Team Signatures
How to troubleshoot Google Workspace signature installation?
Most Google Workspace installation problems come down to five things: the wrong kind of admin connected the integration, the users were never imported, the group was never reinstalled after a template edit, someone overwrote the deployed signature, or Auto install is off on the integration when you expected signatures to install themselves.
Before you start, confirm the basics: you connected as a super admin under Integrations, the teammate is in a group, and that group has a template assigned.
How installation works, so you know what to check
SyncSignature writes the generated signature into the Gmail signature field on a user's send-as address. It does not stamp signatures at send time, and mail is never routed through SyncSignature. Two consequences explain most symptoms:
- The signature lives in Gmail after install. If a user edits it there, their edit wins until you install again.
- Installation is a push, not a live sync. Regenerating a signature updates it in SyncSignature. Reaching Gmail takes an install, and there are two ways that happens: you click Install signature, or Auto install does it for you. Auto install is off by default, so on most workspaces the push is the manual one. Allow 5 to 10 minutes either way, plus Google's own delay.
Signatures not appearing after install
Check these in order:
- Confirm the install ran. Open the group, select the user, and click Install signature again. Installation is triggered from inside a group, never from an individual signature.
- Check there is a signature to install. A teammate in the workspace but not in a group has no generated signature. Add them to a group.
- Look at Gmail settings directly. Open See all settings and scroll to Signature. If it is there but not on outgoing mail, the signature defaults are set to No signature.
- Confirm the address matches. If the user sends from an alias rather than their primary address, the signature must be installed against that alias.
Signatures are not installing automatically
If you expected signatures to land without anyone clicking, check Auto install on the Google Workspace connection under Integrations. It is an option on the integration, set once per integration, and it is off by default.
With Auto install on, template edits install themselves and newly synced users install themselves, so nobody opens a group. With it off, a change reaches Gmail only when someone selects the users and clicks Install signature. If that is your setup, nothing is broken: it is the default behaving as designed, and the fixes further down that tell you to click Install signature are still the right answer.
New hires are a separate case. Your organizational units sync as groups, so a new hire in a synced OU lands in the matching group and one in an unsynced OU falls into the default group. A signature is generated either way. If neither happened, confirm the OU selection on the connection under Integrations. For the hands-off setup end to end, see how to fully automate email signatures.
Admin policy or permission errors when connecting
The connection under Integrations must be made by a Google Workspace super admin. A delegated admin cannot grant the scopes SyncSignature needs.
If the Google consent screen shows a policy error instead of an approve button, third party app access is restricted in Google Admin. Allow the SyncSignature Marketplace app for your organization, then reconnect. If the app was installed for a single organizational unit, users outside that OU fail to install even though the connection itself looks healthy.
Users missing from the import
If people are absent from TEAMMATES after a Google Directory import, the usual cause is a scoped import. Re-run it and widen the organizational unit or group selection. Other causes:
- The user was created after your last import. If their organizational unit is one you selected, the next sync picks them up on its own and puts them in the matching group. If it is not, widen the OU selection or import again.
- The account is suspended or archived. Restore it in Google Admin first.
- The address is a group or shared mailbox. Those do not import as teammates.
- The Marketplace app was installed for a limited set of OUs. Widen the install scope in Google Admin.
Signature on desktop but not mobile
The signature applies in Gmail on the web, iOS, and Android. When it shows on desktop but not on a phone, the Gmail mobile app almost always has its own mobile signature set on that device, which overrides the account signature there.
Ask the user to open the Gmail app, go to Settings, choose the account, and clear the mobile signature. Once it is empty, the installed signature applies. This is a per device setting, so a phone and a tablet may need clearing separately.
A teammate's manual edit overwrote the deployed signature
Once installed, the signature sits in that user's Gmail settings, and SyncSignature does not lock the Gmail signature field.
To restore it, open the group, select that user, and click Install signature. The deployed version replaces whatever is there. If the same person keeps overwriting it, move them to a group whose template matches the layout they actually need.
Alias signatures not applying
Each alias is treated as an additional teammate. Two things must be true before an alias signature applies: the alias must be added in Gmail under Send mail as, and SMTP relay must be configured in Google Admin under Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Routing.
If an alias signature is missing or the wrong one applies, work through email signatures for aliases in Google Workspace.
Common issues and fixes
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Signature not appearing after install | The teammate is not in a group, so no signature was generated | Add them to a group with a template, then click Install signature |
| Saved in Gmail but not on outgoing mail | Gmail signature defaults are set to No signature | In Gmail settings, set the defaults for new messages and replies |
| Policy error on the consent screen | Third party app access is restricted in Google Admin | Allow the SyncSignature Marketplace app, then reconnect |
| Cannot connect under Integrations | Connected as a delegated admin, not a super admin | Reconnect with an account that has super admin rights |
| Users missing after import | The import or Marketplace install was scoped to specific OUs | Re-run the import and widen the OU or group selection |
| Works on desktop, missing on phone | A device level mobile signature is set in the Gmail app | Clear the mobile signature in the Gmail app on that device |
| Manual edit replaced the signature | The Gmail signature field stays editable by the user | Reopen the group, select the user, click Install signature |
| Template edit not visible in Gmail | Signatures regenerated but were never reinstalled | Open the group, select all users, click Install signature |
| Nothing installs without someone clicking | Auto install is off on the Google Workspace integration, which is the default | Turn on Auto install under Integrations so template edits and newly synced users install themselves |
| Alias signature not applying | The alias is not a send-as address, or SMTP relay is not configured | Follow the alias setup steps linked below |
Related articles
- Install email signatures to Google Workspace is the full setup flow.
- Email signatures for aliases in Google Workspace covers send-as addresses and SMTP relay.
- What are Groups explains why installation is triggered from inside a group.
- Import and manage teammates covers directory imports and roles.
Still stuck? Email support@syncsignature.com and include your Google Workspace primary domain, the affected user's email address, and the group you installed from.