How do I shorten my signature in Gmail?

There's no doubt about it -- our emails are getting longer and more complicated as we send them across multiple platforms to people who use different devices. And so goes the signatures at the bottom of each one. But if yours has become too long, here's how to change it.

First off, let's be clear on what exactly happens when we paste or type up a lengthy email signature. When you copy-and-paste (or type) your existing signature into Gmail, there will always be some extra space after the last line. This is because Google uses this space to determine where to place the new text. It's important! In fact, it can even make a difference whether someone reads the entire thing or just skims down the top part before clicking away. So don't worry, it doesn't mean anyone won't read it all.

However, sometimes you'll see a problem with the length of your signature. You might receive a warning like "Your email signature contains two lines but its contents take three lines" or something similar. The solution is actually pretty simple, though it requires going through several steps to achieve it. Here they are:

How do I fix my Gmail signature too long?

If you've already tried adjusting your formatting by using tabs between sections of text, you're probably wondering why changing the font size isn't working. Don't fret! There's another way around this issue. First, click the More actions menu located above your messages in the left sidebar. Then select Settings & General. Next, scroll down until you find Show word count under the Plain Text heading. Change the number to 0. If you have other ways of showing character counts in plain text mode enabled, such as bolded words or strikethroughs, you should adjust those settings instead.

Now, whenever you want to add a signature to an outgoing message, simply highlight the first section and enter your desired signature underneath it. Because the signature now only takes up one row, it shouldn't look cut short anymore. However, if you still need to reduce the size further, you could also try decreasing your font size slightly. Afterward, increase it back up again. That should work fine.

Note: Some users reported having issues with these instructions not working properly. To solve this, go directly to Gmail Labs and enable Allow users to set their own Word wrap width. Now, simply follow the same steps outlined in #2 above.

How do I shrink my signature in Gmail?

In case you'd prefer your signature to be smaller than default Gmail dimensions allow, try applying special characters to break up large blocks of text. Most common fonts support this feature, including Arial Narrow, Georgia Book, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Wingdings, Webdings, and Zapf Dingbats. Simply search online for any of these symbols and insert them wherever appropriate in your signature. For example, replacing =A0=AE=99 with =20 will result in a 20 percent reduction overall.

If this doesn't help much, you can also consider trying out a service called Signature Size [Broken URL Removed]. Users input their preferred size preferences in pixels, which allows sites to display customized signatures without cutting anything out. Just choose your height, width, color scheme, background image, and alignment options. Once everything looks good, download and install the extension. Then open a new tab in Chrome, head over to chrome://extensions/, right-click Signatures Panel, and select Enable. Finally, sign into your account in Gmail. Now, every time you write an email, you can simply click on the Add signature button at the bottom and upload your custom logo/photo plus whatever else you would normally include. Click Save once done and enjoy! Note that you cannot resize the actual panel itself, nor does it appear on mobile screens.

You can learn more about the technology behind Signature Size by reading the full explanation found on the product website.

How do I stop Gmail from trimning my email signature?

This method works best if you're able to manually edit your signature without receiving any errors. Since most email clients automatically remove the extraneous content when copying and pasting, the process becomes increasingly difficult the longer your signature gets. Fortunately, there's a workaround. By setting your editor program to preserve whitespace, you're essentially telling the computer that spaces aren't meant to indicate paragraph breaks. Instead, they serve as acceptable separators within sentences. Therefore, Gmail won't chop up your signature unless you specifically tell it otherwise.

To do this, start by downloading Notepad++ and installing it locally onto your PC rather than using the cloud version. With this software installed, launch the app and navigate to Tools -" Font and Colors. Select Standard " All Languages " English " Use Styles. Find Courier 10pt Bold Italic Normal Shift Base Color 1.00 White Fill Opacity 0.95 Character Encoding UTF8. Copy and paste the following code into the box provided: #ffffff13:-1px 1px 2px 3px 4px 5px 6px 7px 8px 9px 10px 11px 12px 13:-3rem 14:-4rem 15:-5rem 16:-6rem 17:-7rem 18:-9rem 19:-10rem 20:-11rem 21:-12rem 22:-14rem 23:-16rem 24:-18rem 25%:26% 50%,75% 100%. Keep the numbers next to the colors corresponding to the ones listed below highlighted. Hit OK. Repeat this step for each additional style you wish to apply.

Finally, save your file as.css and then drag and drop it inside Firefox extensions folder / Profiles / Plugins. Restart Firefox and log into your Gmail account. From now on, you should notice that nothing is removed during regular copies&pastes. Still, if you ever decide to delete the.css file, remember that doing so will revert your changes.

