An email signature is a snippet of information that gets sent at the end of an email. You can build this type of signature in most email clients, including Windows Live Mail and Outlook Express. You can even have the email signature applied to all of your outgoing emails by default.

Most people use their name for their email signature, as a way to say who the email is from without having to type it each time they send out new messages. If you're in a business setting, you might use the email signature to show the company logo, your phone and fax number, your alternate email address, etc.

Some email programs let you add multiple signatures so that you can have one for work email, one for private messages, and another for emails sent to your friends that includes a witty remark or some other content you don't want to share with any other group of people.

Regardless of your reasoning for making an email signature, and despite what the email signature will contain, you can make one fairly easily in most email programs.

Mail for Windows 10 is an email program distinctly different from Windows Live Mail and its ancestors, so setting up Mail for email signatures works a bit differently, too.

Be advised that Microsoft is phasing out support for Windows Live mail for use on Outlook.com effective June 30th, 2016. The basic mail program still works with IMAP or POP3 settings on their site, but not necessarily all of it's components. Windows Live Mail is a discontinued freeware email client from Microsoft. It is the successor to Windows Mail on Windows Vista, which was the successor to Outlook Express on Windows XP. It is designed to run on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows 8, and is also compatible with Windows 10.

Email Signatures in Windows Live Mail and Outlook Express

Here's how to make an email signature in these programs:

1. Navigate to the File > Options... > Mail menu item. Another way to get there if the File menu isn't available in your version of the program is to use Tools > Options...

2. Open the Signatures tab.

3. Select New from the Signatures area.

4. Build your email signature under Edit Signature.

5. Click or tap OK when you're finished.

6. While composing a message, you can select which signature you want to use:

   1. Go to Insert > Signature. Hold down the Alt key if you cannot see the menu bar.
   2. Pick the desired signature from the list.

7. An email signature is basically an extension of every single email, so you want to make sure that it serves its purpose without being too much for the recipient to handle.

Microsoft Downloads For Windows 7 Live Mail

Tips on Making Email Signatures

For example, try your best to limit the email signature to four to five lines of text. Anything longer is not only hard to read and glance at, but it can be distracting at first look because there's so much text below the regular email. It might even look like spam.

The signature area of an email is normally for plain text only, meaning that you won't see lots of email signatures with fancy images and animated GIFs. However, you can enrich your signature with HTML formatting.

If you find yourself choosing a different email signature often, like when sending a work email instead of a private one, you might consider setting up a per-account email signature. That way, when you send an email from your work account, it will append the work email signature to the end, and when you write messages from your other accounts, different signatures can be used instead.

If the email signature isn't being sent to every email you send out, return to Step 2 above and make sure the Add signatures to all outgoing messages option has a check in the box. Also notice the other option under that one called Don't add signatures to Replies and Forwards - uncheck this if you do want those messages to include the signature, too.

Windows Mail Update Windows 7

If it comes with Windows, it's stripped down or horrifyingly insecure. Or probably both!

Not with Windows Mail. Sure, Windows Mail is not a highly sophisticated email program with countless tools, options, tweaks, and gimmicks, but for the most part, it knows what counts and knows to do that well. POP, IMAP, and Windows Live Hotmail accounts are supported seamlessly.

Simple filters can apply some order to the incoming stream (it's a pity Windows Mail knows not how to apply free-form tags to messages, though), and decent protection against spam and phishing keeps the bad mail out of the Inbox. In addition, Windows Mail can display all mail in usually very secure plain text only. Should you ever want to go back to a message, Windows Mail helps you with surprisingly fast and versatile search. Maybe it could offer links to related messages and people, too?

Finally, what counts when composing and sending mail? It's the creative expression, of course. With an editor that is not only comfortable but also lets you edit the HTML source and massive amounts of ready-made stationery available, Windows Mail is a winner in that respect. Just make sure the recipients appreciate emails full of colors and images.

Features

• Windows Mail lets you access POP, IMAP, and Windows Live Hotmail accounts.
• Spam and phishing filters re-route and disable annoying or dangerous content in Windows Mail.
• Windows Mail further protects your privacy by blocking remote content, and you can read mail using plain text only.
• You can flag messages for later and search your folders fast using Windows's own index search.
• Simple rules can automate some tasks in Windows Mail, like moving certain mail to particular folders.
• Windows Mail lets you compose rich messages. You can even edit the HTML source directly.
• Ready-made Windows Mail stationery can be used as a background for emails or starting point for your own creations.
• You can read and post to Usenet newsgroups with Windows Mail, too.
• Windows Mail supports Windows Vista.

Pros

• Windows Mail filters spam and phishing emails reliably (if not perfectly)
• Rich editing and ready-made stationery make composing mail a fun activity in Windows Mail
• Windows Mail helps you find emails fast

Cons

• Windows Mail does not offer smart folders
• Free-form labels to organize mail are missing, as are message templates
• Windows Mail does not integrate RSS news feeds

Microsoft Live Mail Updates For Windows 7

The Bottom Line

Windows Mail is a fun and functional email program that keeps you relatively safe with spam and phishing filters while offering fast search and enough room for creativity, maybe based on ready-made stationery. Advanced filters or sophisticated tools that help you manage and reply to lots of mail missing from Windows Mail.