How to Change or Add Your Gmail Signature: Desktop, iPhone and Android Steps

To change your Gmail signature on a computer, click the Settings gear at the top right, choose See all settings, stay on the General tab and scroll down to Signature. Pick the signature you want to edit (or click Create new), make your changes, choose when it is used under Signature defaults, then click Save Changes at the very bottom of the page. The Gmail app on your phone has its own, separate Mobile signature setting.

That is the short version. Below are the exact steps for every case people get stuck on: adding a logo, keeping one signature for new emails and a shorter one for replies, signatures for extra addresses, the phone apps, and what to do when Gmail says your signature is too long.

Quick steps: add or change a signature in Gmail

1. Open Gmail in a browser on your computer.
2. Click the Settings gear (top right), then See all settings.
3. On the General tab, scroll down to the Signature section.
4. Click Create new for a new signature, or click an existing one to edit it.
5. Type or paste your signature in the box.
6. Under Signature defaults, choose it for new emails, replies, or both.
7. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

Gmail allows up to 10,000 characters per signature, and that count includes images and formatting, not just the text you can see.

How to add a signature in Gmail on a computer

These steps work in Gmail on the web for both personal @gmail.com accounts and Google Workspace (work or school) accounts.

Step 1: Open the full settings. Click the gear icon at the top right of Gmail. A quick settings panel slides out. The signature setting is not in that panel, so click See all settings at the top of it.

Step 2: Find the Signature section. You land on the General tab. Scroll down (past options like Language and Undo Send) until you reach the Signature section.

Step 3: Create the signature. Click Create new, give it a name and confirm. The name is only for you (for example "Full" or "Short reply"), recipients never see it.

Step 4: Write or paste the content. Click in the box on the right and type your name, role, company and contact details. The toolbar above the box lets you change font, size, bold, italic, text color, add links and insert an image. If you built your signature in a generator, paste it here instead (see the generator section below).

Step 5: Set the defaults. Directly below the editor, under Signature defaults, there are two drop-downs: For new emails use and On reply/forward use. Pick your new signature in one or both. If you skip this step, the signature exists but Gmail never adds it, which is the most common reason people think their signature "isn't working".

Step 6: Save. Scroll to the very bottom of the settings page and click Save Changes. Nothing is saved until you do this, and leaving the page without saving throws your edits away.

Open a new email to check it. Your signature appears at the bottom of the compose window.

How to change or edit an existing Gmail signature

1. Click the Settings gear, then See all settings.
2. On the General tab, scroll to Signature and click the signature you want to change.
3. Edit it in the box on the right.
4. To rename it, click the Edit (pencil) icon next to its name.
5. Click Save Changes at the bottom.

To delete a signature, click it, click the Delete (trash) icon, confirm, and save. To keep a signature but stop using it, set both defaults to No signature instead.

Switch signatures while you write

You can also change the signature on a single email. In the compose window, click the Insert signature icon (a pen) in the bottom toolbar and choose another signature or "No signature". This only affects the email you are writing.

Multiple signatures in Gmail: one for new emails, one for replies

Gmail lets you save several signatures and decide which one goes where. A setup that works well for most people:

• For new emails use: your full signature, with logo, phone number and website.
• On reply/forward use: a short version, for example just your name, title and phone number.

In a long back-and-forth thread, the full block with a logo repeated in every reply adds clutter. A two-line reply signature keeps threads readable, and the recipient already has your full details from the first email.

Put your signature above the quoted text in replies

By default, Gmail adds your signature at the very bottom of a reply, below the whole quoted conversation. Under the Signature defaults you will find a checkbox labeled "Insert this signature before quoted text in replies and remove the '--' line that precedes it." Tick it and click Save Changes. Your signature then sits directly under what you just wrote, where the reader actually sees it, and the two dashes Gmail normally places above signatures disappear.

Different signatures for "Send mail as" addresses

If you send from more than one address in the same Gmail account (for example your own address and info@yourcompany.com), you can give each address its own signature. In the Signature section, use the drop-down menu above the signature box to choose the address, then set the defaults for that address.

If you don't see that drop-down, open the Accounts and Import tab in settings and check that the extra addresses are listed under Send mail as. Addresses only appear in the signature settings once they are set up there.

This is different from having two separate Google accounts. Each separate account (a personal Gmail and a work Workspace account, for example) has its own settings and needs its own signature.

