How to add a signature in Apple Mail
Apple Mail on the Mac supports rich HTML signatures with images, colors and links. The iPhone and iPad Mail app is more limited. Both sets of steps are below, including the one checkbox that breaks most pasted signatures on the Mac.
Step by step
- Open Mail settings on the Mac. In the Mail app, choose Mail from the menu bar, then Settings (or press Cmd+comma), and click the "Signatures" tab.
- Choose the account. In the left column, select the email account the signature belongs to, rather than "All Signatures", so Mail attaches it to that account.
- Create the signature. Click the plus button, name the signature, and paste your designed signature into the editor on the right with Cmd+V. Build one first in the free signature generator if you need a design.
- Untick the font checkbox. Untick "Always match my default message font". Leaving it ticked strips the fonts and colors from your signature and replaces them with the plain message font. This is the most common reason pasted signatures lose their design.
- Set the default. At the bottom, use "Choose Signature" to pick the default for that account. Compose a new email to confirm it appears.
- iPhone and iPad. Go to Settings, then Mail (on iOS 18 and later: Settings, then Apps, then Mail), and tap "Signature". You can set one signature for all accounts or one per account. The iOS editor keeps basic formatting if you paste rich text, but it is far more limited than the Mac, so complex layouts may simplify.
Common problems
Signature loses its design after pasting: untick "Always match my default message font" in the Signatures tab, then re-paste.
Images show as attachments: Apple Mail may attach embedded images rather than displaying them inline for recipients on other clients. Use a hosted image URL in your signature instead of pasting an image file.
Signature missing when replying: Mail only inserts the signature chosen for the account you are sending from; check the From address matches the account the signature is attached to.
Create a professional signature free in a couple of minutes: pick a layout from our signature examples or start in the signature generator, then come back to these steps to install it in Apple Mail.
Open the free signature generator →Related guides
How to add a signature in Gmail • How to add a signature in Outlook