ARCHIVED: In email, what is a signature?

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.

A signature is a brief text message about yourself that you can have your mail client add to your email messages. A signature usually consists of your full name, a preferred email address, and brief information about your school, company, site, or occupation.

For help setting up your mail client to add a signature to your messages, refer to the program's help files.

It's usually polite to keep your signature as brief as possible. Avoid large pictures, empty lines, and lengthy quotations when composing your signature file.