Animated email signature maker
A small GIF banner with a gentle motion, plus the HTML to use it and the mail app rules to know about.
Advanced settings
Output: 600×200
An animated email signature is a small looping GIF placed under your name in every message. Upload a banner or headshot, pick a slow zoom, sparkle, slide-in or wave, and download a 600 × 200 GIF under 500 KB. Display it at 300 × 100 to respect Gmail's limit, and make sure the first frame works alone.
How it works
- 1
Upload a banner or headshot
Use a wide image with your logo or photo. The animated email signature tool crops it to a 3:1 strip, so keep the important part in the middle.
- 2
Choose a quiet motion
Slow zoom, sparkle, slide in or wave. Each plays over 1.6 seconds at a relaxed pace that suits a business message.
- 3
Add it to your mail app
Download the GIF, host it or upload it to your signature settings, and show it at half size so it stays sharp.
The animated email signature spec, and why 300 × 100 matters
Your animated email signature downloads at 600 × 200 pixels, with 8 frames of 200 ms and a file ceiling of 500 KB. Email loads on every open, so the size limit keeps your messages light. If the first encode comes out too large, we reduce colors until it fits.
The display size is a different number, and this is the detail most guides miss. Gmail's help center recommends signature images of 70 to 100 pixels high by 300 to 400 pixels wide, and gives a maximum of 100 pixels high by 1,000 pixels wide. A 200 pixel tall GIF is over that limit. The fix is simple: show the file at 300 × 100. That falls inside Gmail's recommended range, and because the source has twice the pixels, it stays crisp on high-density screens.
Copy-paste HTML for an animated email signature
This animated email signature layout uses a table, the conservative choice, since email clients handle modern CSS unevenly. Replace the four placeholder values. Keep your name, phone number and links as real text beside the image, not inside the GIF. Text stays selectable, and it is still there when images are blocked.
Email signature HTML
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;color:#222222;">
<tr>
<td style="padding-bottom:8px;">
<strong>Your Name</strong><br>
Your Title, Your Company<br>
<a href="https://example.com" style="color:#1a56db;">example.com</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<a href="https://example.com">
<img src="https://example.com/images/signature.gif"
width="300" height="100"
alt="Your Company logo"
style="display:block;border:0;width:300px;height:100px;">
</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table>The width and height attributes do the resizing, and the alt text is what people see if images are off. To paste into a signature box that doesn't accept code, save this as an .html file, open it in a browser, select it, and copy it from there.
Add an animated email signature in Gmail
Gmail's help pages describe three ways to add a signature image: from a web address, from your Google Drive, or by uploading a file. The web address route gives you the most control, as it needs only a publicly available image URL. Images added from Drive must be shared publicly, and if the Drive file is later deleted, the image disappears from your signature.
- Open Gmail, go to Settings, and choose See all settings.
- Find the Signature section and create or select a signature.
- Use the image button to add your GIF by web address, Drive or upload.
- Select the image and choose a size option, so that it is no more than 100 pixels high.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
A signature can hold up to 10,000 characters, and an image counts toward that limit. If you get an error, Google's advice is to resize the image. Google's help pages don't say how GIF animation behaves, so send a test message to yourself and check it.
Animated GIF email signature behavior in Outlook
Microsoft's support article says Outlook plays animated graphics in the body of email messages by default. It also says that if only the first frame appears, animations are turned off. Those settings belong to whoever reads the message, so you can't control them from your side. In classic Outlook the option is called Play animated GIFs, under File, Options, Advanced. On Windows, system animation settings also have an effect.
To add the image in classic Outlook, open a new message, choose Signature, then Signatures, select your signature and use the Image button. Right-click the image and choose Picture to set its size, leaving the aspect ratio locked. Microsoft's signature article gives image steps for classic Outlook only, so if you use the new Outlook or Outlook on the web, test before you roll anything out.
| Mail app | Image size guidance | Animation |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Recommended 70 to 100 px high, 300 to 400 px wide. Maximum 100 px high, 1,000 px wide | Not stated, so test it |
| Classic Outlook | Resize in the Picture dialog | Plays by default; the reader can turn it off |
| New Outlook, Outlook on the web | No image steps in Microsoft's article | Not stated, so test it |
Make the first frame carry the message
Since some readers will only ever see one frame of an animated email signature, treat it as your real signature and the motion as a bonus. That rule decides most of what follows.
- Show the logo or face complete in frame one. Slide in is the riskiest motion here, because the main element starts off position.
- Keep contact details out of the image, as text inside a GIF can't be clicked, selected or read by screen readers.
- Choose the calmest motion that works. Slow zoom is hard to dislike, and Sparkle adds a small accent.
- Avoid fast flashing. Our default of 200 ms per frame is deliberately slow, so resist speeding it up.
- Link the image to your site, and write useful alt text.
Hosting, honesty and alternatives
Host your animated email signature GIF yourself if you can. Don't point your signature at a download link from this site: free results are deleted after 30 days, and your signature would break in every message you have sent. A folder on your company website is ideal, and any stable public URL will do.
Skip the animated email signature when you write to legal, finance or support audiences, where a plain signature looks more trustworthy, and for any team with strict brand rules. People who read mail as plain text won't see an image at all, and your alt text won't help them either, so your typed details have to stand alone.
A free animated email signature creator, with one catch
You can try this as a free animated email signature creator: 3 generations with no account and 5 more after signing up. The catch is a watermark in one corner, which is awkward in business mail. It is good for testing how your mail app behaves. For the version you actually send, one paid run at 1 credit for standard quality or 2 credits for high quality removes it. The smallest pack is $6.99 for 25 credits, which don't expire, and a whole team's signatures fit comfortably inside it. If a run fails or is blocked, the credit comes back.
Questions
Does an animated email signature work in Gmail?
You can add one, but Gmail's help pages don't describe how GIF animation behaves, so send yourself a test. Keep the displayed height to 100 pixels or less, as Gmail states that as its maximum.
Why does my GIF show as a still image in Outlook?
Microsoft says this means animations are turned off on that computer, so your animated email signature shows only its first frame. The reader controls this setting, which is why your first frame needs to look complete.
How big should an email signature GIF be?
Ours is 600 × 200 and no more than 500 KB, displayed at 300 × 100. Staying small keeps your messages quick to open.
Can I put my phone number in the animated part?
Please don't. Text in a GIF can't be clicked or copied, and it may warp between frames. Put your details in the signature as real text.
Why is there only one format?
Email is the one place where GIF remains the practical choice for looping images, so this scene exports GIF only.
Can I make one signature for my whole team?
Yes. Each person can use the same animated email signature GIF with their own text. Host one copy and point everybody's signature to it.
Related tools
Sources
- Gmail Help: Create a Gmail signature, checked 2026-11-07
- Gmail Help: Troubleshoot issues with Gmail signatures, checked 2026-11-07
- Microsoft Support: The animated graphic in my e-mail message doesn't work, checked 2026-11-07
- Microsoft Support: Create and add an email signature in Outlook, checked 2026-11-07
Last updated 2026-11-07.