How to Fix Microsoft Outlook Email Signatures Not Appearing or Showing Incorrectly in Replies and Forwards

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Fix Microsoft Outlook Email Signatures Not Appearing or Showing Incorrectly in Replies and Forwards. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

If your Microsoft Outlook email signature is missing, appearing incorrectly, or failing to show up in replies and forwards, it is usually caused by signature settings, reply formatting, or a conflict with your email account type. This guide provides steps to help Brisbane small business users restore their signatures across Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Restart Outlook and check if the signature appears in a new email.
2. Verify that a signature is selected for New messages and Replies/forwards.
3. Switch the email format to HTML if you are using Plain Text.
4. Check your signature settings in Outlook on the web if you use a Microsoft 365 account.

Detailed Instructions

Outlook for Windows (Microsoft 365 / Office 2021)

1. Open Outlook and select File > Options.
2. In the left menu, click Mail.
3. Under Compose messages, select Signatures....
4. Choose your signature from the Choose default signature section.
5. Set New messages and Replies/forwards to your preferred signature.
6. Click OK to save, then click OK again to close Outlook Options.
7. Open a new email to confirm the signature appears.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook and select Outlook > Settings (or Preferences in older versions) from the top menu.
2. Under Email, click Signatures.
3. Select the signature you wish to use from the list.
4. Set the Default signature for your account under Choose default signature.
5. Close the Settings window and test by composing a new message.

Outlook on the Web (Office 365)

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web.
2. Select the Settings (gear) icon in the top right.
3. Go to Mail > Compose and reply.
4. Under Email signature, create or edit your signature.
5. Check the boxes for Automatically include my signature on new messages I compose and Automatically include my signature on messages I forward or reply to.
6. Click Save.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Signature missing in replies and forwards

Outlook may be configured to add signatures only to new messages. Check your default signature settings as described above and ensure Replies/forwards is set to your signature rather than (none).

Signature formatting looks broken

If your signature colours, fonts, or images appear distorted, the email may be sent in Plain Text format. Plain Text does not support images or styled formatting.

1. In a new email, select the Options tab.
2. Click Format Text and choose HTML.
3. Re-insert your signature and send a test email.

Signature not appearing on a shared mailbox

Signatures are tied to the individual mailbox sending the email. If you are sending from a shared mailbox, you may need to configure the signature within that mailbox's profile or use a centralised signature management solution.

Signatures not syncing between Outlook desktop and Outlook on the web

Signatures created in Outlook on the web do not always sync to the Outlook desktop app, and vice versa. If your signature appears in one location but not the other, you may need to create it separately in each application.

Related Articles

• Setting Up an Email Account in Outlook (POP/IMAP/Exchange)
• Managing Email Signatures in Outlook
• Troubleshooting Outlook Send/Receive Errors
• Backing Up and Restoring Outlook Data Files (.pst/.ost)
• Organizing Emails with Rules and Alerts in Outlook
• Using Outlook Calendar and Scheduling Meetings

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