How to use multiple email signatures on iPhone
Your iPhone lets you set an email signature, but only one per account, and only inside the app you set it in. If you run two businesses, want a short sign-off for quick replies and a full one for new clients, or reply from LinkedIn and Messages as well as email, that single signature runs out fast. Here is how signatures work in each app, and how to keep several ready to use anywhere.
Quick answer
Apple Mail, Gmail, and Outlook on iPhone each let you set one signature per account, in that app's settings, and add it to every new email automatically. None of them lets you pick between several signatures while you write. To use more than one, turn off the automatic signature (or keep it short) and save each full signature somewhere you can insert it on demand: either as an iOS Text Replacement shortcut, or as a labelled key in a custom keyboard like WordBoard, which works in any app.
How to set a signature in Apple Mail
- Open Settings, then Apps, then Mail. On older versions of iOS, Mail is listed directly in Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Signature.
- Choose All Accounts to use one signature everywhere, or Per Account to give each email account its own.
- Type your signature. You can use basic bold, italic, and underline formatting.
The limit is in step 3. Per Account gives you one signature for each account, not a choice of signatures within an account. If you send from one work address but sometimes want a full signature and sometimes a short one, Mail can't switch between them.
How to set a signature in Gmail and Outlook on iPhone
Both apps keep their own signature setting, separate from Apple Mail. Menu names move around between app updates, but the setting lives in the same place:
- Gmail: open the menu, tap Settings, choose your account, then Signature settings, and turn on Mobile signature. This is separate from the signature you set on the Gmail website.
- Outlook: open Settings from your account icon and tap Signature. You can set one signature for all accounts or turn on per-account signatures.
So if you use more than one email app, you end up maintaining the same signature in two or three places. Change your phone number or job title and every copy needs updating.
Why one signature isn't enough
- Formal and casual. A full block with your title, phone, and company for a new client is too much for a quick "Thanks, see you then".
- More than one role or business. Side businesses, a board role, or freelance work often share the same inbox.
- Replies that should be short. Many people turn the automatic signature off entirely, then end up typing their details by hand when they do need them.
- Outside email. Signatures don't follow you into LinkedIn messages, Messages, WhatsApp, Slack, or web contact forms, where you still often want to leave your details.
Workaround 1: Text Replacement shortcuts
A common tip is to save each signature as an iOS Text Replacement. Go to Settings, General, Keyboard, Text Replacement, tap +, paste the signature as the phrase, and give it a shortcut like "sig1" or "sigfull". Typing the shortcut then expands to the signature.
It works, with some catches. You have to remember each shortcut, it only works with Apple's keyboard, and multi-line text is where Text Replacement is least dependable. If your shortcuts stop expanding, our guide to fixing iPhone Text Replacement walks through the usual causes.
Workaround 2: signature keys in WordBoard
WordBoard is a custom keyboard where your saved text appears as labelled keys. Instead of remembering "sig2", you switch to WordBoard, see a key labelled "Signature: full" or "Signature: side business", and tap it. The whole signature, line breaks included, is inserted at your cursor.
- Create a key for each signature you use, for example Full, Short, and one per business.
- Put them in a Signatures folder so they sit together.
- In Mail, Gmail, or Outlook, turn the automatic signature off or reduce it to your name, then tap the signature key you want at the end of each email.
- Use the same keys in LinkedIn, Messages, WhatsApp, or any form field.
Two template variables are handy here. {{ DATE }} adds today's date if you sign letters or quotes with one, and {{ CURSOR }} leaves your cursor exactly where you want to keep typing after the signature goes in. Our guide to iPhone keyboard variables covers both.
Because the signature lives in one key, updating your phone number means editing one key rather than three apps. WordBoard signatures are plain text, so keep them to the lines you actually need rather than relying on logos or colours.
Signature ideas worth saving
- Full: name, title, company, phone, and website for first contact.
- Short: just your name and phone for ongoing threads.
- Per business or role: one for each company or project you represent.
- Out of hours: your signature plus a line about when you will reply.
- Booking or scheduling: your signature with a booking link.
Signatures pair well with full reply templates. See email templates on iPhone, or the app-specific guides for Gmail and Outlook. To keep your address and phone number on a key too, see contact details on your iPhone keyboard.
WordBoard is free to download with 6 keys included. WordBoard Pro unlocks unlimited keys for a full set of signatures and templates.
FAQ
Can you have multiple email signatures on iPhone?
Not in a way you can choose between. Apple Mail lets you set one signature for all accounts or one per account, and Gmail and Outlook work the same way. To pick a different signature for each email, save your signatures as Text Replacement shortcuts or as keys in a custom keyboard like WordBoard.
Where is the email signature setting on iPhone?
For Apple Mail, go to Settings, Apps, Mail, then Signature (on older iOS versions, Settings, Mail, Signature). Gmail and Outlook keep their own signature settings inside each app.
Why doesn't my Gmail signature show up on my iPhone?
The Gmail app uses a separate mobile signature. Open the Gmail app's Settings, choose your account, then Signature settings, and turn on Mobile signature. Apple Mail also ignores your Gmail web signature and uses its own setting.
Can I add a logo or image to my iPhone email signature?
The built-in signature settings are designed for text with basic formatting, so images are not reliably supported. For a signature with a logo, set it up in your email service on a computer. WordBoard signature keys are plain text too.
How do I use an email signature outside the Mail app?
App signatures only apply to new emails in that app. Save your signature as a WordBoard key and you can tap it into LinkedIn, Messages, WhatsApp, Slack, or any text field. WordBoard Pro is required for unlimited keys.