CodeTwo Signatures Add-in for Outlook

CodeTwo Signatures Add-in for Outlook adds automatic signatures to emails in Outlook (Outlook for Windows, Mac, iOS & Android and Outlook on the web / OWA). It’s been co-engineered with Microsoft using Microsoft’s latest Web Add-in technology to speed up the deployment and improve cross-platform support. See the video below or continue reading to learn how the add-in works and how to use it.

How to use

The add-in works on all recent desktop and mobile Outlook versions (see supported versions), but the experience can feel different. Read on or use the links to learn more.

• Using the add-in in Outlook desktop and Outlook on the web (OWA)
• Using the add-in on mobile devices
• Changing the add-in language

Using CodeTwo Add-in in Outlook desktop and Outlook on the web (OWA)

Automatic signatures

As soon as you start typing an email in Outlook, the CodeTwo add-in automatically inserts a signature into the email body (Fig. 1.). This works the same across Outlook for Windows (classic and new), Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web (OWA).

Fig. 1. CodeTwo Outlook Add-in automatically adds a signature to the body of an email.

Based on CodeTwo signature rules configured by your admin, you can get different automatic signatures for new emails, replies/forwards, internal and external emails, specific recipients, and more.

For example:

• If you send an email to internal recipients only, they will see your internal signature.
• If you add an external recipient in the To field, the signature will automatically change to your external version.

CodeTwo Outlook add-in uses Microsoft’s latest event-based activation feature to fully automate the signature adding process, so there’s no need to manually launch the add-in each time you type an email.

Changing the signature manually

If there are multiple signatures set up for you (by a CodeTwo admin in your company), you can replace the signature that’s been automatically inserted by the CodeTwo add-in with a different one via the add-in pane:

• In Outlook desktop, while composing an email, click the CodeTwo Signatures button (see Fig. 2.) on the ribbon to open the add-in pane. Next, click the signature you want to insert.

Fig. 2. Inserting an email signature manually from the CodeTwo Outlook Add-in’s pane.

• In the new Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web (OWA), go to the Message or Insert tab and click Apps () > CodeTwo Signatures to open the add-in pane, as shown in Fig. 3. Then, click the signature you want to insert.

Fig. 3. Opening the CodeTwo Outlook Add-in’s pane in the new Outlook for Windows.

Keep the following in mind:

• Once you manually add a signature from the pane, the add-in will no longer change the signature automatically in the current email, even if you change the email sender or recipient(s). Automatic signatures will work again when:
  • you create a new message, or
  • you choose a different signature by using the If sending from alternative “From” address option in the add-in pane (see Fig. 4.). Learn more about this option
• The add-in only shows signatures that meet the conditions specified in your Outlook (client-side) signature rules (learn more). For example, if you have already added recipients in the message’s To field, only the signatures configured for those recipients will appear in the pane. To view and select all available signatures, leave the To and Cc fields empty.
• The signature added automatically may differ from the one shown in the pane. This is because the CodeTwo add-in caches Outlook signatures to insert them faster into emails (the cache updates every 15 minutes). Signatures shown in the add-in pane are not cached, so you can always insert the latest version manually (this also updates the cache). Learn more about add-in cache

Changing the email sender (‘From’ field email address)

When you change the sender (email address) in a message’s From field, the CodeTwo Outlook Add-in can either insert your own email signature or a signature configured for the selected sender. This depends on how your admin configured the add-in in CodeTwo Admin Panel (as described here).

In some organizations, the CodeTwo add-in will always insert your personal signature, even if you change the From address to send an email as / on behalf of another user or shared mailbox, or from an alias address. In this case, you can also manually insert another signature configured for you (if available) using the add-in pane, as described here.

Alternatively, the CodeTwo add-in can be configured to automatically match the signature with the sender specified in the From field, as shown in Fig. 4. Which signature you get in this case depends on what you select in the If sending from alternative “From” address field in the add-in pane (Fig. 4.):

• Use signatures matching From – if selected (default behavior), the add-in always adds the signature configured for the mailbox (email address) selected in the From field, for example:
  • When you send emails as (or on behalf of) another user, the add-in adds the signature configured for that user.
  • When you send emails as (or on behalf of) a shared mailbox, the add-in adds the signature configured for the shared mailbox.
  • When you send emails using your alias email address, the add-in adds the signature configured for the alias.
• Use my signatures – if selected, the add-in always adds your personal signature, no matter which mailbox (email address) is selected in the From field. If there are other signatures configured for you, you can also select them from the add-in pane.

Fig. 4. Choosing which signature to use when sending an email from an alternative From address.

If you have multiple accounts added to your Outlook desktop app and change the sender in the From field to another account, the add-in will always update the signature in the email to match the selected account. In this case, the If sending from alternative “From” address option will not be displayed, regardless of the add-in settings.

Changing the email recipient (To/Cc email address)

If your admin set up different CodeTwo Outlook signatures for different email recipients (internal, external, specific addresses, etc.), the CodeTwo Add-in will automatically change your signature as you add or remove addresses in the To field. For example, if you’re sending an email to internal recipients only, an internal signature will be added. If you add an external recipient, the add-in will automatically change the signature to an external one, as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5. CodeTwo Outlook Add-in automatically adds a signature based on email recipients (in this example, external vs. internal).

