How to use the same Outlook email signature on desktop, mobile and web
Create a mail flow rule in the Exchange admin center that adds your HTML email signature to every new email you send, whether you write it in Outlook desktop, Outlook on the web or Outlook mobile.
By Nur Islam- 5:28 video
- 8 steps
- 33K views
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Your Outlook desktop signature does not appear in Outlook mobile, and the mobile app's own signature is plain and limited. Emails sent from your phone end up looking different from the rest, or go out with no proper signature at all.
Instead of setting a signature in each app, this method adds it on the server. A mail flow rule in the Exchange admin center appends your signature as a disclaimer to every new email you send, so it does not matter which device or app you use.
You need Microsoft 365 admin access, or you can ask your IT admin to follow these steps for your account. The same rule type can also add a company-wide signature or disclaimer for everyone.
What you need
- Microsoft 365 with Exchange Online
- Access to the Microsoft 365 admin center (or an admin who can set this up for you)
- Your signature as HTML or plain text
Step by step
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01
Open the Exchange admin center
Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center. From Outlook on the web you can open it from the app launcher by selecting Admin. In the admin center, select Show all, then Exchange.
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02
Add a disclaimer rule
Go to Mail flow > Rules, select Add a rule and choose Apply disclaimers. The signature is added as a disclaimer so it is appended to your emails no matter which device sends them. Name the rule, for example
Email Signature. -
03
Apply the rule to your account only
Under Apply this rule if, choose The sender and is this person, then pick your user and save.
If you skip this, the rule applies to every account in your Microsoft 365 organization. Leave it open only if you want a company-wide signature or disclaimer.
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04
Add your HTML signature
Under Do the following, choose to apply a disclaimer and Append it. Paste your signature text. HTML works, so you can use the same design and clickable links as your desktop signature.
Set the fallback option. The video chooses Ignore, which sends the email without the signature if it cannot be appended.
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05
Finish and enable the rule
Select Next on the settings page without changes, then Finish and Done. Saving can take a moment.
Open the rule and switch it to Enabled.
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06
Turn off the new-email signature in Outlook
In Outlook, open your signature settings and set the default signature for new messages to none. Otherwise new emails get the signature twice.
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07
Test from each device
Send a new email with no signature from Outlook desktop, Outlook on the web and Outlook mobile. Each received email shows the same signature from the rule.
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08
Keep a signature for replies and forwards
The rule's signature is not applied to replies and forwards. In Outlook's signature settings, keep your normal signature set for Replies/forwards so those still get one.
Tips and common problems
- Always set the sender condition to yourself unless you want every user in the organization to get the same signature.
- Turn off your default signature for new messages in Outlook, or new emails will show two signatures.
- You will not see the signature while composing. It is added when the email is sent.
- Keep your Outlook signature for replies and forwards, since the rule does not cover them.
An easier option
If you do not have admin access, there is another way to get the same signature across devices: Same Outlook signature across devices (easy method).
Questions
Why doesn't my Outlook signature show on my phone?
Outlook mobile keeps its own signature setting and does not use the signature from Outlook desktop. A mail flow rule in the Exchange admin center adds the same signature to emails from every device.
Do I need admin access to set up a signature this way?
Yes. Mail flow rules are created in the Exchange admin center, so you need Microsoft 365 admin rights or an IT admin who can create the rule for your account.
Can I add a company-wide email signature in Microsoft 365?
Yes. Create the same Apply disclaimers rule but do not limit it to one sender. It then applies to everyone in the organization.
