A PST backup does not automatically include local Outlook signatures. This guide preserves an existing Outlook 2010 installation. It does not promise that these files work unchanged in new Outlook or on the web: signatures there are managed through the respective interface.
Record signatures and assignments
In Outlook 2010, open File, Options, Mail, Signatures. Record signature names and the selections for new messages and replies/forwards for every account. Also keep a readable view of the required text. Check phone numbers, links and required business details; backing up outdated information does not make it correct.
Copy the whole folder
- Save open drafts and close Outlook.
- In Windows Explorer, open
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Signatures. This path refers to the signed-in Windows user. For another profile, locate that user’s actual storage folder. - Copy the entire existing folder into a new dated backup folder. Do not move or delete the source. Include subfolders and associated images, not just individual HTML files.
- Compare files and subfolders in the copy with the source. Protect the backup: it contains personal and possibly internal contact details.
If the folder is absent, do not create an empty replacement and call it a backup. Check the user profile and existing signatures. Centrally managed signatures or signatures appended by a server may be outside this local collection.
Test the transfer separately
Back up the destination signatures before making changes. Test a copy in a separate classic Outlook profile; do not blindly overwrite destination files with identical names. For new Outlook and the web, use their signature settings and recreate the signatures where necessary.
At the destination, recheck assignments for every account and for new messages versus replies. Copying files does not verify these settings. Create an unaddressed test draft, insert the signature and inspect text, special characters, image size and actual link destinations. After saving settings, open a new message to test automatic insertion.
Check images and formats
Check HTML and, if required, plain text separately. Plain text cannot display logos. For a missing image, check accompanying files and external references; reinsert it using the signature dialog’s image tool if needed. A locally visible logo does not prove that recipients will load external images.
No message needs to be sent for these checks. Keep the original and backup until transfer is confirmed; if it fails, restore the previously backed-up destination state.