How to add an image or logo to your Gmail signature

1. Go to Settings > See all settings > General > Signature and select your signature.
2. Place the cursor where the logo should go.
3. Click the Insert image icon in the editor toolbar.
4. Choose one of three sources:
   • My Drive: pick an image stored in your Google Drive.
   • Upload: select a file from your computer.
   • Web Address (URL): paste the link to an image that is publicly available online.
5. Click the image in the editor to resize it: Gmail offers Small, Medium, Large and Original size.
6. Click Save Changes.

Three details that save a lot of frustration:

• Drive images must be shared publicly. If you insert from Drive, the image file must be set to "Anyone with the link" with Viewer access, otherwise recipients see a broken image. If you later delete that file from Drive, the logo disappears from your signature.
• Work accounts may only show the URL option. In some Google Workspace accounts, the administrator blocks public sharing of Drive files, and the Upload and Drive options are missing or don't work. Then a public image link (Web Address) is the only way.
• Size it before you upload. Google recommends a signature image 70 to 100 pixels high and 300 to 400 pixels wide, with a maximum of 100 pixels high by 1,000 pixels wide. A large photo straight from your phone can trip the character limit and make Gmail show an error. Our email signature size guide has the numbers for logos, photos and banners.

How to paste a signature from a Gmail signature generator

Gmail has no box for HTML code. You cannot paste the code of a designed signature into the settings, but you can paste the finished, rendered signature. This is how every Gmail signature generator works:

1. Create your signature in the generator.
2. Use its Copy button (or select the whole signature in the preview and press Ctrl+C on Windows, Cmd+C on Mac). Copy the signature as you see it, not the HTML code.
3. In Gmail, go to Settings > See all settings > Signature, click into the box and press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V.
4. Check the layout, set the Signature defaults and click Save Changes.

What to watch for when pasting:

• Copy from a browser, not from Word or Google Docs. Word processors add a lot of hidden formatting code. That code counts toward the 10,000-character limit and is a common cause of the "too long" error.
• Images should be hosted online. A good generator puts your logo and icons on a web server and links to them. If an image is pasted as an embedded file, it can blow past the character limit on its own.
• Social icons should be PNG images. SVG support is patchy: Gmail now converts SVG images to PNG, and older Outlook versions (2007 to 2016 for Windows) don't show them at all, so recipients may see empty icons.

If you'd rather skip the copy and paste, Signguin can install the signature into Gmail for you. You type your work email, Signguin pulls your company logo, brand colors and contact details from your website, you pick a design, and the direct install button puts it into the Gmail settings of your main sending address. You connect Gmail once: Signguin only asks for permission to change Gmail settings, never reads your email and doesn't keep access afterwards. Every Signguin signature fits Gmail's 10,000-character limit and its images are hosted, so they don't break if your website changes. The free plan needs no sign-up.

Prefer to design one by hand? Our email signature templates show layouts that hold up in Gmail.

Gmail mobile signature on iPhone and Android

The Gmail app has its own signature setting, called Mobile signature. It is a simple text box: Google's instructions only cover typing text, and in practice there is no way to add a logo, formatting or clickable icons there. It is used only for emails you send from the Gmail app on that phone.

Gmail app on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Tap the Menu (three lines) at the top left, then Settings.
3. If you have more than one account in the app, tap the one you want (each account has its own setting).
4. Under Compose and Reply, tap Signature settings.
5. Turn on Mobile Signature.
6. Type your signature.
7. Tap Back to save.

Gmail app on Android

1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Tap the Menu at the top left.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Settings.
4. Choose the Google account you want to add a signature to.
5. Tap Mobile signature.
6. Enter your signature text and tap OK.

The trick: keep your desktop signature (with logo) on your phone

Here is the part most guides leave out. Google's own help page says that if you don't create a signature in the Gmail app, new messages use the signature you set up on your computer. So if you want your full signature, logo included, on emails sent from your phone:

• Set up the full signature in Gmail on a computer, as above.
• In the Gmail app, leave Mobile Signature turned off (iPhone) or empty (Android).

You may not see the signature in the compose window on your phone, so send yourself a test email and check how it arrives. If you turned on a mobile signature earlier, turn it off or clear it, because a mobile signature replaces the desktop one.

