A good email signature saves you retyping your details on every message, and an out-of-office reply lets people know when to expect an answer while you are away. By the end of this page you will know how to set up a signature, choose it as the default for new emails and replies, and set up Automatic Replies with clear start and end dates.
A signature is the block of text, and sometimes a logo, that appears automatically at the bottom of your emails, typically your name, job title and phone number. Setting one up properly means you never have to type it again, and choosing it correctly for both new messages and replies means it appears exactly when you want it to and not when you do not.
Signatures are set up under File > Options > Mail > Signatures, where you can create one or more named signatures and choose separate defaults for new messages and for replies or forwards, since many people prefer a full signature on a new email but a shorter one on a reply. Automatic Replies is found under File > Automatic Replies (Out of Office), and it lets you write one message for people inside your organisation and, separately, a different message for people outside it, along with a start and end date so it switches itself off without you needing to remember.
- Each saved signature by name
- Default for a brand new email
- Default when replying instead
Try it yourself
Go to File > Options > Mail, then click the Signatures button.
This opens the Signatures and Stationery window, where every signature you create is stored and managed.
Click New, give the signature a name such as 'Standard', and type your name, job title and phone number into the box below, formatting it as you would like it to appear.
Giving it a sensible name matters if you later create a second, shorter signature and need to tell them apart.
On the right of the window, use the two drop-down lists to set this signature as the default for New messages and separately for Replies/forwards.
Setting both means the signature appears automatically whenever you write or reply to an email, without you having to insert it manually each time.
Go to File > Automatic Replies (Out of Office), select 'Send automatic replies', and tick 'Only send during this time range' to set a start and end date.
Adding an end date means your automatic reply switches off by itself when you return, rather than continuing to tell people you are away long after you are back.
Type your away message on the Inside My Organisation tab, then click the Outside My Organisation tab and write a shorter, more general message for external senders.
People outside your organisation do not need internal details like which colleague is covering for you, so a shorter, more guarded message is usually safer.
Words people use
Between them, a well-set-up signature and a properly dated automatic reply mean Outlook keeps working sensibly on your behalf, whether you are sitting at your desk or on annual leave, without you needing to remember to switch anything on or off at the right moment.
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can create a signature and add my details to it.
- I can set separate defaults for new messages and for replies.
- I can set up Automatic Replies with a start and end date.
- I know to keep my message to outside senders shorter and more general.