How do I create a hyperlink in my Gmail signature?

You’ve probably noticed that there are plenty of handy ways to add links and images to your emails—but what about when it comes time for your email signatures? You can insert simple URLs using HTML (and we have some great tips here), but if you want something a little fancier then check out this guide which will show you how to link to specific messages from within your inbox with ease.

If you're just getting started with Gmail, be sure to read these helpful guides:

What Is The Best Email Client For Android Phones?

The Shortcut Cheat Sheets Guide To Keyboard Navigation In Your Browser

Quickly Create A Great Signature | Lifehacker Video Course

Today we'll look at creating hyperlinks so people don't need to open up their web browsers before they respond to your message. This works especially well if you want to send someone a bunch of files like pictures or PDFs without cluttering up their mailboxes with attachments. Let's get started.

How do I make an image clickable?

We've covered adding images to your signatures before, but since those instructions were written we've added quite a few new features. Now, whenever you put an image inside one of the following tags it becomes clickable:

"img src="URL""/style=""{}""" alt=""Your Text Here.""/span"" /"

This tag tells the browser that whatever follows should replace "src," as shown above. If you wanted to include multiple images, simply separate them by commas. So, if you had two different photos you could place them between brackets:

"img src="http://www.example.com/image1.jpg src="http://www.example.com/image2.png"" /"

Now, everytime somebody clicks on either photo, it will take them directly to whichever page has been specified in the source code.

Here's another example of a very common use case: let's say you want to embed a YouTube video in your signature. First, find the actual YouTube file (in our case, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmXeLlYjPc) and drag it onto your desktop. Then right-click anywhere blank on your computer screen and select New " Link (or press Control + K). Once you type in the address where you saved your embedded video, it will automatically pull up the correct version. Simply paste the YouTube link in its entirety into the box that pops up, leave everything else empty, and save it wherever you'd like. When you go back to compose a new email later, all you'll see is a tiny thumbnail of the video along with the title and description. Clicking on any of these items takes you straight over to YouTube to watch the full thing. Simple enough?

In addition to linking to external sites, you can also link to internal pages. Just change the destination address in the same way we did earlier. Instead of typing in www.google.com, try going to docs.google.com.

For instance, if I wanted to tell everyone who sends me an e-mail asking me to subscribe to their newsletter that they can instead signup through the Facebook application inside Gmail, I would enter facebook.com/name_of_my_site after saving my linked document. Whenever anyone clicked on the button, they would immediately be redirected to my site.

Note: There may be times when you might not know exactly where a website lives. In this situation, you can always search for it via the built-in Chrome extension called Search By Image. All you need to do is upload an image and search for it.

How do I turn an image into a URL?

Sometimes you might come across a picture that isn't included in the examples given above. Luckily, there is still a way to convert these images into clickable links. We'll start off by taking advantage of the "alt" attribute. Type the word "IMG" followed by three periods (.)---this makes the entire phrase become a single parameter. Finally, add "/EMBED" after the closing ".html." This final step turns the whole thing into an embeddable image. Copy the resulting code and paste it into a new link creation window. Replace the placeholder "yourtexthere" with the name of the image you found.

Once again, we'll demonstrate this process with an example. Say I saw a cool article today about a woman who uses her coffee mug as an iPhone stand. After searching for the image on Flickr, I discovered the exact screenshot I needed to share with others. However, because I didn't copy and paste the proper parameters, I couldn't quickly turn it into a link. Fortunately, once I replaced the "yourtexthere" part with the filename (which was actually much easier than copying and pasting), the snippet turned into an instant embeddable image:

Of course, sometimes you won't be able to access the original image yourself. In this scenario, you can use Picnik to edit the image however you wish. From there, you can choose Embed As IMG Code and grab the newly created code. Of course, you could also create a link to a static image outside of Gmail by doing the same steps. Paste the final product into a new link creation window and replace the placeholder "yourtexthere" with the name of the image.

Just keep in mind that although this method doesn't work perfectly in all cases, it does allow you to create quick links to images even if you can't access the originals yourself.

How do I make a JPEG image clickable?

