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How to add an email signature in Gmail

Gmail lets you paste a formatted signature into its settings, but it is picky about size and images. This guide walks through the whole thing: build the signature with the free generator on the home page, paste it in, and avoid the two problems people hit most (a “signature too long” error and a photo that never shows).

Create your signature

What Gmail accepts

Gmail signatures are rich text. You can paste formatted HTML (bold name, colored links, a photo, social icons) and Gmail keeps it, as long as the signature is under roughly 10,000 characters and images come from a public URL.

Images that are embedded directly in the signature (data URIs) are stripped by Gmail. That is why the generator warns when you upload a photo: for Gmail, host the photo somewhere public and paste its link into the Photo URL field instead.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Build your signature

    Use the generator on the home page: pick a template, fill in your name, title, company, phone, and links, then click Copy signature. The deliverability check tells you if the signature is small enough for Gmail.

  2. 2

    Open Gmail settings on a computer

    In Gmail, click the gear icon in the top right, then See all settings. Signatures can only be created on desktop; the mobile app can only pick an existing one.

  3. 3

    Find the Signature section

    Stay on the General tab and scroll down to Signature. Click Create new, give the signature a name (for example “Work”), and click Create.

  4. 4

    Paste the signature

    Click inside the signature editor box and paste with Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac). The formatting, photo, and links should appear exactly as in the preview.

  5. 5

    Set it as the default

    Under Signature defaults, choose the new signature for New emails and for On reply/forward. Leave “Insert signature before quoted text” checked if you want it above the quoted thread.

  6. 6

    Save and test

    Scroll to the bottom and click Save changes. Compose a new message to confirm the signature appears and the links open.

Tips

  • If Gmail says the signature is too long, it is almost always an embedded image. Replace the uploaded photo with a hosted image URL and copy again.
  • Gmail shows a plain-text version of your signature in the plain-text compose mode. The generator’s “Copy plain text” gives you a matching version if you need it.
  • On the Gmail mobile app, go to Settings, choose the account, tap Mobile Signature, and paste plain text. Rich signatures created on desktop are used automatically when “Mobile Signature” is off.
  • Keep the signature to five or six lines. Long disclaimers push replies down and get cut with a “…” in threads.

Common questions

Create your signature