktop HTML signature via the web browser, and set a plain-text version separately in the mobile app's signature settings.