For future reference, here's a quick list of the codes used in the aforementioned CSS file:

White (#FFFFFF): ffff

Black (-1px,-1px,-1px): 00

Red (+1px,+1px,+1px): FF

Green (+1px,+1px,+1px): CC

Yellow (+1px,+1px,+1px): AA

Blue (+1px,+1px,+1px): 99

Purple (+1px,+1px,+1px): 66

Orange (+1px,+1px,+1px): 55

Pink (+1px,+1px,+1px): 44

Brown (+1px,+1px,+1px): 33

Cyan (+1px,+1px,+1px): 22

Light Blue (+1px,+1px,+1px): 11

Sky blue (+1px,+1px,+1px): 01

Silver (+1px,+1px,+1px): 90

Gold (+1px,+1px,+1px): 80

Teal (+1px,+1px,+1px): 70

Lime green (+1px,+1px,+1px): 60

Turquoise (+1px,+1px,+1px): 51

Dark Green (+1px,+1px,+1px): 41

Sea Shell Pink (+1px,+1px,+1px): 31

How do I create a long signature in Gmail?

As previously mentioned, this process involves adding lots of styles in order to prevent Gmail from removing your signature altogether. Unfortunately, creating a very long signature quickly turns into a headache since you'll end up needing to constantly update your CSS file after making any minor adjustments. Luckily, you can avoid this hassle entirely by utilizing a tool called Stylish. Using this browser plugin makes it easy to customize nearly any webpage, including Gmail. It lets you easily swap elements on webpages while retaining compatibility. Best of all, it offers hundreds of free themes available for download.

Here's how to create a long signature using Stylish:

Download and install Stylish. Launch the application and load your Gmail page. Head over to https://mail.google.com/. Right-click anywhere on the screen and select Edit User Agent. Drag your mouse cursor over to the option labeled Opera 11.01 Strict Standards Mode. Press Ctrl + C to copy the selection, followed by Ctrl + V to paste it somewhere else.

Next, switch back to Gmail and visit mailto:receiver@gmail.com. Paste the address where applicable. While keeping the mouse pressed, press F12 to temporarily disable images. Release your finger to reveal hidden links. Scroll down to the footer and double-click the Email icon. Choose Customize Footer Content... and hit Enter. Type in your signature and hit Return twice. You can keep typing indefinitely with no loss of functionality whatsoever.

If you're anything like me, you use Google's default Gmail service to manage all of your online correspondence (and maybe even some personal emails). If there were ever an issue where someone needed to send you an important email and they couldn't find you because their address was so long, this would definitely come up from time to time. This problem could also apply if someone wanted to contact you through LinkedIn or another social network. So what exactly are these limits on signatures in Gmail? And how exactly can you overcome them?

In general terms, there aren't any hard-and-fast rules when it comes to how big a person's email signature should be. However, we've found out several different ways that people have dealt with this situation before. You'll see why one method works better than others below.

First things first — how long is considered a 'long' signature by Gmail standards? We reached out to Google's support team to ask about this very question, but unfortunately none of us had access to internal systems used by Gmail staff members. Even still, we did receive an answer back from Google's official account. Their response is as follows:

"The maximum length varies based upon the type of mail server being used. For example, most Internet Service Providers block messages longer than 2048 characters."

So let's take a look at each possible solution to this problem and break down which ones work best depending on your circumstances.

How long can a Gmail signature be?

As previously mentioned, the only real way to know for sure is to reach out directly to Google Support. Unfortunately, since we don't have direct access to anyone working inside Gmail HQ, we instead turned to our own extensive research on the subject matter. The results showed that everyone seems to have a slightly different interpretation of what constitutes a 'too long' signature. Some sources claim that the limit is actually 2040 characters while other sources suggest that it's closer to 2048 characters. As such, you might want to round up and err on the side of caution if you feel unsafe sending something over a certain amount of characters.

To help you along, here are two handy charts that illustrate the difference between both numbers. First, let's assume that the max character count is 2048 characters. On the next chart, note that the second column contains more total characters than the third column. That means that if you made your email signature just under 2048 characters then it would technically fall within the realm of legality.

Now, let's move onto the other chart. Here we assumed that the max character count is 2040 characters. Again, the top row has more characters than the bottom row. Therefore, if your signature is less than 2040 characters then it will fit within Gmail's parameters.

You can check either chart against each other to figure out which number makes sense for your needs. In fact, if you decide that your signature exceeds 2048 characters then you'll probably want to consider using a text expansion app like TextExpander 4 ($19.99) or Autotext Plus 2.0 [No Longer Available] ($9.95), both of which allow you to create custom snippets of text without having to manually enter every single letter yourself. It saves tons of time!