There are many reasons why you might want to attach a small JPEG image to your outgoing mails. Maybe you want to provide additional information about something you're talking about, maybe you're trying to draw attention to a particular section of an article, or maybe you just really love cats. Whatever the reason, if you want to attach a JPEG image to your outgoing emails, you must first download it somewhere safe before proceeding.

After downloading, head over to this post, scroll down until you spot the GIF of a cat, and right-click on the link below it. Select Save Link As... from the menu that appears, navigate to where ever you want to store this file, and give it the.JPEG format. Next, return to the previous page and right-click on the link under the image. Select Properties and set the Permissions field to Read Only. Lastly, rename the file, making note of the new path.

Next, we'll repeat most of the same steps except this time, rather than replacing the placeholder text with a URL, we'll replace it with the location of the file itself. Right-click on the link beneath the image, select properties, and browse to where you downloaded the file. Make sure you only grant permission to edit the file permissions. Name the file and return to the previous page. Right-click on the link below the image and select Open containing folder. Navigate to where you stored the file and double-click it. Set the permissions to Read Only and remember where you placed it.

Finally, return to the previous page and right-click on the link beneath the image. Go to Edit Hyperlink and then Add Target. Enter the desired target page. Hit OK, and now anytime someone clicks on the image, it will lead to that specific file.

How do I make a clickable image online?

Want to create a clickable image but don't own a server? No problem. Online services such as Imgur allow users to easily embed images into posts with no hassle whatsoever. If you aren't signed up yet, though, fear not! Even if you aren't hosting anything, you can still gain access to Imgur's API and generate custom images with ease. Here's how to do it:

Head over to imghub.org/. Sign up if you haven't already, and log in. Under Services, tap Get Started. At the bottom, scroll down until you find the Custom Images tab. Tap Start Listening and follow the prompts. If you run into problems, feel free to contact support@imghub.org.

That's pretty much it. While you're logged in, your account will remain active indefinitely. Using the service is completely free too!

Have questions? Feel free to ask us anything related to this topic in the comments below. And if you enjoyed learning about the best tricks for composing better email messages, be sure to check out the other articles on our blog.

We've covered lots of useful ways to customize your emails with signatures and links for articles like "How To Add A Link In Your Email Signature" and "How Do You Set Up & Use Signatures?" We also have our own tips for customizing signatures even further, but what about creating a simple internal link within your company's intranet? Here are some tricks for adding links (and images) into your email signature using Office 365 MailTips.

If you're not familiar with how to set up a hyperlink in your Gmail signature yet, start by setting up two different mail signatures — one that includes the external URL and another that doesn't include it. Then follow these steps:

1. Click on Tools at the top right corner of your screen. Choose Create New Sorting Rule... 2. On the next window choose Advanced Rules Settings. 3. Now go back to the first tab - Filters - where there is a list of all filters currently applied to messages sent from your account. 4. Find the filter which has been created for this particular address and then find the option called Apply rule.... 5. Scroll down until you see the options External URLs and Delete Message. 6. Select both those options 7. Finally, select the second box under External Links 8. Enter your desired name for the link 9. Hit OK 10. That should be it. From now on, any time someone sends you an email they'll send it directly to your default inbox without having to type out the entire http://www.google.com/url=http%3A//www.example.com part. If they ever want to share their message outside of Microsoft 365, however, they can still copy-paste the same link and change Google's name. It will work just as well and won't require them to enter additional information.                                                                                                                                   

 Now here's how to quickly access this link when composing new emails: 1. Highlight the word "Google" 2. Press Control + K. This works whether you're using Windows or Mac OS X. 3. Paste your link and replace Google with whatever domain you wish. For instance, if you wanted to paste something like [http://office365tips.net/2011/10/how-to-add-a-hyperlink-in-your-email-signature/, Office Tips]. Note that while this may seem easier than typing out the whole link, you might accidentally press Shift instead of Control when highlighting words. So don't worry if you screw up once in awhile -- it happens to everyone. Also note that you need to manually update your signature every so often since it's no longer automatically updated like other things in your mailbox.

