How to Add a Virtual Business Card to Your Outlook Signature

Published 31 October 2026 · Updated 31 October 2026 · Email signatures

By Virtual Business Cards Editorial Team

Illustration of a desktop, laptop and phone on a desk, each showing the same email signature, linked by dotted lines

Outlook comes in several versions, and each one handles signatures a little differently. Many remote workers use two or three of them in a single day: new Outlook on a work laptop, Outlook on the web from a home computer, and Outlook on a phone. This guide shows where the signature lives in each, which ones sync, and how to add your virtual business card link so it appears everywhere.

For email, Teams and Zoom together, see our pillar guide to email signatures and video calls.

Menu names checked on 31 Oct 2026; if your version differs, look for Signature in Settings.

Key points

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web share the same settings for work and school accounts.
Classic Outlook keeps signatures in its own settings, which may or may not sync.
Outlook for Mac and Outlook mobile each have their own signature settings.
Classic Outlook's built-in Business Card attaches a fixed contact file. A virtual business card link stays current.
Companies can add disclaimers to all outgoing email through Microsoft 365 rules. Ask IT before you design your own.

Which Outlook, which signature

Outlook version	Where the signature lives	Syncs across devices?
New Outlook for Windows	Settings → Accounts → Signatures	For Microsoft 365 work or school accounts, usually shared with Outlook on the web
Outlook on the web	Settings → Accounts → Signatures	Usually shared with new Outlook for the same account
Classic Outlook for Windows	File → Options → Mail → Signatures	Depends on your version and account; may be stored only on that computer
Outlook for Mac	Outlook → Settings → Signatures	Depends on version and account; check on each Mac
Outlook for iPhone and Android	Settings → Signature	Per device; does not use your desktop signature

When in doubt, assume each version needs setting up separately. Then check by sending a test from each one.

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web

For Microsoft 365 work and school accounts, Microsoft stores signatures with your mailbox rather than on one computer. These are often called roaming signatures. In practice, a signature you create in Outlook on the web usually appears in new Outlook for Windows too, and the other way round.

To add your profile link:

Open Settings (the gear icon).
Select Accounts, then Signatures.
Select New signature and give it a name.
Type your name, job title, company and one line about what you do.
Type a call to action, such as "Save my contact details". Highlight it, select the link option and paste your profile link.
Add a small QR image if you want one, using the image option in the editor.
Under the default signature settings, choose it for new messages and for replies and forwards.
Select Save.

Personal Outlook.com accounts follow similar steps on the web. Whether signatures roam for those accounts can differ, so check new Outlook separately.

Classic Outlook for Windows

Classic Outlook has the longest-standing signature editor.

Go to File, then Options, then Mail.
Select Signatures.
On the E-mail Signature tab, select New and name the signature.
Type your text in the editor.
Highlight your call to action and select the hyperlink button. Paste your profile link and select OK.
To add a QR image, use the picture button in the editor.
On the right, choose the signature for New messages and for Replies/forwards, for each email account.
Select OK to save.

You can also reach the same window from a new email: Insert, then Signature, then Signatures.

For Microsoft 365 accounts, recent versions of classic Outlook can use roaming signatures too, depending on how your organisation has set things up. If your signature does not appear in Outlook on the web, set it there as well.

Outlook for Mac

In Outlook for Mac, open the Outlook menu, then Settings.
Select Signatures.
Add a new signature with the + button and name it.
Type your text, highlight your call to action and add a link to your profile.
Close the editor, then choose default signatures for new messages and replies for each account.

Whether the signature syncs with Outlook on Windows or the web depends on your version and account type. Send a test from your Mac to confirm.

Outlook mobile

The Outlook app for iPhone and Android has its own signature setting and does not use your desktop signature.

Open the Outlook app and go to Settings.
Select Signature.
Choose whether to use one signature for all accounts or one per account, where your version offers the choice.
Type a short line and your full profile link.

Keep it simple. Treat the mobile signature as plain text and paste the whole link, so it becomes clickable when the message arrives. If you see a default line advertising the Outlook app, replace it with your own.

Outlook's Business Card vs a virtual business card link

Classic Outlook for Windows has a built-in feature called the Electronic Business Card. You can add it to a signature with the Business Card button in the signature editor. It is worth understanding what it does, because the name causes confusion.

What Outlook's Business Card does: it takes a contact from your Outlook contacts and adds an image of that contact card to your signature, plus an attached contact file in vCard (.vcf) format. The recipient can open the attachment to add you to their contacts. Where it falls short:

The attached file is a snapshot. If your number or title changes, every copy you have sent stays out of date.
It adds an attachment to every email, which some people and filters treat with suspicion.
It is a classic Outlook feature. It is not part of every Outlook version.
It cannot hold documents, a portfolio or a booking link.

What a virtual business card link adds: one permanent address that always shows your current details, with a save-contact button that creates a fresh vCard when someone clicks it. It works the same in every Outlook version, and in Gmail and Apple Mail too. Our guide to a virtual business card vs an email signature explains how the two fit together.

Several accounts and shared mailboxes

Many people send from more than one address in Outlook: a personal work address, a team address and sometimes a shared mailbox.

Set a default for each account. In every Outlook version, the default signature is chosen per account. An account with no default sends with no signature.
Decide what a shared mailbox should say. A team address such as a sales inbox usually needs a team signature, not one person's card. Link to a team contact page or a general profile instead.
Keep personal links personal. Your own profile link belongs on emails you send as yourself.
Check replies from each account. It is easy to set new messages and forget replies.
Tell colleagues who share a mailbox which signature to use, so the team presents itself consistently.

If you are not sure which account an email will go from, check the From field before you send. Outlook picks the signature that matches it.

Company-wide disclaimers and rules

In Microsoft 365 and Exchange, administrators can create mail flow rules, also called transport rules, that add a disclaimer or standard footer to outgoing email for everyone. If your company uses one, it is added to your message after you send it, below whatever signature you set yourself. Some companies also use dedicated signature management tools.

If that applies to you, talk to IT. The cleanest result is often a single company template with a profile link line for each person, rather than everyone adding their own.

Testing

Before you rely on the signature, test it from each Outlook you use.

[ ] Send a new email and a reply from each version, and check the signature appears in both.
[ ] Send to a Gmail address and check the link is clickable and the QR image does not arrive as an attachment.
[ ] Open the email on a phone and click the link.
[ ] Check dark mode. Put a white background behind any QR image so it stays visible.
[ ] Open your profile from the link and check the save-contact button works.

If you also use Gmail, our Gmail signature guide covers the web and mobile apps.

Choosing a profile

Any virtual business card link works in an Outlook signature. Ours, the virtual business card for email signatures, video calls and chat, gives you one permanent link and a QR code for Teams and Zoom as well. It is paid once, and set-up is not instant: after payment, your order is recorded for profile set-up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the signature setting in new Outlook?

In new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, open Settings, then Accounts, then Signatures.

Why does my Outlook signature not appear on my other computer?

Some Outlook versions keep signatures on one device. Set the signature in each version you use, then send a test from each.

Does Outlook mobile use my desktop signature?

No. The Outlook app has its own signature setting. Add a short line and your full profile link there.

Is Outlook's Business Card the same as a virtual business card?

No. Outlook's Business Card attaches a fixed contact file and an image. A virtual business card is a live web page that always shows your current details.

Yes. Microsoft 365 administrators can use mail flow rules to add a disclaimer or footer to outgoing email. Ask IT before designing your own.

Should I put a QR code in my Outlook signature?

Only as a small extra. Readers are already on a screen, so the text link does most of the work.