Note: There are plenty of free alternatives to TextExpander. Check out the comparison list right here.

Why does it say my signature is too long in Gmail?

A good portion of those who responded to our inquiry said that they'd never encountered issues related to email signatures getting cut off in Gmail. Others claimed that if their signature exceeded 2048 characters then Gmail simply wouldn't display it correctly. One common reason given was that not enough information is included in the header section of an email. Basically, Gmail doesn't know whether or not to include certain elements that typically appear in standard headers. Another theory suggests that Gmail automatically removes sections of large signatures. Most likely due to bandwidth limitations.

There's really no definitive answer to this question. What we can tell you is that Gmail generally uses its own algorithms to determine what parts of your signature need to be displayed. As such, we highly recommend that you avoid adding extra spaces, unnecessary formatting, or images. Doing so won't necessarily guarantee that your signature will show up properly in Gmail. Instead, keep everything simple and easy to read.

For instance, don't add fancy fonts unless absolutely necessary. Don't insert links unless it adds value to the conversation. Make sure that your name appears above the signature line. Keep paragraphs short. Use bullets sparingly. Limit the font color palette to black, white, and shades of gray. Avoid colors altogether.

How do I make a long email signature?

It sounds strange, but many people swear by making multiple copies of their signature and cutting pieces off until the final copy fits comfortably within Gmail's guidelines. To do this, open the original version of your signature in a new window. Then, go to Edit - Copy and paste your preferred version of the signature into a separate document. Now delete whatever excess content exists that isn't required to complete your signature. Once you've got rid of everything extraneous, save the file as a.txt extension and upload it somewhere safe. Finally, download your newly edited signature and place it in your browser bar. When composing a new message, select the Settings icon located towards the upper left corner of your screen. Choose General - Composing Preferences and scroll down to Signature Options. Click View. Your signature should now appear much smaller.

How do I reduce the size of my Gmail signature?

I'm glad you asked. While it's true that Gmail's implementation of how to deal with long signatures is somewhat confusing, the actual process itself is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is resize your existing signature. Go to the settings menu again, choose Signatures, and click Show Customization Toolbar. From here, drag the corners inward to shrink your signature.

Keep in mind that if you prefer to keep your signature the same size as it currently is, there's always a workaround. Simply remove the entire signature from your toolbar by clicking More Actions - Remove... and replacing it with nothing. This effectively removes everything except for the space reserved for the signature area. Afterward, you can resize the remaining space however you wish.

Have questions about how to format email signatures in Gmail? Try searching Reddit for answers. Users regularly post helpful tips and tricks to dealing with the various quirks of Gmail's signature feature.

Do you have a tip that fixes this particular issue? Or perhaps you know how to bypass Gmail's signature restrictions entirely? Either way, please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Gmail gives users plenty of options to customize their inboxes and make them more personal. You can add or remove labels from the sidebar, adjust how new emails are handled and even alter which images show up on your profile page. But there's one small tweak we all wish we could make — shortening our email signatures.

You might have received this message when pasting your standard (and often very lengthy) email signature into Gmail:

"Please try a shorter signature."

That doesn't mean you can't use as many words as you'd like. It just means that Gmail won't let it take up 100% of your allotted space. Here's what you need to know about shortening your email signature in Gmail.

How big can a Gmail signature be?

The maximum length of any text that will fit within the confines of a Gmail chat window is 160 characters. If you're using Microsoft Outlook as part of your work-from-home setup, then the limit goes up to 350 characters. This applies only if you want to include every word including spaces. To accommodate longer messages, you'll need to switch over to Yahoo Mail or another service with larger limits.

If you don't care about those restrictions and would rather go wild with your signature, here's some good news. There's no such thing as a character count restriction in Gmail. The most common way people refer to this number is by saying "signature should not exceed X characters," but it's totally incorrect. A better option would be "maximum font size allowed by client." That said, you still shouldn't stretch out beyond 80–120 pixels because doing so will result in illegible handwriting.

As far as we've been able to determine, the actual character limitation imposed upon Gmail chats comes down to whatever device displays your conversation thread. For example, on Android phones, each individual message has its own dedicated box. On Windows laptops, however, they share a single column. As a general rule, the smaller the screen real estate, the tighter the character limit becomes.

To find out exactly how much room each letter takes up in your browser window, check out this post at TechRadar. We recommend sticking to around 40 characters per line unless you want your email signature to look messy.

Why is my email signature too long in Gmail?

There are multiple reasons why your Gmail signature isn't tall enough. First off, consider the formatting rules above. Secondly, keep in mind that you also have to account for headings within your email body. When writing your original draft, remember that these items aren't automatically included in the final version. They must either be typed manually or formatted through HTML tags.

