How to Add a LinkedIn Icon to Your Email Signature

Adding a clickable LinkedIn icon to your email signature is a subtle yet powerful move to boost your professional network with every message you send. This guide will walk you through exactly how to do it step-by-step for the most popular email clients, including Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. You’ll also find best practices to make sure your signature looks polished and professional on any device.

Why Your Email Signature Needs a LinkedIn Icon

Every email you send is a touchpoint, a tiny interaction that builds your personal and professional brand. Your email signature is the modern-day business card, and leaving out a link to your LinkedIn profile is a missed opportunity. Think about it: recipients who want to know more about you, verify your credentials, or connect professionally have to leave their inbox, open a browser, and search for your name. That's a lot of friction.

A simple, clickable LinkedIn icon removes all of that friction. Here’s what it accomplishes:

• Seamless Networking: It turns a passive email into an active networking tool. A prospect, a potential employer, or a future collaborator is just one click away from connecting with you. It’s an open invitation to continue the conversation in a professional context.
• Boosts Professional Credibility: A well-maintained LinkedIn profile acts as a living resume, complete with endorsements, recommendations, and a portfolio of your work. Linking to it directly from your email signature builds trust and shows you’re a serious, active professional in your field.
• Increases Profile Views and Engagement: The more people who see your profile, the greater your chances of being discovered for new opportunities. An icon in your signature constantly drives relevant, high-intent traffic directly to your page, which can lead to more connection requests, messages, and engagement on your posts.
• Strengthens Your Brand: A signature that’s consistent across all communication channels reinforces your brand identity. The icon is a clean, visual cue that connects your email communication with your professional social media presence, creating a cohesive digital footprint.
• Makes It Easy for Recruiters and Clients: Don’t make people work to find you. When a recruiter or potential client is interested, the first thing they often do is look you up on LinkedIn. Placing the link right in your signature gives them the shortcut they need, making their research process easier and leaving a positive impression.

Step 1: Get Your LinkedIn URL and an Icon

Before you jump into your email settings, you need two things: your unique LinkedIn profile URL and a clean, high-quality LinkedIn icon. A little preparation here goes a long way in making your final signature look sharp.

Find and Customize Your LinkedIn Profile URL

You don't want to use the default, clunky URL that LinkedIn gives new users (the one with random numbers at the end). A custom URL looks much more professional and is easier for people to remember. Here's how to find and edit yours:

1. Log in to LinkedIn and go to your profile by clicking your photo or the "Me" icon in the top right corner and selecting "View Profile."
2. On your profile page, look for the "Edit public profile & URL" link in the top right corner. Click on it.
3. A new page will open. In the top right corner of this page, under "Edit your custom URL," you’ll see your current profile address. Click the pencil icon to edit it.
4. Change your URL to something clean and professional, like linkedin.com/in/yourfirstname-yourlastname or linkedin.com/in/yourname-yourfield. If it’s taken, try adding a middle initial or a relevant keyword.
5. Click Save. Copy this new URL and keep it handy.

Download a High-Quality LinkedIn Icon

Next, you’ll need the actual image file for your signature. Avoid saving mystery images from the internet that might be low-quality or copyrighted. You want an icon that’s sharp, clear, and has a transparent background so it looks good next to your text.

• Ideal Format: A PNG file is best because it supports transparency. This means you won’t have a clunky white box around the icon if your email has a different background color.
• Perfect Size: An oversized icon looks unprofessional and can distort your signature's layout, especially on mobile. Aim for a size between 30x30 pixels and 40x40 pixels. This is large enough to be recognizable but small enough to be unobtrusive.
• Where to Find Them: You can find good, free-to-use social media icons from several sources. Websites like Flaticon, Icons8, or Font Awesome offer huge libraries. Alternatively, a great option is to go directly to the source: LinkedIn offers its official brand assets and logo for download on its website. A quick search for "LinkedIn brand resources" will get you there.

Once you’ve found an icon you like, download the PNG file and save it to a memorable location on your computer. Now you're ready to build your signature.

How to Add a LinkedIn Icon to Your Gmail Signature

Gmail makes it straightforward to add images and links to your email signature. Just follow these steps:

1. Open Settings: In Gmail, click the gear icon in the top-right corner, then click "See all settings."
2. Navigate to Signatures: In the "General" tab (which should be the default), scroll down until you see the "Signature" section.
3. Create or Edit: If you don't have a signature, click "+ Create new." If you have one you want to edit, simply click on its name in the list.
4. Insert the Icon: In the signature editor box, place your cursor where you want the LinkedIn icon to appear. Click the "Insert image" icon in the toolbar (it looks like a little mountain).
5. Upload Your Icon: An "Add an image" window will pop up. Go to the "Upload" tab and drag-and-drop your saved LinkedIn icon file, or click "Select a file from your device" to find it. The image will now appear in your signature editor.
6. Add Your Link: Click on the newly added icon in the editor to select it. It should get highlighted in blue. Now, click the "Link" icon in the toolbar (it looks like a chain link).
7. Paste Your URL: A small box will appear under the icon. In the "Web address" field, paste your custom LinkedIn profile URL that you copied earlier. Click "OK."
8. Save Your Changes: Scroll to the very bottom of the Settings page and click the "Save Changes" button.

