Can I use a different signature in Outlook for internal versus external mail?

Question

Our company requires use of a specific signature (with an image) for external e-mail and would like to use a different signature for internal e-mail (without an image).

Is this possible with Outlook 2007?

Answer 1

Here's a 1-click solution that adds a button to your toolbar for new External messages.

1. Create a dummy e-mail message with your external signature to use as a template

2. Save As > Outlook Template .oft, e.g. External.oft > Save > Exit/discard this dummy message

3. Create a Macro (it's easy): Tools > Macro > give it a name, e.g. External

   • Don't forget to edit the path "\Microsoft\Templates\External.oft" to go to your template.

   • Optional-Give the Macro Project a short name: Right-click the top item in the tree in the left pane, i.e. Project1, and select > Chance Project name to something short like "X" or a non-breaking space using ASCI code Alt 0160.

Sub External()   
   basePath = Environ("AppData")    
   Set newItem = Application.CreateItemFromTemplate(basePath & "\Microsoft\Templates\External.oft")    
   newItem.Display    
   Set newItem = Nothing    
End Sub

4. Add this to your toolbar: Right-click the toolbar area > Customize > Macros > Select your Macro > Drag & Drop to your toolbar

5. Enjoy!

Answer 2

I assume you want the signature to inserted automatically based on the recipients. I do not know how that can be done automatically.

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Inserting a pre-defined signature maually is easy enough:-

In the new message window on the INSERT menu, just choose the signature

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Setting up multiple signatures is easy enough:-

In Outlook for Office 2003, go to Tools/Options to the Mail Format Tab and click Signatures. The signatures can be formatted and can contain images. You can define any number of them.

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Outlook allows specific signatures to be inserted automatically by the sending account (that is if you have multiple email addresses, you can associate a signature with each individual address). For each address you can specify a signature for new emails, and a different signature for forwarded emails.

I do not think, however, that you can automatically set a signature by recipient, or by recipient group. If you could, I would expect to see that ability in the Rules setup, and I don't see such an ability.

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Rules do Offer a "Custom Action" based on the recipients, but I do not know if that goes as far as allowing adding a signature.

Answer 3

I'm an Exchange Administrator and you can't change the signature per se, but you can add disclaimers onto the end so you could put HTML code to an image which would then be below your normal signature, and this would only apply when emails leave your organization.

Answer 4

I would expect that if you are using Outlook at work that it is probably connected to a Microsoft Exchange server. While I'm not an Exchange administrator, it seems like your company's Exchange administrator should be able to set appropriate email signatures from within Exchange. But ... I'm not an Exchange administrator, so I could be completely wrong.