GIF in email signature won't load?

Dear @Olivia,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Since you’re using the New Outlook for Windows on a business account, and your GIF in the email signature is showing as a static thumbnail instead of animating. This is a common issue with the new Outlook client because it behaves more like Outlook on the web and has stricter rendering rules for animations. Therefore, some advanced HTML or animations may not work as in the classic version.

• Current Workarounds:
  • Switch back to Classic Outlook for full GIF support.
  • Or use Outlook on the Web, which supports animated GIFs better

Here are some methods I recommend you try:

Method 1: Enable Animation Settings

Make sure animations are enabled both in Outlook and Windows:

• In Outlook:
  • Go to Settings > Mail > Layout > Animations.
  • Enable Show animations in message list and click Save.

If this option is already enabled or if enabling it does not resolve the issue, the problem might be due to the 'Show animations' setting in Windows. This setting can be found in different locations.

• Windows 10: Click Start button > Go to Settings > Ease of Access > Other options, then enable Play animations in Windows.
• Windows 11: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Animation effects, and ensure it’s enabled
• For reference: Gif signature on new outlook is not working , we can reproduce

Method 2: Resize the GIF

• Large or wide GIFs often fail to render in the new Outlook.
• Reduce the width and file size (ideally under 500 KB). Use an online GIF compressor or resize tool

Method 3: Check Signature Setup

Use the built-in signature editor in New Outlook:

View tab > View Settings > Accounts > Signatures.

• Insert the GIF using the image icon, not by copy-paste.
  • Note: You can add animated GIFs to email by inserting an animated GIF using Insert a Picture or by using an add-in from your favorite GIF provider like GIPHY or Gfycat.

Avoid linking to external images; embed the GIF directly.

Method 4: Check Email Format

Ensure your emails are composed in HTML format, not plain text. Plain text does not support images or animations

• Open Outlook
• Go to the File menu and select options
• In the Mail category, find the compose message section and ensure that "HTML" option is selected

Method 5: Assess Outlook and Security Settings

• Check whether the images are blocked from loading automatically:
  • Go to the File menu and click Option > Select Trust Center from the list on the left
  • Click on Trust Center Settings
  • Go to Automatic Download and ensure that "Don't download pictures in encrypted or unencrypted HTML email" is unchecked.
• Additionally, check your security software settings and adjust them, if necessary, to allow images in emails.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. 

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, feel free to reach out again and we can work together to resolve this.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

If my answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Dear @Olivia,

Thank you for your update!

According to my research, here are some possible ways I recommend you try:

Option 1: GIPHY for Outlook (Microsoft AppSource)

You can use the GIPHY for Outlook add-in from Microsoft AppSource to insert GIFs into the email body (not the signature).

• Purpose: Lets you search, discover, and insert GIFs and stickers directly into Outlook emails.
• Key Features:
  • Integrated GIF search engine inside Outlook.
  • Browse trending GIFs or search by category (e.g., reactions, moods, celebrities).
  • One-click insertion into email body.
• Requirements:
  • Works with Outlook desktop and web (Microsoft 365 or supported standalone versions).
  • Requires internet connectivity.
• Privacy Note: The add-in can read/modify email content and send data to GIPHY servers.
• You can see more information here: Download GIPHY

Option 2: Use Insert Picture in Outlook:

• Go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures.
• Click New or edit an existing signature.
• Use the Insert Picture icon to upload the GIF.
• Resize if necessary (keep it under 500 KB for better compatibility).
• Save and test by sending an email to yourself.

Option 3: Contact Microsoft Support

If you are user, please ask your IT admin to reach out the Microsoft Support team via Contact Microsoft Office Support or Contact us

I totally understand about the inconvenience with GIFs not displaying in your email signature in the New Outlook for Windows and I understand how important this feature is for branding and communication.

Currently, the New Outlook uses a modern web-based rendering engine that has limited support for animated GIFs in signatures, which is why you’re seeing a static placeholder instead of the animation.

In the meantime, I believe this is an important feature for many users, and your feedback can help prioritize it. Please share your feedback directly with the Outlook team through the Feedback Hub in Outlook (go to Help > Feedback) or you can submit your feedback directly to Microsoft Ideas · Community, where our product development team can know your requirements and ideas for product improvements. The team actively monitors user input, and many improvements have been made based on community suggestions.

• Note: As Microsoft Community moderators, please note that we are not involved in product design decisions and do not have direct access to the development roadmap, we want to assure you that your feedback has been acknowledged and is valued.  

Current Update: 

• While we don’t have a confirmed timeline for a fix or enhancement, this issue has been reported by multiple users. If possible, with more feedback/concern the team receives, the higher the visibility it will be addressed in a future update. 
• As I have already reported to the product team, if any updates or announcements are made regarding this feature, I will make sure to share them with you as soon as possible.

Note: Please reassured that you are not alone, I’ll continue to monitor this case and will reach out to you with any new updates as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you see my replies bring helpful information, please kindly accept it as an answer and vote it up by your original account, which raised this question. Once marked, it will automatically pin to top. As other users will also search information in this community, your valuable vote up will definitely also help other users who have similar queries easily to find the correct channel and useful information more quickly.   

If you have any further questions or need clarification, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

If my answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Dear @Olivia,

Thank you for your update!

If you cannot download it via the link, here are some alternative steps I recommend you try:

Step 1: Login to Outlook > Choose "More app" > Add apps

Step 2: Search "GIPHY" > Add GIPHY

Step 3: Turn off and access the Home page again > Click "Enhance outlook with apps" > Choose GIPHY

Note: Thiss app only allows to Browse/Search trending GIFs or search by category (e.g., reactions, moods, celebrities).

However, with the GIF in email signature issue and I see there are many users also report this issue, I have tested that the web side did not have this situation then it might be a problem on the client side itself. If the issue still persists, I strongly recommend you contact your IT admins to report this issue directly to Microsoft Support Team. They have resource to better investigate the issue you have experienced.

If you are user, please ask your IT admin to reach out the Microsoft Support team via Contact Microsoft Office Support or Contact us

In the meantime, I believe this is an important feature for many users, and your feedback can help prioritize it. Please share your feedback directly with the Outlook team through Microsoft Ideas · Community, where our product development team can know your requirements and ideas for product improvements.

Note: As Microsoft Community moderators, please note that we are not involved in product design decisions and do not have direct access to the development roadmap, we want to assure you that your feedback has been acknowledged and is valued.  

While we don’t have a confirmed timeline for a fix or enhancement, this issue has been reported by multiple users. If possible, with more feedback/concern the team receives, the higher the visibility it will be addressed in a future update. 

As I have already reported to the product team, if any updates or announcements are made regarding this feature, I will make sure to share them with you as soon as possible.

Note: Please reassured that you are not alone, I’ll continue to monitor this case and will reach out to you with any new updates as soon as possible.

if you see my replies bring helpful information, please kindly accept it as an answer and vote it up by your original account, which raised this question. Once marked, it will automatically pin to top. As other users will also search information in this community, your valuable vote up will definitely also help other users who have similar queries easily to find the correct channel and useful information more quickly.   

If you have any further questions or need clarification, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

If my answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.