Email signature management in Microsoft 365 (Office 365)/Exchange Online

Native email signature functionalities

In Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online), available options allow the administrator to manage email signatures but in a very limited way. Common weaknesses are that:

signatures can only be inserted at the very bottom of an email conversation, which, in reply/forward messages, leads to growing signature pile at the end of the email conversation
white spaces in signatures (left when no values were pulled from empty fields in Active Directory) cannot be removed on the fly
images cannot be embedded in the email signature (recipients get them as attachments)
email signatures cannot be managed by non-admin Microsoft 365 users
users cannot see the signature in their email client before sending an email or choose one of the available designs.

How to set up email signature in Microsoft 365?

Setting up an email signature using Microsoft 365 built-in features requires 2 basic steps:

Prepare the email signature source code (you can use our Email Signature Generator for Exchange Online)
Set up the email signature as per this instruction.

Need more advanced email signature management options?

The examples of limitations mentioned above can be removed by using software such as CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365. Keep reading to learn more about the product itself and its advantages over options offered in Microsoft 365.

A brief comparison of Microsoft 365 native signature options and CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365

Functionality	Microsoft 365 native signature	CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365
Email signatures added right under the latest reply/forward message Microsoft 365 is not able to identify separate emails in an email chain, so when a user sends a reply or forward message, the email signature is inserted at the very end of an email conversation. CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365 always put the signature right under the latest email.	Email signatures are inserted at the very bottom of the email chain.	Email signatures are added right under the latest email.
Email signatures added with side banners
Convenient picker to select Active Directory placeholders
White spaces in the signature removed automatically If some fields in Active Directory are empty, your signature will display white spaces instead of certain values. The signature may look awkward at best and you may find yourself in a bit embarrassing situation.	The mobile value in Active Directory is empty what results in white spaces in the signature.	The whole line where mobile number was supposed to appear has been removed.
The signature is visible while composing an email message
100% GUI signature template editor	In Microsoft 365, you need to compose your email signature using pure HTML code with no formatting tools.	With CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365 you get a WYSIWYG signature template editor.
Logos and photos embedded in email signatures	Images in Microsoft 365 signature added from the Internet source are not displayed in Outlook or OWA by default.	Images and photos are embedded directly within the email body therefore displayed properly.
Email signatures added directly in Outlook desktop apps (option) Using centrally managed client-side signatures gives more control over email signatures to users
Support for all email clients and mobile devices

Microsoft 365 is not able to identify separate emails in an email chain, so when a user sends a reply or forward message, the email signature is inserted at the very end of an email conversation. CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365 always put the signature right under the latest email.