One more catch: all of this applies to the Gmail app only. If you read your Gmail in Apple's Mail app on an iPhone, the signature comes from the iPhone's own Mail settings. Our iPhone email signature guide covers that.

Google Workspace: signatures and footers set by your admin

If you use Gmail at work or school, your administrator can add a standard footer to everyone's outgoing email. They set it in the Google Admin console under Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Compliance > Append footer. A few things are useful to know as a user:

• You don't see the footer while you write, and you can't change or remove it.
• By default it is added only to emails going outside your organization.
• After an admin changes it, it can take up to 24 hours to apply.

So if a colleague mentions a legal disclaimer or company line under your emails that you never added, that is probably the admin footer. Check with your IT person before you add the same details to your own signature, or recipients will see them twice. Administrators can also block public sharing of Drive files, which is why some work accounts can only add signature images by URL.

Gmail signature not working? Common problems and fixes

The signature doesn't appear in new emails. Check Signature defaults: if they say "No signature", Gmail won't add it. Also check the "From" address: with several addresses, each needs its own default. And make sure you clicked Save Changes.

"Signature is too long" error. Your signature is over 10,000 characters, counting the hidden code. Usual causes: an image pasted as an embedded file instead of a hosted link, or a signature copied from Word or Google Docs. Fix: delete the signature, then paste it again from a browser preview, or insert the logo via Web Address (URL). Shortening long tracking links helps too.

The image shows as a broken icon or question mark. If it comes from Drive, make the file public ("Anyone with the link", Viewer). Otherwise delete the image and add it again using a different method (Upload, Drive or URL). Google also suggests clearing your browser cache, or trying an incognito window or a different browser.

Formatting looks wrong or has odd extra characters. Select the signature and click Remove formatting (the T with a slash through it, in the toolbar), then reformat. If the toolbar is greyed out and "Plain text" shows above the box, open Compose, click More options (three dots) at the bottom right and untick Plain text mode.

The signature is hidden behind three dots. In a thread, Gmail hides repeated content behind a "Show trimmed content" button (three dots). Click it to see the signature. Nothing is wrong with the signature itself.

My phone sends a plain-text signature. A Gmail app mobile signature is switched on. Turn it off to fall back to the desktop one, as described above.

What to put in your Gmail signature

Keep it to four to six lines: full name, job title, company, one phone number, website, and at most one or two links (LinkedIn, booking page). A small logo is enough branding. Skip inspirational quotes and long legal text unless your industry requires it. If you also sign emails with "Best" or "Kind regards", that line belongs in the email itself, above the signature; see our guide to email sign-offs. For more on wording and layout, read how to write a professional email signature. And if you also send from Outlook, here is how to add a signature in Outlook.

FAQ

Why can't I find the signature setting in Gmail?

The gear icon opens a quick settings panel that doesn't include signatures. Click See all settings at the top of that panel, stay on the General tab and scroll down to Signature. In the Gmail phone app, the setting is called Signature settings (iPhone) or Mobile signature (Android) and lives under Settings for each account.

What is the Gmail signature character limit?

10,000 characters. The limit counts everything Gmail stores, including the formatting code and images, not only the visible text. A plain text signature will never get close, but a signature copied from Word or one with an embedded image can exceed it, and Gmail then refuses to save it.

Can I have a different Gmail signature for replies?

Yes. Create two signatures, then under Signature defaults pick one in For new emails use and the other in On reply/forward use. Many people use a full signature for new emails and a two-line version for replies, so long threads don't repeat a logo and contact block in every message.

How do I add a clickable link or social media icons?

For a text link, select the words in the signature editor, click the Link icon and paste the address. For icons, insert each one as an image (PNG, not SVG) and then add a link to the image. A signature generator does this for you and keeps the icons small and correctly sized.

Why does my Gmail signature look different on my phone?

Either a mobile signature is turned on in the Gmail app, which replaces your desktop signature with plain text, or you're sending from Apple Mail or Outlook on the phone, which use their own signature settings. Turn off the Gmail mobile signature, or set the signature in the app you actually send from.

How do I remove my signature in Gmail?

Go to Settings > See all settings > General > Signature. Either set both Signature defaults to No signature (the signature stays saved for later), or select it, click the trash icon to delete it, and click Save Changes. In the phone app, turn off Mobile Signature or clear the text.