If you send an email to multiple recipients, the add-in inserts a signature based on the first Outlook signature rule (in the CodeTwo Signatures app) whose conditions are met. This means all email recipients see the same signature – either the one automatically added by the add-in or the one you selected manually from the add-in pane. See this article for additional details and examples.

Using the Outlook/Cloud toggle

If you see the Outlook/Cloud toggle in the CodeTwo add-in’s pane (Fig. 6.), you can use it to switch between Outlook (client-side) and cloud (server-side) signatures.

• If the toggle is set to Outlook, the add-in works as described earlier – it adds your signature automatically as you type and shows other signatures that you can choose instead.
• If you switch the toggle to Cloud, your email signature will no longer be shown below your message. That’s because your signature will be added in the cloud after you send the email. The add-in pane will preview your cloud signature (see Fig. 6.) based on email signature rules set up by a CodeTwo admin in your organization. Note that you need to add at least one recipient to see the preview. If there are no cloud signatures set up for you, you might want to switch the toggle back to Outlook to avoid sending a message without a signature.

Fig. 6. The toggle lets you switch between cloud (server-side) and Outlook (client-side) signatures.

Learn more about using the CodeTwo Outlook add-in to preview signatures

Updating personal information in email signatures

If some information (like job title or phone number) is outdated or incorrect in your email signatures, you can update it from the My user info app:

• by clicking Your personal info is not up to date? link in the add-in pane, as shown in Fig. 7.,
• or by going directly to user.codetwo.com.

Note that you won’t be able to sign in to My user info unless your admin has enabled personal information management in CodeTwo’s Signatures app. To learn how to use the My user info app, see this article. 

Fig. 7. Use the highlighted link in the add-in pane to update your user information in email signatures.

Signing in to the CodeTwo Outlook Add-in

When your sign-in session in Outlook expires (e.g., because your password has been changed or you’ve been signed out of all Microsoft 365 services), the CodeTwo add-in will recognize this and prompt you to sign in via the add-in pane (Fig. 8.). Click Open add-in pane and then click the Sign in button in the pane. In the Microsoft sign-in window, enter the credentials of the account you use with Outlook. If you see a message saying CodeTwo Signatures wants to display a new window, click Allow.

Signing in is necessary for the add-in to authenticate you and continue adding your email signatures.

Fig. 8. CodeTwo sign-in prompt in Outlook in the new message window.

In rare cases, you may be prompted to accept the required permissions when signing in to the add-in. Click Accept to provide consent. If security policies prevent you from providing consent, ask your admin to do so on your behalf or to enable you to consent to apps. Detailed steps for both options can be found in this article.

Using CodeTwo Outlook Add-in on mobile devices

If CodeTwo mobile signatures are enabled, a signature is added automatically when you start a new email in Outlook on iOS or Android (Fig. 9.). When the add-in adds a CodeTwo signature, it also disables (removes) any signature set up in your Outlook mobile app. Depending on the signature rules configured by your admin, you can get different automatic signatures for new emails, replies/forwards, internal and external emails, specific recipients, and more. 

Fig. 9. CodeTwo signature added to an email composed in Outlook for Android.

When you reply to an email from an Outlook mobile app, the quick reply box opens. An email signature is not shown in this box to save space, but it is still added to the email. To view the signature, click the ⤢ button to open the full compose view (Fig. 10.).

Fig. 10. Opening the full compose view for a reply in Outlook for Android.

If you don’t want to open the full compose mode only to make sure a signature was added to your email, your admin can enable add-in notifications for Outlook mobile apps (Fig. 11.), as described here.

Fig. 11. An example of a notification shown by CodeTwo Add-in in Outlook for Android.

Changing the email sender in Outlook mobile

The behavior of the CodeTwo Outlook Add-in when you change the sender (email address) in the From field on a mobile device depends on your admin’s configuration. By default, changing the sender removes a signature from your email.

However, if the CodeTwo add-in is configured to match the signature with the email address in the From field (this feature needs to be enabled in CodeTwo Admin Panel by your admin, as described here), the signature will update automatically when you change the sender, as shown in Fig. 12.

Fig. 12. The CodeTwo add-in can automatically change the signature based on the selected email sender.

Changing the email recipient in Outlook mobile

The signature updates automatically when you change email recipients, e.g., add or remove addresses in the To field, as shown in Fig. 13. If you send an email to multiple recipients, the add-in inserts a signature based on the first Outlook signature rule (in the CodeTwo Signatures app) whose conditions are met. This means all email recipients see the same signature. See this article for additional details and examples.

Fig. 13. CodeTwo signature auto-updates to external when the email recipient changes.

For additional info about using the CodeTwo add-in on mobile devices, see our FAQ. 

Changing the add-in language

In addition to the default English version, CodeTwo Signatures Add-in for Outlook is also available in the following languages:

• German
• Spanish
• French
• Dutch
• Polish

To use one of these language versions, set the preferred display language accordingly in your Outlook app or in your web browser.