That's it! Compose a new email to see your new signature in action. Click the icon to make sure it directs you to your LinkedIn profile.

How to Add a LinkedIn Icon to Your Outlook Signature

The process for Outlook is slightly different depending on whether you’re using the web version or the desktop app. Here’s how to do both.

For Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com / Office 365)

1. Access Settings: Log in to Outlook.com and click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open the Settings panel.
2. Find Signature Settings: With the Mail tab selected on the left pane, click on "Compose and reply."
3. Edit Signature: In the "Email signature" section, you’ll see an editor text box. Place your cursor where you'd like your icon.
4. Insert Your Icon: In the editor's toolbar, click the "Insert pictures inline" icon (looks like a picture with a landscape). Find and select your saved LinkedIn icon file.
5. Link the Icon: Click to select the icon you just inserted. Then, click the "Insert link" icon in the toolbar (a chain link).
6. Enter Your URL: In the dialogue box, paste your custom LinkedIn profile URL into the "Web address (URL)" field and click "OK."
7. Save: Click the blue "Save" button to apply your new signature.

For the Outlook Desktop App (Windows & Mac)

1. Open Signature Options:
   • On Windows: Open Outlook and go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures.
   • On Mac: With Outlook open, go to Outlook > Preferences > Signatures.
2. Select Your Signature: Choose the signature you want to edit from the list, or click "New" to create one.
3. Add the Image: In the signature editor, position your cursor. Click the image icon (it usually looks like a small picture) in the properties toolbar. Navigate to your saved LinkedIn icon and insert it.
4. Add the Hyperlink: Click to highlight the icon you just added. Then, click the hyperlink icon (looks like a globe or a chain link).
5. Paste the Link: In the dialogue box that appears, paste your LinkedIn profile URL into the "Address" field. Click "OK."
6. Save Everything: Click "OK" to close the signature editor, and then click "OK" again on the main options window to save all your changes.

How to Add a LinkedIn Icon to Your Apple Mail Signature

Apple Mail requires a slightly different approach, but it has gotten simpler in more recent versions of macOS.

1. Open Signature Preferences: With the Mail app open, click on "Mail" in the top menu bar, then choose "Settings" (or "Preferences" in older macOS versions). Click on the "Signatures" tab.
2. Create or Choose a Signature: On the left, select the email account you want the signature for. Click the "+" button to create a new signature, or select an existing one to edit.
3. Uncheck "Always match my default message font": This little checkbox can sometimes interfere with custom formatting. It's often best to uncheck it before proceeding.
4. Design Your Signature: Type out your signature text in the editor on the right. Leave a space for your icon.
5. Add the Icon: Find the saved LinkedIn icon PNG file on your computer and simply drag it from your Finder window and drop it directly into the signature editor box where you want it to appear.
6. Resize If Needed: The image may appear large at first. Click on the image and a small dropdown menu will appear in the corner, you can choose a different sizing option like "Small" or "Actual Size" to get it right. Aim for a sensible, small size.
7. Add Your Link: Once the image is in place, right-click (or control-click) on the icon and select "Add Link..." from the menu. Paste your LinkedIn profile URL into the box that appears and press Enter.
8. Close and Test: Close the Settings window. The changes save automatically. Create a new email and select your new signature from the dropdown menu to see how it looks.

Best Practices for Your LinkedIn Email Signature

You’ve got the technical skills down. Now let’s add a layer of strategy to make sure your signature is truly effective.

• Don't Overdo It: Resist the urge to add icons for every social media profile you have. Keep it clean and focused. For professional communication, a LinkedIn icon is essential. You might add one more (like a personal website or X/Twitter profile if it's work-relevant), but that's it. Too many icons create visual clutter.
• Uniform Size and Style: If you do decide to use more than one icon, make sure they are a matching set - the same size, style, and color. One a circle, one a square, one blue, one black... this just looks messy. Go for uniformity every time.
• Always Test on Mobile: A huge percentage of emails are read on mobile devices. Your signature needs to look just as good there. Send a test email to yourself and open it on your phone. Does the icon scale properly? Is it clickable? Did it mess up the layout? Make adjustments if necessary.
• Maintain White Space: Don't cram the icon right next to your name or phone number. A little bit of "white space" or padding around it helps it stand out and keeps the entire signature from looking cluttered and hard to read.

Final Thoughts

Adding a clickable LinkedIn icon to your email signature is a small adjustment that delivers ongoing benefits. It's a simple, professional way to build your network, drive traffic to your profile, and reinforce your personal brand with every email. Follow the steps for your email client, and you'll have a more effective signature in just a few minutes.

Creating a consistent professional brand goes beyond your signature - it’s also about the value you provide on LinkedIn itself. At our company, we know that keeping a steady stream of insightful content scheduled is where many busy professionals struggle, which is why we built Postbase. Our visual calendar and rock-solid scheduling tools help you plan and publish engaging LinkedIn posts without the hassle, ensuring your profile is always active and impressive when those new contacts from your email signature come to visit.