How to Add an Email Signature in Apple Mail
Apple Mail uses the WebKit rendering engine — the same engine as Safari — so it renders HTML email signatures more faithfully than Outlook or Gmail. But setting up a signature correctly still has pitfalls: the editor defaults to plain text mode (stripping formatting on paste), signatures are per-account by default, and iCloud sync behaviour can override local changes.
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On Mac (macOS)
Open Signature settings
Apple Mail → Mail → Settings (or Preferences on macOS Monterey and earlier) → Signatures tab. You'll see three columns: accounts, signature list, and preview.
Select your email account
Click the account in the left column. Signatures are per-account — a signature created under 'Gmail' won't appear under 'iCloud' unless you drag it. To share across accounts, create it under 'All Signatures' and drag it to each account.
Create a new signature
Click the + button at the bottom of the middle column. Give it a name (this is internal — recipients don't see it).
Paste your formatted signature
Click in the right preview panel. Paste with Cmd+V. If your signature appears as plain text (no formatting), check: Format → Make Rich Text in the menu bar. Apple Mail's signature editor can be in plain text or rich text mode — you need rich text to preserve HTML formatting.
Set as default
At the bottom of the window: 'Choose Signature' dropdown. Select your new signature to make it the default for this account. 'None' means no automatic signature. 'In Sequential Order' rotates through all signatures for that account.
Uncheck 'Always match my default message font'
This checkbox (below the preview) overrides your signature's font styling with Apple Mail's default font. Uncheck it to preserve your custom fonts and sizes.
On iPhone & iPad (iOS / iPadOS)
Open Settings → Mail → Signature
Settings app → scroll to Mail → Signature. You'll see either 'All Accounts' (one signature for everything) or 'Per Account' (individual signatures per email account).
Choose per-account or all accounts
Tap 'Per Account' to set different signatures for different email addresses. This is recommended if you have personal and work accounts.
Type or paste your signature
iOS Mail's signature editor is plain text only — it does not support HTML formatting, images, or rich text. You can type styled text, but images and complex layouts are not supported natively.
HTML workaround for iOS
To use an HTML signature on iPhone: create the signature on Mac first, then enable iCloud signature sync (Settings → iCloud → Mail). The HTML signature syncs from Mac to iPhone and renders correctly in sent emails — even though the iOS editor shows it as plain text.
Common Issues
Signature pastes as plain text
The editor is in plain text mode. Go to Format → Make Rich Text in the menu bar. Then re-paste.
Formatting stripped after restart
The 'Always match my default message font' checkbox is overriding your styles. Uncheck it in Signatures settings.
Signature resets after editing
iCloud sync is overwriting your local signature with the cloud version. Edit the signature on the device where iCloud Mail is primary, or temporarily disable iCloud signature sync while editing.
Images not showing in signature
Apple Mail supports images via URL references (src='https://...'). Ensure the image URL is publicly accessible HTTPS. Local file paths (file://) won't work for recipients.
Different signature on Mac vs iPhone
Signatures created on Mac don't automatically sync to iPhone unless iCloud signature sync is enabled. Check Settings → iCloud → Mail on both devices.
Apple Mail vs Other Clients
Apple Mail renders HTML more faithfully than any other major email client. It supports border-radius, web fonts via @font-face, and most modern CSS. However, designing your signature for Apple Mail's capabilities is a mistake — your recipients are on Outlook and Gmail, which don't support these features. Design for Outlook's constraints (tables, inline CSS, no border-radius) and Apple Mail will render it perfectly too.
Related Guides
Create Your Apple Mail Signature
Generate a formatted signature, copy it, paste into Apple Mail. Free, no signup.
Create My Signature →Works with Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail & more