How to Add an Image to Your Email Signature

To add an image to your email signature, you need the picture as a link, not as a file you attach. A signature shows the same image on every email you send, so it has to load from the web each time. If you paste the picture as a file, it often shows up broken on the other end.

This is where most signature images go wrong. People drop in a file from their computer, and it looks fine to them, but the person who gets the email sees an empty box. The fix is to use a direct image link, one that opens straight to the picture.

Below you will get that link ready, then add your image to a Gmail or Outlook signature step by step, and fix it if the image does not show.

What you need first: a direct image link

Before you touch your signature settings, get your image online and grab a direct link. A direct link opens straight to the picture and ends in something like .jpg or .png. Your signature uses this link to load the image on every email.

The quickest way is to paste or upload your image and copy the link it gives you. Open imagepaste.org, paste your logo or photo, and you get a direct link in seconds with no signup. You can also use the image to URL tool to upload a file from your computer.

Keep this link handy, because both Gmail and Outlook ask for it when you insert the image. If you want to understand how these links work and why a Google Drive link often breaks here, see our guide on how to get a direct image link.

One tip before you move on. Resize the image to the size you actually want in your signature before you upload it. A logo around 150 to 300 pixels wide usually looks right and loads fast.

Add an image to your Gmail signature

<!-- SCREENSHOT: gmail-signature-add-image.png - Gmail signature editor with the Insert image icon -->

Open Gmail on a computer and click the gear icon in the top right, then choose See all settings. Stay on the General tab and scroll down to the Signature section. Click Create new if you do not have a signature yet, give it a name, and you will see a small editor box.

Click inside the box where you want the image to go. Then click the Insert image icon in the toolbar, which looks like a small picture. A window opens with three tabs. Choose Web Address (URL), paste your direct image link, and Gmail shows a preview. Click Select to drop it into your signature.

Once the image is in, you can click it to pick a size like Small, Medium, or Large. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and click Save Changes. Send yourself a test email to make sure the image shows the way you want.

Gmail on a phone does not let you add an image to your signature, only text. So set this up on a computer, and it will appear on emails you send from the app too.

Add an image to your Outlook signature

<!-- SCREENSHOT: outlook-signature-add-image.png - Outlook signature editor with the picture/image button -->

Outlook works a little differently depending on the version, so here are the two common ones.

In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, click the gear icon for Settings, then go to Mail and choose Compose and reply. You will see the signature editor. Click where you want the image, then click the picture icon in the toolbar. Depending on your version, you can insert the image from a web link or upload the file. Paste your direct image link or pick the file, then save.

In classic desktop Outlook, open a new email and go to the Insert tab, then click Signature and Signatures. Make a new signature or pick one to edit. Click the image icon in the editor. Here you usually browse for the file on your computer, so the picture gets saved into the signature itself. Add it, click OK, and you are set.

One thing to watch. Some Outlook versions strip out images that load from a link and replace them with a broken icon for the reader. If that happens, the next section shows how to fix it.

Fix a signature image that won't show

If your signature image shows as a broken box or an empty space, it is almost always the link. Open your image link in a new browser tab. If you do not see just the picture, it is not a direct link, and your signature cannot load it. Get a proper direct link and put that one in instead.

A common cause is using a Google Drive or cloud storage link. These often open a page or get blocked from loading on other sites, so the image breaks in the reader's inbox. Swap it for a host that gives a true direct link, like the one you made earlier.

Check that the image is public too. If the link only works while you are signed in to your own account, other people will see nothing. A direct link from a no-signup host is public by default, so this problem goes away.

If the image still does not appear, the reader's email app may block images until they click Show images. That part is on their side, not yours. To avoid it, keep the image small and use a steady direct link so it loads fast when they allow it.

Conclusion

Adding an image to your email signature comes down to one thing. Use a direct link, not an attached file. Get your logo or photo online, copy the direct link, and paste it into your Gmail or Outlook signature. Send yourself a test email, and you are done.

If the image ever breaks, check the link first and make sure it opens straight to the picture. The simplest way to get a link that just works is to paste your image and copy it. Open imagepaste.org, paste your image, and your signature has a link it can load on every email you send.