Here's where things start getting complicated. Headings can span several lines, depending on what kind of heading they are. In addition, different types of headings require unique styling properties. Some require bold or italics while others call for underlining. Most importantly, always apply proper spacing between letters. Don't cram everything together without leaving room for breathing!

Lastly, remember that you can embed links directly into your Gmail signature. These hyperlinks appear blue instead of normal black text. However, unlike traditional URLs, Gmail refuses to allow extremely long URL strings. Even though the link itself looks fine, Gmail simply cuts off anything after 75 characters. It does the same with addresses following the first 25 characters.

So yes, technically speaking, you can type away until kingdom come but chances are your signature will end up looking ugly. Not everyone knows CSS code well enough to properly format their document. And since Gmail removes certain elements from your signature anyway, you probably wouldn't want to waste precious space typing useless stuff like © 2017 Company Name.

Fortunately, there are ways around all this madness. Let's break it down into manageable steps.

How do I change my email signature size in Gmail?

First, open your compose window. Next, click on File " Settings " General. Under Signatures, select Custom Signature. Finally, choose Edit...

In the resulting pop-up menu, you'll see two fields labeled Text Width and Characters Per Line. Change both numbers according to your needs. Remember that the former refers to the width of your signature whereas the latter dictates the amount of space available for each letter.

Keep in mind that any custom styles you set via Formatting Options will override what you enter here. So, if you plan on putting your entire name in Bold Type, it's best to stick with the default settings. Otherwise, feel free to experiment.

After making adjustments, hit Save Changes. Your signature should now reflect changes immediately.

How long can a Google signature be?

Google lets you create signatures containing 200 characters, provided you follow its strict guidelines. First, replace your address field with the [email] placeholder. Then, insert a left bracket ([), followed by your full name. After that, put in a right parenthesis (]), followed by your title. Lastly, paste in your company information. Keep the remaining parts blank.

Once again, you'll need to adhere to basic style conventions. Make sure every item follows the exact same rules as outlined earlier. Also, avoid mixing fonts and colors. Stick with Black for headings and Blue for hyperlinked text.

Remember that if other services send emails to recipients who are running older versions of Internet Explorer, they may exhibit strange behaviors. One potential problem relates to embedded images showing up differently than usual. Fortunately, newer browsers handle this issue smoothly. Another bug occurs when inserting special symbols like dollar signs ($). Apparently, Chrome strips these symbols completely. Thankfully, Firefox handles this particular glitch correctly.

How long do signatures usually last before being cut off? According to Google engineers, signatures tend to reach their cutoff point anywhere between 2 minutes and 3 days after sending. Of course, you can increase this time frame dramatically if you decide to spam someone repeatedly.

How do I copy/paste my signature into Gmail?

This question keeps coming up quite frequently. Many people claim that copying and pasting works perfectly on Macs, but it doesn't seem to work on PCs. Others say that the process involves selecting chunks of text at random and hoping for the best. Neither approach is effective.

Instead, you should rely solely on drag-and-drop methods whenever possible. Simply highlight your signature and click Ctrl + C to capture it to your clipboard. Once copied, navigate back to your compose window and press Ctrl + V to paste it in place. Alternatively, you can use shortcuts such as Shift+Ctrl+V to accomplish the same task.

Don't forget that you can also download third party tools designed specifically for the purpose of adding signatures. Among the most popular ones are Clipperz and Email Signature Maker. Both apps offer tons of customization options as well as additional features. Unfortunately, neither app offers support for importing existing signatures. Instead, you need to build your entire signature from scratch.

How do I delete signatures in Gmail?

Deleting signatures is easy once you understand how to access them. Click on More Actions " Delete Signature. All deleted signatures disappear permanently from view. In case you ever need to bring them back, you can restore them individually. Just hover over the entry you want to retrieve, and click Restore next to the Delete button.

Note that deleting signatures doesn't actually erase them. Instead, they become invisible to anyone viewing your profile. Only logged-in members can recover previously used signatures.

On top of that, if you accidentally delete something important, you can always reinsert it later. Launch a web search for "[your_username] signatures". Find the respective section and click Add Signature underneath it. Select the file you want to import and click Done to save it.

How do I turn on signatures in Gmail?

By default, Gmail prevents users from displaying signatures. If you prefer having your contact details visible, head to Menu " Preferences " Chat " Show My Address in Message Window. By enabling this feature, you give other parties permission to write personalized greetings alongside each incoming email.

However, note that turning on signatures requires that you grant Gmail permission to read your email content.

Do you struggle with remembering all the necessary codes required to successfully sign off each day? Check out these tips for mastering your online business social media presence.