How to Add an Email Signature in Gmail (Step by Step)

An email signature is a short block of text, such as your name, job title, website or phone number, that Gmail adds to the end of your messages. You set it up once in Gmail's settings and Gmail adds it for you. This guide walks through each Gmail screen on a computer: creating a signature, formatting it, adding a logo, choosing when it is used, and fixing common problems.

Quick answer

Gmail → Settings (gear) → See all settings → General → Signature → Create new. Name the signature, type it in the box, then under Signature defaults choose it for new emails and for replies/forwards. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes. A signature can be up to 10,000 characters.

Gmail signature settings at a glance

Setting or limit	What to know
Where	Settings → See all settings → General → Signature
Length limit	Up to 10,000 characters. Images also count toward the limit.
Multiple signatures	Yes. Create as many as you need (for example Work and Personal) and pick one per message.
Signature name	Only you see it. The name box counts up to 320 characters.
For new emails use	The signature added to messages you compose
On reply/forward use	The signature added when you reply or forward (can be a different one, or No signature)
Per-address defaults	If you use Send mail as, pick each address in the Email address menu and set its own defaults
Image size	Recommended 70–100 px high by 300–400 px wide; maximum 100 px high by 1,000 px wide

Source: Gmail Help: Create a Gmail signature and Troubleshoot issues with Gmail signatures. The 320-character name counter is shown in Gmail's Name new signature box.

Step-by-step: add a signature in Gmail

Step 1: Open Settings → General → Signature

1. In Gmail on a computer, click the gear icon (top right), then See all settings.
2. Stay on the General tab. It opens first.
3. Scroll down to the Signature row. If you have none yet, it says No signatures. Click Create new.

Step 2: Name the signature

1. In the Name new signature box, type a name, for example Work. Recipients do not see this name. It just helps you tell signatures apart.
2. Click Create.

Step 3: Type and format your signature

1. Your new signature appears in the list on the left. Use the pencil to rename it or the bin to delete it.
2. Click in the box on the right and type your signature. Keep it short: name, role or company, and one or two contact lines. For example:
   Suni Wongsakul
   Webmail Wiki | www.webmail.wiki
3. Select text and use the toolbar to change the font, size, bold, italic, underline or colour.
4. To turn text into a link, select it and click Insert link (the chain icon). To add a logo, click Insert image (see Add a logo or image below).

Step 4: Choose when the signature is used

Below the editor, under Signature defaults:

1. Email address: if you send from more than one address, pick the address these defaults apply to. Each address can have its own defaults.
2. For new emails use: pick your signature (here, Work).
3. On reply/forward use: pick the same signature, a shorter one, or No signature.
4. Optional: tick Insert signature before quoted text in replies and remove the "--" line that precedes it. Your signature then sits right under your reply, above the earlier messages, instead of at the very bottom.

Step 5: Save Changes

Scroll to the very bottom of the General tab and click Save Changes. If you leave the page without saving, the new signature is lost.

Step 6: Check it in a new message

Click Compose. Your signature should appear in the message body. To switch signatures for one message, click Insert signature at the bottom of the compose window and pick another one, or choose none. Tip: Gmail's keyboard shortcuts make composing and replying faster.

Add a logo or image to your signature

In the signature editor, click Insert image. Gmail offers three ways to add it:

• My Drive: choose an image from Google Drive. The file must be shared as Anyone with the link with Viewer access, or recipients will not see it.
• Upload: upload an image file from your computer.
• Web Address (URL): paste the address of an image that is publicly available on the web, such as the logo on your website.

Use a small image: Google recommends 70–100 pixels high and 300–400 pixels wide. After adding it, click the image in the editor to pick Small, Medium, Large or Original size. Remember the image counts toward the 10,000-character limit. If you get an error, use a smaller image.

Different signatures for different addresses

If you send from other addresses with Gmail's Send mail as feature, each address can have its own signature. Use the Email address menu in Signature defaults to pick an address, then choose its signatures. If an address is missing from the menu, check that it is listed under Settings → Accounts and Import → Send mail as. Our guide to sending from your xyz.am (Thexyz) address in Gmail shows how to add one.

Gmail app on a phone or tablet

The Gmail app has its own mobile signature, which is used only for mail you send from the app.

• Android: Menu → Settings → choose your account → Mobile signature → type it → OK.
• iPhone and iPad: Menu → Settings → under Compose and Reply, Signature settings → turn on Mobile Signature → type it → tap Back to save. With several accounts in the app, set it for each one.

The mobile signature is entered as text, without the web editor's formatting or images. If you set one, the app uses it instead of your computer signature. If you don't, new messages from the app use the signature you set up on your computer.

Troubleshooting

My signature doesn't show when I reply or forward

• Check On reply/forward use under Signature defaults. If it says No signature, pick one and click Save Changes.
• Check that you set the defaults for the address you are replying from (the Email address menu).
• In replies, Gmail may hide the signature behind three dots. Click Show trimmed content (the … button) to see it. Ticking Insert signature before quoted text puts it right below your reply.

My signature image doesn't appear

• Image from Drive: share it as Anyone with the link, Viewer. If the Drive file is deleted, the image disappears from the signature.
• Image from a URL: the address must be public (open it in a private browser window to check).
• Delete the image and add it again, or try another method (Drive, Upload or URL).
• If the upload fails, clear your browser cache, try a Chrome incognito window, or another browser.
• Shows as a broken icon or the wrong size? Resize the image to the recommended size and add it again.

I can't format my signature, or I see odd characters

• If Plain Text appears above the signature box, turn off plain text mode: click Compose → More options (three dots, bottom right) → untick Plain text mode.
• Extra characters or broken layout? Select the signature and click Remove formatting in the toolbar, then format it again.

FAQ

How long can a Gmail signature be?

Up to 10,000 characters. Images count toward the limit too.

Can I have more than one signature?

Yes. Click Create new for each one, set defaults for new emails and replies, and switch signatures in a message with the Insert signature button.

How do I change or delete a signature?

Go to Settings → See all settings → General → Signature. Click the signature, edit the text (or click the pencil to rename it, or the bin to delete it), then click Save Changes.

Can I use a different signature for replies?

Yes. Under Signature defaults, set On reply/forward use to a different (often shorter) signature, or to No signature.

Does my computer signature work in the Gmail app?

Yes, unless you set a mobile signature in the app. Then the app uses the mobile signature instead.

Sources

1. Gmail Help: Create a Gmail signature (Computer): 10,000-character limit, images count, multiple signatures, defaults for new emails and replies, Insert signature in compose, per-address signatures for Send mail as.
2. Gmail Help: Create a Gmail signature (Android) and (iPhone & iPad): mobile signature steps.
3. Gmail Help: Troubleshoot issues with Gmail signatures: image methods, Drive sharing, recommended and maximum image size, plain text mode, Remove formatting, Show trimmed content.

Last checked October 30, 2026. Screenshots are from Gmail on the web (Settings → General). Example signature: Suni Wongsakul, Webmail Wiki.