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Signature guide

Where are Outlook signatures stored — the exact paths

Outlook stores signatures in different places depending on which Outlook you're using. If you're about to reset your PC, migrate to a new laptop, or need to bulk-edit the signature files for 40 users via Group Policy, here's the definitive map — every path, every filename, every gotcha.

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ToHelp desk
SubjectIT — new laptop setup
Thanks, Maya
Maya Chen
Customer Success Lead · Wren
Wren
Emaya@flywithwren.com
T+1 415 555 0188
Wflywithwren.com

Step-by-step

  1. 1

    Classic Outlook on Windows (the one everyone knows)

    Path: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures

    Or, faster: paste %AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures into the Windows Explorer address bar. Each signature is three files with the same base name: .htm (the HTML version), .rtf (rich text), .txt (plain). Any images used in the signature live in a subfolder named <signature-name>_files.
  2. 2

    New Outlook on Windows (Microsoft's newer client)

    Signatures are stored server-side on the Exchange mailbox itself (roaming signatures) — not in a local file. They sync automatically to any Outlook that supports them (new Outlook Windows, OWA, and slowly rolling out to Outlook Mac). There's no local folder to copy from. To back them up, sign into OWA on a new machine and they appear.
  3. 3

    Outlook on Mac

    Path: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/<profile>/Data/Signatures

    Fastest way to open it: Finder → Cmd+Shift+G → paste the path. Newer versions of Outlook Mac are moving to roaming signatures too — check if your signatures appear in OWA before assuming they're only in this local folder.
  4. 4

    Outlook on the web (OWA)

    Not stored as a file anywhere — OWA signatures live only on the Exchange mailbox and are managed from OWA settings. They don't sync to classic Outlook on Windows (only to new Outlook Windows and roaming-signatures-enabled clients).
  5. 5

    Back them up before a Windows reset

    Copy the entire %AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures folder to a safe location. On the new machine, paste it into the same path (create the Signatures folder if it doesn't exist) before opening Outlook. Signatures reappear on next Outlook launch, images and all.

Common questions

›How do I get to %AppData% quickly?
Press Windows + R, type %AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures, press Enter. Or paste the same string into any Windows Explorer address bar. It expands to C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming.
›Why can't I see the AppData folder?
It's hidden by default. In Windows Explorer: View → Show → Hidden items. Or just use the %AppData% shortcut — it works whether or not hidden items are shown.
›Where do IT admins push signatures for whole teams via Group Policy?
The GPO drops .htm, .rtf, and .txt files into %AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures at user logon. This only works for classic Outlook — new Outlook and OWA ignore the folder. For centralised signatures across both, see our central Outlook signature management guide.
›Do new Outlook and classic Outlook share the same signatures?
No. Classic Outlook reads the local %AppData% folder; new Outlook reads roaming signatures from the Exchange mailbox. If you set a signature in classic Outlook it does NOT appear in new Outlook (or vice versa). You have to set it in both, or use a signature manager that handles both surfaces.
›How do I edit the HTML of a signature file directly?
Open the .htm file in Notepad or VS Code. Warning: Outlook writes the HTML with Word's engine — expect lots of <o:p> tags, MsoNormal classes, and comments. If you strip them out and save, Outlook will re-add them next time it saves. For clean HTML control, build the signature in a tool that outputs email-safe markup and paste it in.
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