How to Make a Basic iOS Email Signature

An email signature shows up at the bottom of outgoing emails. It might include a name and title, a quote, or information such as a website URL or phone number. Email signatures are set up on the iPhone and iPad in the Settings app. The iPhone's default signature line is "Sent from my iPhone," but you can change this signature to anything you want (or use none at all). You can even make an email signature that differs for each of your connected email accounts. Here's how to set up a basic email signature that automatically shows up at the end of each of your outgoing emails on your iPhone or iPad:



  1. 1. Open the Settings app from the home screen.

    Callout of Settings app on an iPad screen

  2. 2. Scroll down and tap Mail.

    Callout of Mail icon in Settings app on iPad

    NOTE: If you don't see this option, the most recent version of iOS isn't installed on your device—instead, select Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

  3. 3. Select Signature.

    Signature area in Mail settings in Settings app on iPad
  4. 4. Type the desired email signature in the space provided, or remove all of the text to delete the email signature.

    TIP: If you have more than one email address set up in Mail and use the same email signature for all addresses, tap All Accounts. Or, choose Per Account to specify a different email signature for each account.

  5. 5. To apply formatting, double-tap the signature and use the handles to select the portion of the signature that you want to format.


  6. 6. In the menu that appears above the selected text, tap the BIU tab.

    Formatting options after highlighting the word "Happy" in an email signature on iPad
  7. NOTE: If you don't see the menu, tap the right-pointing arrow on the menu bar. It may be called BIU.

  8. 7. Tap either Bold, Italic, or Underline.

    Bold formatting the word "Happy" in Mail settings on iPad
  9. TIP: To apply a different formatting style to another part of the signature, tap outside the text, and repeat the process.

  10. 8. Tap the arrow in the upper-left corner of the Signature screen to save the changes and return to the Mail screen.


  Add Images and Other Formatting to a Signature

 You can't change the color, font, or font size of an email signature by default. The iOS Mail app signature  settings offer only basic rich text features. Even if you copy and paste a formatted feature from elsewhere into the Mail signature settings, most of the rich text formatting is removed. However, there's a trick to make these formatting details, including images, appear in the signature when you paste it.


  1. 1. From a computer, log in to the email account you want to use the signature from, and create the email signature exactly how you want it to look on your iOS device.

    Email signature created on a computer
  2. 2. Compose a new message so that the signature is used, save the email as a draft, then open it from your iPhone or iPad.

  3. 3. Tap and hold an empty space in the message, choose either Select or Select All, then make changes to the highlighted content.

  4. 4. Select Copy.

    Copy button on iOS


  5. 5. Select Cancel on the draft message, then open the Signature area in the Settings app.


  6. 6. Tap and hold in the signature box, then select Paste. The signature looks similar to, but not exactly like, the one you created.

    Copy and Paste option on an iPad email signature

7. Shake the device and, in the Undo Change Attributes dialog box, choose Undo.



Undo button on iPad
8. The signature returns to the way it was when you copied it. Tap the button on the top left corner of the screen to save the signature and return to your email.



     iPad signature with image and rich text formatting



9. You can now send emails from your iPad or iPhone with a customized signature.

Tips for Composing an Email Signature

Although the default signature-formatting options on an iOS device don't provide much variety, you can still generate an effective signature by following a few guidelines.

  • Keep it short. Limit your signature to no more than five lines of text. If you think you can't make your information fit, use pipes (|) or colons (:) to separate text sections.
  • A business signature should include your name, title, company name, a link to the company website, and a business phone number. If available, add a link to a recent article or post about you or your company.
  • You don't need to include your email address in your email signature because it's at the top of the email. 
  • For a personal email account, include links to your social profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
  • Short, inspiring quotes often appear at the end of email signatures. These are more appropriate for personal than business signatures.
  • Leave out any legal disclaimers unless your company requires you to include one.
  • Test your formatted signature with several email clients to make sure it looks the way you want.