How to Set up Your Hotmail Signature in Outlook.com

Hotmail users have the same options as other Outlook.com users

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by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated February 24, 2019

No email is complete without a signature that contains a few lines of contact information and maybe a witty quote or some self-marketing at the end. If you have a Hotmail email account, set up your signature in Outlook.com and automatically add it to all the emails you write.

Set Up Your Hotmail Signature in Outlook.com

In early 2016, Microsoft phased out Windows Live Hotmail and moved Hotmail email accounts to Outlook.com, the free web interface. Outlook.com email users with Hotmail addresses can set up and format an email signature the same way as everyone else who uses Outlook.com.

To create a signature for your Hotmail email address:

  1. Sign in at Outlook.com.

  2. Select Settings > Mail > Compose and reply.

  3. In the right pane, enter your signature in the Email signature text box.

    A screenshot showing where to add a signature in Hotmail email

  4. Use the formatting tools to change the look of the text.

  5. Select the Automatically include my signature on the new messages that I compose check box.

  6. If you want to include your signature in replies and forwarded messages, select the Automatically include my signature on messages I forward or reply to check box.

  7. Select Save when you're finished.

  8. Outlook.com includes your signature automatically when you compose a message.

  9. If you don't want to add your email signature to a particular message, delete it as you would delete regular text.

Tips for an Effective Hotmail Signature

You probably send several emails a day, and each one is an opportunity to market yourself or your business. Don't squander these opportunities with a nonexistent or limited email signature.

Here's how to create a useful Hotmail email signature:

  • Limit your email signature to five lines of text.

  • Include your contact information.

  • Use dividers to minimize lines. For example Address | City | Phone.

  • Keep the use of color simple.

  • Insert live links to your website or business.

  • Include social icons that link to your social profiles.

  • Format the signature to make it mobile friendly. Space out icons that recipients may want to tap and use a font size that is readable on small screens.

Don't treat email signatures as an afterthought. They make it easy for people to reach you and give people a place to go when they want to find out more about you or your business.