The 'Copy as rich text' button does not work in my browser; how else can I get the signature into my email?
Rich copying depends on your browser's support for the clipboard interface, and the tool tells you plainly when it fails rather than showing a false success. The quickest alternative: select the signature inside the preview with the mouse, press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on a Mac) and paste into your signature box. If that does not work, download the HTML file, open it in the browser and copy from there, or copy the source if your program accepts HTML.
What the message you saw means
When you press 'Copy as rich text', the tool tries to put two versions on the clipboard at once, formatted and plain. You may see one of two messages:
- 'Your browser does not support copying rich text (Clipboard API)': the browser does not offer the feature at all, so pressing again will not help.
- 'The rich-text copy did not work' with a reason in brackets: the browser supports the feature but refused this time, for instance because of a permission or privacy setting. The reason shown comes straight from the browser.
Either way, 'Manual copy' steps appear under the buttons, and they are the first method below.
Method 1: copy by hand from the preview
- Put the pointer inside the preview in the Email signature builder and select the whole signature by dragging from the start of the name to the last link.
- Press Ctrl+C on Windows, or Cmd+C on a Mac.
- Open your email program's signature settings and paste with Ctrl+V.
This copies roughly what you see, because the browser itself copies the selection with its formatting. Just make sure the selection includes the logo if there is one, and that you did not miss the last line.
Method 2: from the downloaded HTML file
Press 'Download HTML file' to get email-signature.html. It is a complete page with only the signature on a white background. Double-click it to open it in your browser, press Ctrl+A to select everything on the page, Ctrl+C to copy, and paste into your email program. This also helps if you will set the signature up later on another computer: move the file across and copy from it there.
Method 3: the source code itself
'Copy HTML source' copies the code as text, not the formatted signature. Do not paste it into an ordinary signature box, or recipients will see words like table and style instead of your signature. Use it only where the destination explicitly accepts code, such as an editor with a source or HTML mode, or a helpdesk or mailing tool that asks for signature HTML. If you are not sure, methods 1 and 2 are safer.
Whichever you use, send yourself a test email after pasting. A signature sometimes looks fine in the settings box and comes out a little different in a real message.
Common questions
Is the problem the tool or my browser?
The tool asks the browser to copy and reports the real result. If the browser refuses, the cause lies with it or its settings, and the other methods still work.
Does plain-text copying still work?
'Copy plain text' is a separate button that uses a simpler method. Try it if your destination is plain text anyway.