$ signature --html
Text and filesEmail Signature Generator
Fill it in, see the preview and paste it into Gmail or Outlook already formatted — with the table-based HTML real email clients can actually render.
- 100% in your browser
- free
- no sign-up
Why the code looks like it is from 2005
If you open the HTML generated here, you will find <table>, presentational attributes and inline styles on every cell — everything web development abandoned two decades ago. That is not carelessness: it is the only thing that works.
An email client is not a browser. Outlook for Windows renders HTML with the Microsoft Word engine, not a web engine. Gmail strips <style> blocks and ignores CSS classes. Neither supports flexbox or grid reliably. A signature built with modern CSS looks great in your editor and arrives broken for half the recipients — the half you never see.
What to include (and what to leave out)
A useful signature has four to six lines: name, title, company, one phone, one email and at most one link. It appears on every reply in a thread, and on a phone it competes for space with the message.
- Name and title — who you are and what you do. It is the minimum and covers most cases.
- One phone only. Landline plus mobile plus extension plus WhatsApp is an invitation for nobody to call any of them.
- One link. Whichever is most useful to the recipient — company site, LinkedIn or portfolio.
- Leave out: full postal address, five social networks, motivational quotes, campaign banners and background images. The last two are usually blocked and show up as an empty rectangle.
The image needs an address on the internet
The photo field asks for a URL, not a file, because the signature only stores the link — the recipient fetches the image from that address when opening the message. A file pasted from your computer exists only on your machine, and the recipient sees a blank space.
Worth knowing too: many email clients do not load external images by default, precisely because doing so tells the sender the message was opened. In corporate contexts a text-only signature is usually safer — and never breaks. If you do use a photo, the image compressor makes the file light before you host it.
Where to paste it in each client
- Gmail: Settings → See all settings → General → Signature. Paste and save at the bottom of the page — that last step is the most forgotten.
- Outlook web: Settings → Accounts → Signatures.
- Outlook for Windows: File → Options → Mail → Signatures.
- Apple Mail: paste into the signature area and uncheck “Always match my default message font”, otherwise the app discards all formatting.
Privacy: a signature is a bundle of personal data
Full name, title, company, direct phone and corporate email — exactly the set that feeds prospecting and spam lists. Here nothing is sent: the fields, the preview and the HTML generation all happen in your browser, with no network request and no storage. Close the tab and the data is gone.
## faq
Frequently asked questions
How do I add the signature to Gmail?
Click "Copy signature", open Gmail, go to Settings (the gear) → See all settings → General, scroll to Signature, create a new one and paste with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac). The copy goes as formatted HTML, so the signature arrives assembled instead of as a pile of code. Do not forget to save changes at the bottom of the page — the step most people skip.
Why does the signature use tables instead of modern CSS?
Because an email client is not a browser. Outlook for Windows renders HTML with the Microsoft Word engine, Gmail strips <style> blocks and CSS classes, and neither supports flexbox or grid reliably. Inline-styled tables are ugly on the inside and are the only layout that survives across the three most used clients. A beautiful signature that breaks in Outlook is not a beautiful signature.
My photo does not show up for recipients. Why?
Because the image has to be hosted at a public address on the internet. That is exactly why the field asks for a URL: the signature HTML only stores the link, and the recipient fetches the image from that address. If you paste a file from your computer, it exists only on your machine. Host the photo anywhere public — the company site, a repository, an image service — and use the link.
Should I put a photo in my signature?
It depends on who you write to. A photo helps in sales, support and any context where the relationship is personal. In technical and internal corporate contexts it adds weight and is often blocked by default — many clients do not load external images without permission, and the signature shows an empty rectangle. When in doubt, a text-only signature never breaks.
What is the ideal length for a signature?
Four to six lines. Name, title, company, one phone, one email and at most one link. A signature with a full address, five social networks, a campaign banner and three paragraphs of legal notice is the most irritating kind: it repeats on every reply in a long thread, and on a phone it takes up more room than the message itself.
Does the legal disclaimer in the footer do anything?
Legally, almost nothing — that "this message is confidential and if you received it in error you must delete it" text creates no obligation for someone who never consented. It exists because of internal policy in regulated sectors (legal, financial, healthcare) and as signalling. If your company requires it, use the footer field; if not, the space earns more with one useful line.
Is my data sent to any server?
No. Name, phone, email and everything else stay in your browser — the HTML generation and preview happen locally, with no network request. Nothing is saved: close the tab and the fields are gone. It matters because a signature bundles exactly the data set that feeds spam lists: full name, title, company, direct phone and corporate email.
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