How to Add an Email Signature in Apple Mail (Mac)

Set up a formatted signature in Apple Mail on a Mac: open Signatures in settings, paste your HTML signature, and assign it to your account.

Updated 4 min read By CodingEagles
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To add a signature in Apple Mail on a Mac, build it here and copy it, then open Mail → Settings → Signatures, create a signature, turn off “Always match my default message font”, paste your signature in, and assign it to your account. Here is the detail.

Step by step

  1. In the signature generator, enter your details, pick a layout, and press Copy signature.
  2. In Apple Mail, open Mail → Settings (or Preferences on older versions), then the Signatures tab.
  3. Select your email account in the left column, then click the + to add a signature.
  4. Important: untick “Always match my default message font”, or Apple Mail will flatten the formatting.
  5. Click into the signature preview on the right and paste. Your formatted signature appears.
  6. To use it automatically, pick it under Choose Signature for that account.

Compose a new message to confirm it inserts correctly.

If the formatting disappears

The usual culprit is the “Always match my default message font” option, which converts signatures to plain text. With it switched off, the pasted signature keeps its layout, colours and links. If a logo is missing, check the image URL is public and re-paste from the generator.

To get started, open the email signature generator. For your phone, see adding a signature on iPhone.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Apple Mail strip my signature's formatting?
Apple Mail has a setting called 'Always match my default message font', which forces signatures to plain text. Untick it in the Signatures settings so your pasted, formatted signature keeps its layout and links.
How do I keep the links and image after pasting?
Paste directly into the signature preview box on the right of the Signatures panel, with the 'always match default font' option turned off. Images need a public URL, since Apple Mail loads them from the web.
Can I use this signature on my iPhone too?
iPhone signatures are set separately in the Mail settings on the device and are usually plain text. See the iPhone guide for the options, including a workaround for a formatted signature.

Ready to try it?

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Open the Email Signature Generator