What people see in Outlook
A new message, a reply, a forward and a From swap: the four cases people ask about.
- Last updated
- 5 minute read
- Outlook
The add-in behaves the same way every time a message is opened, and differently in one case: when someone changes the From address, the signature changes with it.
Writing a message
Amelia Hart
Head of Operations, Halden & Rowe
- +44 20 7946 0321
- amelia.hart@haldenrowe.co.uk
- haldenrowe.co.uk
Step 1 of 3
The From address decides everything
Signed looks the person up by the address in the From field, so the signature is based on who the message is coming from, not who is signed in.
Reduced motion is on, so the tour waits for you. Use the arrows or the list to move through the steps.
Replies and forwards
- New messages get the signature for the From address.
- Replies get it too. Whether it sits above or below the quoted history is Outlook's decision, not Signed's.
- Forwards get it as well, placed in the same way.
Note: Some organisations prefer no signature on replies, to keep threads short. Signed does not have a per-message-type switch; if that matters, the cleanest answer is a rule and a plainer signature, or leaving people to remove it with the ribbon button on the rare occasions it matters.
Changing the From address
This is the case the add-in was built for. Someone sending from a second address, or on behalf of a different office, should not have to remember which signature to use.
From
amelia.hart@haldenrowe.co.uk
Halden & Rowe signature
From
amelia.hart@haldenrowe.ie
Halden & Rowe Ireland signature
Switching From address swaps the signature, because a rule matches the haldenrowe.ie domain.
- The person writes their message and the normal signature appears.
- They change the From address in the message.
- Signed is asked again for a signature, now for the new address.
- The old signature is replaced with the new one.
If the swap does not happen, the new address is either not in Signed at all, or has no rule pointing it anywhere different. See Someone has the wrong signature.
When a change reaches Outlook
The add-in asks Signed for the signature each time a message is opened, so a change reaches the next message someone writes.
- A message that was already open keeps the signature it was given. Open a fresh one to see the change.
- A new person is fetched the first time they write, so there is no delay.
- If Signed can't be reached within a few seconds, the last saved copy is used rather than nothing. Someone offline still gets a signature, just not the newest one.
Tip: The Signed button in the message ribbon has a Check for changes button. It asks for the signature again straight away, so you can show someone a change in a message that's already open.
Related articles
- Install the Outlook add-inOne manifest, uploaded once by a Microsoft 365 admin, and then signatures appear on their own.
- If the add-in does not workFour symptoms, their usual causes, and what to check first.
- How Signed decides who gets which signatureThe one decision Signed makes on every email: which signature to use. Here is the logic, in order.
Something here out of date, or a step that did not work? Tell us and we will fix the article. Every page is checked against the running product, so corrections are welcome.