Here are some quick ideas for common uses for internal linking:

Create a "Start Page" for your team members similar to Zoho's Start Center feature. They can simply visit it whenever they want to get started working on specific projects.

Link to frequently used documents such as Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, Word docs, PowerPoint presentations, etc.

Hyperlinks to online calendars and events

Creating a web page specifically designed for people who aren't necessarily tech savvy enough to know HTML code. Just fill in the fields that pertain to you, and let others edit the rest themselves. The only thing they'd have to do is replace the placeholder content with actual data.

For example, say you were writing instructions for a client meeting. Instead of saying "Please contact John Doe for more details," you could write "[insert your company] Web Site]" and point them straight to your website. Or maybe you had to explain a complex process in excruciating detail. Rather than going through each step individually, you could direct users to a document outlining everything you explained earlier. Simply put the file path inside your hyperlink and anyone sending you an email can easily open it up.   

 The following video shows you exactly how to do this:

In addition to being able to view files stored locally on your computer, you can also upload files from anywhere else too. All you have to do is head over to File Explorer, select SharePoint Items, and browse around to pick out the appropriate folder. When you come across something you want to share, double-click it and drag it onto your desktop to transfer it to your local drive. Once done, switch over to your browser and navigate to File Explorer again. Right-click on your newly uploaded item and select Open With followed by Notepad. There you'll find its unique ID number. Copy the number, close Notepad, and return to File Explorer. Head over to Documents Library " My Files " Files By Me " Uploaded Files. Double-click on the file whose id you copied earlier. Go to Properties > Details > Change Type > Browse..., and select either.pdf or.docx depending on what kind of file you chose. Once you're finished, rename the file and save it wherever you want on your hard drive. Next, return to your browser and look for the file you just saved. Right-click on it and select Send via " Application " Internet Explorer / Firefox / Chrome / Opera / Safari. At last, when you receive an email from someone asking you questions regarding said file, select Show Original and locate yourself in the navigation bar towards the bottom left corner. Look for the question mark icon and hover over it. You'll notice that upon hovering, a small menu appears on the far right side of your browser containing several icons including one that says Attach. Selecting this will bring you to a dropdown menu displaying all available types of attachments, along with which ones are best suited for various situations. Under Other, scroll down until you spot your chosen filetype, download it, and attach it to your response.       

 Once you finish editing your signature, click Save As and give it a descriptive name. Be sure to check off the box beside Enable Signature Editing before clicking Ok. If you ever decide to disable it, all you have to do is uncheck the box. After doing that, you can delete the original signature altogether.                                                                                                                              

 And finally, if you're looking for a way to show off your creative skills, why not try designing your very own signature? This site offers templates for basic signatures, professional signatures, business cards, and much more. You have complete control over the design, colors, fonts, and pretty much anything else imaginable. Plus, for $0.99, you can purchase extra elements like photo frames, background textures, and more.                                                                                                                        

Have fun making signatures! And remember that you can always adjust settings later if you realize your signature looks terrible. Have questions or comments? Let us know below!

If your company has its own branding colors and logo (or even just specific fonts), it's easy enough to put those things into your Gmail account. But what about links? You can't have a professional-looking e-mail signature without them.

Here are some quick tips for adding a simple link to your Gmail signature that will help you get started creating a custom one.

How do I add a hyperlink to an image in my email signature?

The easiest way is to simply copy the URL of any external web site as plain text so it appears as a link within your signature. However, this can be problematic because when someone clicks on that link, they'll see whatever page their browser happens to open at the moment. If you're sending out many emails with similar URLs from different sites, your recipient could end up opening all kinds of unwanted pages.

A better solution is to actually embed the images themselves inside your signatures instead. This allows recipients to view exactly where the photo came from — not a generic "external" link — while still making it easier to navigate through multiple versions of the same file. Here's how to do it:

Open the page containing the image you want to include in your signature. Go to File & Print Preview, then select the radio button next to Link to Image Only. Make sure to check off the box next to Embed HTML code. Click OK.

