How to fix email signature images not displaying in Outlook

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix email signature images not displaying in Outlook. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Email signatures that display correctly when you compose a message can sometimes appear broken when the recipient opens your email. This typically happens because the image is referenced from a local file path on your computer rather than being embedded in the email itself, or because Outlook is blocking external image downloads. The steps below will help you identify and resolve the most common causes on both Windows and Mac versions of Outlook.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Check whether the image is stored locally on your computer or hosted online.
2. Re-insert the image into your signature using the Insert Picture option rather than copying and pasting.
3. Verify Outlook's image blocking settings.
4. Test the signature by sending an email to yourself and viewing it on another device.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Determine how your image is stored

Outlook handles images in signatures in one of two ways. If the image is referenced from a local file path (for example, C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\logo.png on Windows or /Users/YourName/Pictures/logo.png on Mac), the recipient's computer will not be able to load it because that file path does not exist on their machine. Images hosted on a public web server are more reliable, but they can still be blocked by Outlook's security settings.

Step 2: Re-insert the image correctly

Follow the steps for your version of Outlook.

Outlook for Windows

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures.
2. Select the signature you want to edit from the list on the left.
3. Click inside the Edit signature box where you want the image to appear.
4. Click the Insert Picture icon (it looks like a small image of mountains and a sun).
5. Browse to the image file on your computer and select it.
6. Click OK to save the signature, then OK again to close the Options window.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook and go to Outlook > Settings (or Preferences in older versions) > Signatures.
2. Select the signature you want to edit.
3. Click in the editing pane where you want the image.
4. Click the Picture icon in the formatting toolbar.
5. Choose the image file from your Mac and click Insert.
6. Close the Signatures window to save your changes.

Step 3: Check Outlook's image blocking settings

Outlook blocks automatic download of external images by default as a security measure. This affects images hosted on web servers, not images embedded directly in the email. If your signature image is hosted online, recipients may see a red X or a blank box until they click Download Pictures.

To change this behaviour on your own computer:

Outlook for Windows

1. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.
2. Select Automatic Download from the left menu.
3. Uncheck Don't download pictures automatically in standard HTML email messages or RSS items.
4. Click OK twice to save.

Outlook for Mac

1. Go to Outlook > Settings > Reading.
2. Under Security, change the setting for Automatically download pictures from the internet.
3. Close the Settings window.

Step 4: Embed the image rather than linking

The most reliable way to ensure your signature image displays for all recipients is to embed it directly into the email. When you use the Insert Picture option from a local file, Outlook embeds a copy of the image in the email itself. This means the recipient does not need to download anything from the internet.

To verify the image is embedded:

1. Compose a new email using the signature.
2. Right-click the image in the signature and select Save as Picture (Windows) or Save Image As (Mac).
3. If you can save the image, it is embedded. If the option is greyed out or the image appears as a broken link, it is being referenced externally.

Troubleshooting

The image displays as a red X or blank box

• Confirm the image file is in a standard format such as PNG, JPEG, or GIF. Unusual formats like BMP or TIFF may not display correctly in all email clients.
• Check the file size. Very large images (over 1 MB) may be stripped by some email servers. Resize the image to under 100 KB for best results.
• Ensure the image file has not been moved or deleted from its original location on your computer.

The image displays in Outlook but not for recipients using other email clients

• Re-embed the image using the steps in Step 2 above. Copying and pasting an image from a web browser often creates a link to the original web page rather than embedding the image.
• Ask the recipient to check their own email client's image blocking settings.
• If your organisation uses a centralised email signature management tool, contact your administrator to update the signature template.

The image displays on Windows but not on Mac (or vice versa)

• Create separate signatures for each platform if necessary. Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac store signatures in different locations and formats.
• On Mac, avoid using images with file names containing spaces or special characters, as these can cause issues when Outlook references the file.

Signature images are stripped when replying or forwarding

• Outlook may remove images from signatures when you reply to or forward an email, depending on the message format. Compose new emails in HTML format rather than Plain Text or Rich Text.
• Check the email format by going to Format Text > HTML when composing a message.

If you have followed all the steps above and your signature image still does not display correctly, Open a Ticket and our support team will assist you.

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