Using a current version of Outlook? These steps are for very old Outlook versions (2003 through 2016) on Windows XP, Vista, or 7. If you're on a modern version of Outlook, see How do I add an email signature to Outlook for Windows and Web (2026)? instead — the process below is significantly different and only applies to these legacy versions.
How do I add my signature to legacy Outlook (2003–2016)?
Step 1: Create a blank signature in Outlook
In Outlook, go to Tools > Options > Mail Format.
Click Signatures.
Click New, name your signature (e.g. "signature"), and click OK.
Leave the signature blank, click OK, then close Outlook.
Step 2: Locate your signature folder
Use either of these methods:
In Outlook's signature options, Ctrl+click the Signature button to open the folder directly.
Or manually navigate to it: click Start > Run, then paste in the path for your OS:
Windows Vista / 7:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SignaturesWindows XP / 2003:
%userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures
Step 3: Replace the signature file
In that folder, you'll see three files for your blank signature (
.htm,.txt,.rtf). If you don't see file extensions, go to Tools > Folder Options > View and uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types."Replace the
.htmfile with your downloaded htmlsig signature file, keeping the exact same filename.Open Outlook — your signature should now be ready to use.