Auto Outlook Email Signature (PowerShell Edition)

Preface

You probably saw something similar before, but this one contain full feature to standardize all users Outlook email signature. It can enquire the AD user account information to pull out the settings, then generate a standard signature from your template and update to the Outlook if any different. Script also can auto enable the signature in the Outlook, but due to registry update contain some delay so the email account is first time setup then user must logout and login the computer after the script run.

Compatibility

Script is compatibile with MS Outlook 2010 to the latest version, as long as computer is running Windows 7, 8 or 10 environment.

Requirement

• Knowledge of how Distinguished names (DN) work on Active Directory
• Basic knowledge of Active Directory
• Create your email signature template from your Outlook.
• File server, netlogon folder shared for script use purpose.

How to

Script require to create a signature template, here are the guideline how to create your template :

1. Open your Outlook, Click 'File' > 'Options', Under the pop up screen click on 'Mail', in the right side Windows select 'Signatures...'
2. Under the 'Signature and Stationery' screen, assume it has nothing defined before (better nothing, otherwise remove it all), click on 'New' button, type the name of the signature call 'sign' (This is a must).
3. Start draft your signature template under 'Edit signature', and put below parameters instead of the ture info :

• %FULLNAME% for user's full name
• %JOBTITLE% for user's job title
• %PHONE% for user's telephone number
• %MOBILE% for user's mobile phone number
• %EMAIL% for user's email address
• %COMPANYNAME% for company name

Here is an example of signature template:

%FULLNAME%
%JOBTITLE%

%COMPANYNAME%
Tel :		%PHONE%
Email :		%EMAIL%
Mobile :	%MOBILE%
www.abc.com

4. Once done above, click 'OK' to save it, you should be able to find your signature template saved under 'C:\Users<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures', rename the 'Signatures' folder to 'default' and copy/move it to your server UNC path "\\netlogon\templates\signatures"
5. If you have signature setup for different domain, you rename as the 'Signatures' folder to your domain name.
6. Try run the script on the computer then you should be able to get the standard form of signature ready

How to update signature template:

Template contain 3 files:

• sign.htm use Microsoft Word
• sign.rtf use WordPad
• sign.txt use Notepad

Anything you updated on either of the files, will auto reflect to the email signature when next time run the script.

How to run the script :

Suggest you compile the script to exe file by using ps2exe.ps1 (Search 'ps2exe' from google), then tell GPO to run the exe file by define the login script path:

1. On your AD Controller, Open the 'Group Policy Management', or use MMC to add snap-in, attach the 'Group Policy Management'.
2. Look at the left side window, under the domain forest tree, Choose 'Domain' > '' > 'Group Policy Objects' > 'Default Domain Policy', right click on it and select 'Edit'.
3. A new screen pop up, look at the left side window, choose 'User Configurations' > 'Windows Settings' > 'Scripts (Logon/logout)'
4. Look at the right side windows, double click 'Logon', add a script there, and give the full path of the script.

Of course you better save the script on the server,(Suggest also under the netlogon folder)

Additional feature :

For example, you have a user who has 2 job titles, you can put '<br>' between two job titles in the user account details, so script will help you split it to 2 lines (Same to tell number and mobile number). But this feature was disabled by default, please remove the # sign for related codes.

Known issue and solution

You probably found that users cannot change their signature and it will be locked, if you want to release it, please remove below registry settings :

path = 'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Version number>\Common\MailSettings'	
name = 'NewSignature'

path = 'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Version number\Common\MailSettings'
name = 'ReplySignature'

I can provide an update version for create exception list for ignore the registry changes, or you just remove related codes from the script.

If you have a huge image stored in the signature, it should slow down the script run.

Sample template

Please also check the sample signature template I was uploaded.