Add your signature in Apple Mail
Set an HTML signature in Apple Mail on macOS, and what to do about the iPhone Mail app, which strips formatting.
macOS
- Press Copy signature in the builder.
- Open
Mail→Settings→Signatures. - Pick the account on the left, then click
+. - Select everything in the preview pane on the right, delete it, then paste.
- Untick "Always match my default message font". Left ticked, Mail flattens your signature to one font.
- Choose the signature in the Choose Signature menu at the bottom so it is used automatically.
Apple Mail sometimes pastes the signature as an image if you copy it from a page that was
itself an image. These designs are real text, so that does not happen.
iPhone and iPad
The built-in Mail app on iOS supports only a plain-text signature. Pasting an HTML signature into
Settings → Apps → Mail → Signature
keeps some bold and colour but drops the layout.
If you need the full signature on a phone, use the Outlook or Gmail app instead. Both read the signature you saved on the desktop and send it correctly.
Need a signature to install? Build one free, no account needed.
More guides
- Add your signature in Outlook
- Add your signature in Gmail
- Email signature best practices
- Why your signature breaks in Outlook
Last updated 2026-08-31.