Due to the number of different email clients out there, I will limit the instructions to just get you to the settings page to edit the signatures. I will be including a link to relevant posts describing the process of customizing the signatures along with each client when available.

Did I miss an email client in the list below? Please add the name of the email client in the comments below.

Make sure to bookmark this page because I will be updating it with new clients and suggestions from readers.

Desktop Clients

• Outlook 2010
• Outlook 2007
• Windows Live Mail
• Outlook Express 6
• Thunderbird 3
• Apple Mail

Web Email Clients

• Gmail
• Hotmail
• Yahoo! Mail

Mobile Clients

• iPhone 3GS
• iPad 3.2

Microsoft Outlook 2010

1. Click on File.

2. Click on Options from the menu.

3. When the Outlook Options window appears, click on the Mail in the left pane.

4. Click on the Signatures button to the right.

The Signatures and Stationary window will open.

Microsoft Outlook 2007

1. Click on Tools to open the menu.

2. Click on Options…

3. When the Options window opens, click on the Mail Format tab.

4. Click on the Signatures button to edit your email signatures.

Windows Live Mail

1. Click on the Menus button located on the top-right corner of the application window.

2. Click on Options from the menu.

3. When the Options window opens, click on the Signature tab.

You will now be able to add or edit your email signatures.

Microsoft Outlook Express 6

1. Click on Tools to open the menu.

2. Click on Options.

3. When the Options window opens, click on the Signatures tab to edit your signature.

Thunderbird 3

1. Click on Tools to open the menu.

2. Click on Account Settings.

Apple Mail

1. Click on the Options/Settings icon.

2. Click on Edit “Email Account Name…” form the menu.

3. Click on the Signatures button.

4. The Signatures page will open.

Gmail

1. Click on the Settings link on the upper right corner of the page.

2. Make sure the General tab is active.

3. Scroll down and you should find the Signature options box.

Hotmail/Live Mail

1. Click on Options to open the menu.

2. Click on More options.

3. Click on Personal e-mail signature.

4. You can edit the email signature for Hotmail by adding your personal email signature.

Yahoo! Mail

The screenshots below are for the version of Yahoo! as of this writing.

1. Click on the Options link.

2. Click on the More Options… from the menu.

3. Click on the Signature link.

4. The edit signature page will appear.

iPhone 3GS

These steps should cover the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

1. Tap on Settings in the Home Screen.

2. Tap on Email, Contacts, Calendars.

3. Tap on Signature.

4. You can customize the signature for your iPhone on this page.

iPad OS 3.2

Although similar to the iPhone instructions above, there are some slight variations in the screenshots used so I decided to post an individual how-to just for the iPad.

1. Tap on Settings.

2. Tap on Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

3. Tap on Signature.

4. Enter the signature you would like to use.

Email has provided users with almost real time communication capabilities, but at the same time has allowed for the creation of an information overload and unlimited interruptions. Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Workweek offers some insight on how to take control of your email. One of my favorite pieces of advice is turning off email notifications used by email applications to alert users of new messages.

For example, Outlook has four different notifications, three of which are enabled by default. Each time you receive a message your cursor will change, a short sound notification will play, and a Desktop Alert will appear. Talk about a distraction.

Since Ferriss’s philosophy centers around being efficient and productive, constant email interruptions interfere with that mantra and so to help those less computer literate I have created this how-to that will walk you through the steps necessary to disable notifications in Outlook 2007, Windows Mail, Thunderbird, and Outlook Express. I’ve also included some tips at the end of this post.

Outlook 2007

1. Open Outlook and click on Tools > Options…

2. When the Options window opens click on the Email Options… button under the Preferences tab

3. When the Email Options window opens click on the Advanced Email Options button

There are 4 notifications associated with new messages received in Outlook;

They are located under the when new items arrive in my inbox section

• Play a sound
• Briefly change mouse cursor
• Show an envelope icon in the notification area
• Display a new mail desktop alert (default inbox only)

4. Uncheck all of the checkboxes, click OK to close the window. Click OK two more times to close the other windows.

Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird, click on Tools > Options…

2. Click on the General tab and uncheck the Show an alert and Play a sound check boxes located in the When new messages arrive section. Click OK to close the window.

Outlook Express 6

1. Open Outlook Express, click on Tools > Options…

2. Click on the General tab and uncheck the Play a sound when new messages arrive check box located in the Send/Receive Messages section. Click OK to close the window.

Windows Mail (Vista)

1. Open Outlook Express, click on Tools > Options…

2. Click on the General tab and uncheck the Play a sound when new messages arrive check box located in the Send/Receive Messages section. Click OK to close the window.

*Additional Tips

Minimize Outlook 2007 to the Notification Area

To go a step further I urge you to hide the Outlook window to the notification area and remove it from the task bar when minimized. This will help you control the urge to switch to the Outlook application.

1. Right click on the Outlook icon in the Notification Area and select Hide When Minimized.

Switch to Calendar Section When Not Emailing

Sometimes you need to have your Calendar accessible and so the Outlook application must remain on the task bar for easy access. I encourage you to activate the Calendar section which adds an additional step to get to your email.