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Unintentionally, we seem to have become a leading resource for instructions on installing custom HTML email signatures in email clients including earlier versions of Outlook, Entourage and Gmail. In continuing with our tradition, we’ll give some insight here into installing a custom HTML signature in Outlook 2007 (PC/Windows), Outlook 2010 (PC/Windows) and Outlook 2011 (Mac/OS X).

For some reason, Microsoft decided to remove advanced email signature editing functionality that were available with Outlook 2003 which  made installing a custom HTML email signature a breeze. Although nowhere in the email signature feature of Outlook 2007 is HTML mentioned, the signature is still in this format, it just takes a less direct approach to get it accomplished.

Here’s one relatively easy method for inserting custom HTML for an email signature.

1. Open the HTML file that contains your signature in a Web browser such as FireFox.

2. Left click at the top left of the page, then while holding down the shift key left click in the lower right area of the page. If you don’t see anything obviously highlighted you may need to left click at the top then hold down your left mouse button as you move to the lower right.

3. Right Click and select copy.

4. Create a new signature in Outlook 2007, 2010, or 2011 and then within that blank signature window right click and select paste or press ctrl-v.

5. Save your new signature and set your desired parameters.

For more insight into working with custom signatures in Outlook  you might want to check out these additional resoruces:

• Free Outlook 2007 email signature training from Microsoft
• Outlook 2010 Email Signature Overview from Microsoft
• Training Presentation – How to Use Email Signatures in Outlook 2010 (Power Point Presentation)