Your image should now appear embedded directly in your signature. Simply replace the words "[Image]" above with the actual path name for each individual image. For example, if you wanted to insert an image of a website address, you'd type something like [Website Address]. The only caveat here is that users who don't have images enabled may need to download the image separately before viewing it.

When using this method, it's important to keep in mind that most people won't have images turned on by default. To ensure that everyone sees your images properly, go back to Settings & General under Preferences. Under Web Browser Appearance, change the dropdown menu next to Enable Images/GIFs/SVG to Always Ask Before Displaying External Content. Then save changes.

Note: If there are several instances of the same image in your signature, try splitting the string between each instance. That way, users will never run across duplicate copies of the same image.

How do I add a clickable link to my Gmail signature?

Adding a regular link isn't very useful unless you also add other information such as the target destination. A typical Gmail signature looks like this:

In order to turn that into a clickable link, first highlight the entire thing and press Alt + K on Windows or Option + Command + K on a Mac. Now click Insert Hyperlink... In the dialog window that pops up, enter the full destination URL of wherever you want to send the user. Hit Enter and voila! Your whole signature becomes a single clickable link. It works great for both internal and external destinations. Just remember that if you have too much stuff going on in your signature, you might want to split it up somewhat.

For example, say you work at Google but haven't been given permission to post your corporate blog online. You've got a long section dedicated entirely to talking about the new features of Chrome, Firefox, etc., and you know that nobody wants to read about work anyway. Instead of putting everything together, consider separating these sections with bold lines. When you're setting up your signature, though, keep in mind that bold formatting doesn't always show up correctly in Gmail. Sometimes you'll have to manually adjust certain letters' sizes in order to get the formatting right.

You can fix this problem yourself by typing :unibyte followed by, (colon) into the search field, which tells Gmail to ignore case. After doing that, you should be able to resize the font size of elements individually. Keep in mind that if you're working with a lot of big chunks of text, you probably shouldn't bother trying to adjust the line spacing until after you finish composing your message.

Another alternative would be to separate the links into groups with asterisks (*). Doing so keeps the overall look cleaner than having a bunch of large blocks floating around. And since the links aren't highlighted, users tend to overlook them altogether. If you stick them onto smaller pieces of text, however, you can minimize the risk of losing track of them while reading your signature.

Keep in mind that if you choose to leave your signature looking clean, it does take quite a bit longer to set up compared to if you had all your links mixed in together. So if time is an issue, we recommend sticking with the latter option.

How do I add a link to my signature picture?

One last trick you can play with linking is inserting a small preview of your chosen image in place of the standard signature pic. We mentioned earlier that you can easily embed images already, but sometimes you might prefer to paste them straight into your signature. Either way, once again, you can do this quickly via keyboard commands. First, drag your cursor over the area where you want the thumbnail to appear. Then hold down Shift and either double-click or triple-click anywhere else. Finally, release Shift.

This gives you a little space to paste in the image itself. Once pasted, you can delete the extra white space surrounding it. As far as functionality goes, this approach is limited in terms of providing additional information beyond the basic link. Still, if you're worried about showing too much personal data, it's worth keeping in mind.

How do I make a picture into a clickable link?

You can technically convert any image into a clickable link, but it takes a few steps. First, edit the image to remove any background coloration. Next, head to Imgur, upload the edited version, and generate an ALT attribute for it. Lastly, insert the generated alt tag into your signature. Although it sounds complicated, it really isn't. All you need to do is follow the instructions provided by the Imgur team to create a unique identifier for the image you uploaded.

Once you've done all three of these things, you're ready to start copying and pasting the resulting code into your signature. Unfortunately, it turns out that Imgur's generated tags can cause problems in certain situations. Noticing that the same issue was plaguing me no matter which service I tried, I eventually gave up on finding another generator and went ahead with editing the original image myself. Luckily, editing pictures using Photoshop is pretty straightforward, so it wasn't hard to fill in the gaps.

As a final note, we highly suggest taking advantage of Imgur's built-in tools rather than relying solely on its automated generators. Many times, Imgur's own automatic methods will produce errors and misspellings. Also, unlike with some other services, you can freely crop your pics to fit whatever dimensions you desire.

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