How to Add a Logo to Your Email Signature

The two ways to add a logo to an email signature are: embed it directly in the HTML using a URL (hosted image), or attach it as an inline image. Each has tradeoffs. Here's what you need to know before picking one.

Method 1: Use a Hosted Image URL (Recommended)

This is the professional standard. Your logo lives on a web server, and your signature references it by URL. Recipients see the logo if images are enabled in their client.

Step 1: Host your logo

Upload your logo to a reliable location. Options include:

• Your company website (best, you control it)
• A CDN or cloud storage like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Cloudinary (make sure the URL is publicly accessible)
• An image hosting service like Imgur (not recommended for professional use)

The URL should be HTTPS, not HTTP. Some email clients block HTTP images for security reasons.

Step 2: Get the right logo file

Use a PNG with transparent background if your logo has any curved edges or fine detail. For logos that are purely rectangular, JPEG is fine but PNG is safer. Keep the file under 50KB, large images slow email loading and can trigger spam filters.

For Retina displays, export your logo at 2x the size you'll display it. So if you want it to appear at 150px wide, export it at 300px wide.

Step 3: Add it to your signature HTML

In your email signature HTML, add an image tag like this:

<img src="https://www.yourcompany.com/logo.png"
     width="150" alt="Company Name"
     style="display:block;">

The width attribute controls display size. Setting it here (not just in CSS) ensures it renders correctly even when CSS is stripped by email clients. The alt attribute is important, it shows as text when images are blocked.

Adding a Logo in Gmail

1. Go to Gmail Settings → See all settings → General.
2. Scroll to the Signature section and click your signature (or create one).
3. In the signature editor, click the Insert image icon (the mountain/photo icon in the toolbar).
4. Choose Web address (URL) and paste your logo's URL.
5. Click Select. The logo appears in your signature.
6. Click the logo to resize it: use the Small/Medium/Large/Original size options that appear below it.

Adding a Logo in Outlook

1. Go to File → Options → Mail → Signatures.
2. Select your signature (or create one).
3. In the signature editor, click the Insert Picture icon (mountain icon in the toolbar).
4. Browse to your logo file and click Insert.
5. Right-click the logo → Format Picture → Size → set the width you want.

Important Outlook note: when you insert an image this way, Outlook embeds it as an attached inline image, not a URL reference. This means the image is attached to every email and recipients will see it as a small attachment. Some see this as a downside; others prefer it because it works without internet access.

Logo Sizing Best Practices

What If the Logo Doesn't Show for Some Recipients?

This is the most common complaint with email signature logos. Causes and fixes:

• Images are blocked by default, many corporate Outlook setups block external images. The only fix is a good alt attribute (text shows instead of the broken image icon).
• The URL is wrong or inaccessible, test your image URL by opening it in an incognito browser window. If you have to log in to see it, the URL isn't publicly accessible.
• HTTP instead of HTTPS, replace http:// with https:// in your image URL.
• File too large, over 100KB can cause Gmail to strip or block the image. Compress it at TinyPNG.com first.