A polished email signature helps your messages look professional, build trust, and keep your branding consistent across every interaction. Whether you’re a Google Workspace admin setting up best practices for your organization or an individual user updating your signature, Gmail makes it simple to get started.
Below, we’ll walk through how to add a signature in Gmail, plus share a quick tip connecting to another essential email skill: how to unsend a Gmail message in case you ever hit “Send” a little too soon.
Why Your Email Signature Matters
An email signature is more than a sign-off. It communicates your brand personality, reinforces credibility, and provides contacts with essential information such as your title, phone number, website, and social links. For organizations, consistent signatures across all users ensure unified branding and help present a professional image.
Once your signature is set up, Gmail automatically inserts it into every message, saving time and reducing errors.
How to Add a Signature in Gmail
Adding or updating a signature in Gmail only takes a minute. Here’s how:
1. Open Gmail Settings
- Log in to Gmail.
- In the top-right corner, click the gear icon.
- Select See all settings.
2. Navigate to the Signature Section
Scroll down in the General tab until you find the Signature area.
3. Create a New Signature
- Click Create new.
- Enter a name for your signature (e.g., “Default,” “Work,” “Support”).
- Use the text editor to add your name, title, contact info, and any brand assets such as a logo or banner.
Tip: When adding an image (like a logo or banner), upload it directly from your computer rather than pasting it from another source. This helps ensure the image stays clear, properly sized, and displays consistently across different email clients. If your organization hosts images online, using the URL option can also improve loading reliability.
4. Set Signature Defaults
Under Signature defaults, choose:
- Which signature should appear for new emails, and
- Which should appear when replying or forwarding.
5. Save Your Changes
Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes. Your signature will now appear automatically in your messages.
Design Tips for a Professional Signature
A clean, effective signature should include:
- Your full name
- Job title
- Company name
- Phone number
- Website
- Social links
- A company-approved logo or banner (if applicable)
Keep formatting simple and mobile-friendly. Avoid oversized images, too many colors, or unnecessary quotes.
Pro Tip: Pair Your Signature With Another Essential Gmail Skill
Once your signature looks great, there’s one more Gmail setting every user should know: the ability to unsend an email.
Gmail’s Undo Send feature lets you recall a message for up to 30 seconds after sending. If you ever send an email before finishing the signature, forget to include an attachment, or spot a typo in your sign-off, Undo Send can be a lifesaver.
Scaling Signatures Across Your Organization
While individual users can manage their own signatures, organizations often struggle to maintain consistent branding across all employees. That’s where Signature Manager for Gmail can help. It allows admins to create, deploy, and manage signatures for every user without manual edits or one-off troubleshooting.
Anna Gutierrez