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Active Directory Attributes in Exchange and Office 365 Email Signatures

Active Directory Attributes

Managing professional and uniform email signatures across an organization is critical for branding, compliance, and communication consistency. One of the most efficient ways to automate this is by leveraging Active Directory (AD) attributes in Exchange Server and Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) using mail flow rules or VBScript.

In this article, we’ll explore how to integrate AD attributes into email signatures, list all usable attributes, and provide a clear, step-by-step guide for implementation using both mail flow rules and scripts.

🔍 What Are Active Directory Attributes?

Active Directory is a directory service that stores information about users, devices, and other resources in a networked environment. Each user object has a set of attributes, such as:

  • Display Name

  • Job Title

  • Department

  • Email Address

  • Phone Number

These attributes can be dynamically pulled into email signatures using Exchange mail flow rules or scripting methods.

📩 Why Use AD Attributes in Email Signatures?

Using AD attributes in email signatures provides several benefits:

  • Consistency: Every employee has a uniform email signature.

  • Automation: No need to manually update individual signatures.

  • Brand Compliance: Ensures signatures adhere to the company’s branding guidelines.

  • Professionalism: Provides complete contact information to recipients.

🔧 Method 1: Using Mail Flow Rules in Exchange Online

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Exchange Admin Center (EAC)

Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Exchange Admin Center.

2. Create a New Mail Flow Rule

Navigate to Mail Flow → Rules → + Add a Rule → Apply disclaimers.

3. Configure Rule Conditions

  • Name the rule: “Email Signature Rule”

  • Apply to all messages or selected groups.

4. Insert Signature Using AD Attributes

In the disclaimer text box, use HTML and the following AD attributes in the format:

--
<b>%%DisplayName%%</b><br>
<i>%%Title%% | %%Department%%</i><br>
Phone: %%PhoneNumber%%<br>
Email: %%Email%%<br>
Company: %%Company%%<br>

5. Save and Apply

Finalize the rule. The signature will be added server-side to outbound emails.

📌 Supported AD Attributes for Mail Flow Rules:

Here are the commonly supported attributes you can use with Exchange Online mail flow rules:

AD Attribute Placeholder
Display Name %%DisplayName%%
Title %%Title%%
Department %%Department%%
Phone Number %%PhoneNumber%%
Email Address %%Email%%
Company Name %%Company%%
Office %%Office%%
City %%City%%
State/Province %%StateOrProvince%%
Country %%CountryOrRegion%%
Manager Name %%Manager%%

🔧 Method 2: Using VBScript for Outlook Signatures (On-Premises or Legacy)

This method is useful for organizations still using on-premises Exchange and Outlook clients.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Create Signature Template

Create an HTML signature file like this (signature.html):

<p><b><%DisplayName%></b><br>
<%Title%> | <%Department%><br>
Phone: <%PhoneNumber%><br>
Email: <%Email%><br>
Company: <%Company%><br></p>

2. VBScript to Replace Placeholders

Create a VBScript (signature.vbs) to replace placeholders with AD data:

Set objSysInfo = CreateObject("ADSystemInfo")
Set objUser = GetObject("LDAP://" & objSysInfo.UserName)

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set signature = fso.OpenTextFile("C:\Signatures\signature.html", 1)
strSig = signature.ReadAll
signature.Close

strSig = Replace(strSig, "<%DisplayName%>", objUser.DisplayName)
strSig = Replace(strSig, "<%Title%>", objUser.Title)
strSig = Replace(strSig, "<%Department%>", objUser.Department)
strSig = Replace(strSig, "<%PhoneNumber%>", objUser.TelephoneNumber)
strSig = Replace(strSig, "<%Email%>", objUser.mail)
strSig = Replace(strSig, "<%Company%>", objUser.Company)

Set output = fso.CreateTextFile("C:\Users\" & objUser.sAMAccountName & "\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures\signature.htm", True)
output.Write strSig
output.Close

3. Deploy with Group Policy or Login Script

Use Group Policy to run the script on user login, automatically generating and updating their signature.

⚠️ Considerations

  • Mail flow rules append signatures to the bottom of the email, not inline.

  • VBScript requires user permissions and access to AD.

  • Not all attributes are exposed in Exchange Online for disclaimers.

✅ Final Thoughts

Using Active Directory attributes for email signatures in Exchange and Microsoft 365 allows for automation, professionalism, and consistency across your organization. Whether you’re using Exchange Online with mail flow rules or legacy systems with VBScript, integrating dynamic AD data into signatures is a scalable and efficient solution.

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