Windows 7 - Windows Live Mail - Backup and Restore Signatures

   Information

This will show you how to backup and restore all of your signatures in Windows Live Mail 2011.

1. Open the Start Menu, then type regedit in the search box and press enter.

2. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes (Windows 7) or Continue (Vista).

3. In regedit, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\signatures

4. If You Only Have Text Signatures to Backup

A) In the left pane of regedit, right click on the signatures key, click on Export, and save the REG file to your desktop. (see screenshot above)
NOTE: Each number sub key (ex: 00000000, 00000001, 00000002) under the signatures key represents a signature in Windows Live Mail.

B) Save the exported REG file where you like to keep it. This REG file is the backup of all of your text signatures.

C) Go to step 6.

5. If You Have Any HTML or HTM File Signatures to Backup

A) Create a New Folder on your desktop, and give it any name (ex: WLM Signatures Backup) you like.

B) In the left pane of regedit, right click on the signatures key, click on Export, and save the REG file into the New Folder on your desktop. (see screenshot below step 3)
NOTE: Each number sub key (ex: 00000000, 00000001, 00000002) under the signatures key represents a signature in Windows Live Mail.

C) In the left pane of regedit, click on each number sub key (ex: 00000000, 00000001, 00000002) under the signatures key one at a time that uses a htm or html file, and make note of where the file location is for each one. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You will need to know where each htm or html file location is so that you will be able to back the file up, and to know where to put it back at later when restoring the file signature in step 3 in OPTION TWO below.

D) In Windows Explorer, navigate to each htm or html file location one at a time, copy each htm or html file, and paste it in the New Folder on the desktop. When finished, close Windows Explorer.

E) Save the New Folder where you like to keep it. This New Folder that contains the exported REG file and htm/html file(s) is the backup of all of your text and/or file signatures.

F) Continue on to step 6.

6. Close regedit.

1. If you have not already, Windows Live Mail 2011 will need to be installed first.

2. If You Only Have Text Signatures to Restore

A) Right click on the exported REG file from step 4 in OPTION ONE above, click on Merge, Yes, and OK.

B) Go to step 4.

3. If You Have Any HTML or HTM File Signatures to Restore

A) Open the New Folder saved from step 5 in OPTION ONE above, right click on each htm/html file one at a time, click on Properties, and make sure that each htm/html file is unblocked.

B) Next, copy and paste each htm/html file in the New Folder one at a time back to their original locations from step 5C above.

   Note

If you lost or forgot the location of where each htm/html file is suppose to be saved to, then you could:

• Right click on the REG file in the New Folder, and click on Edit.
• You will see the File path location listed for each signature file. (see screenshot below)

C) When finished, right click on the exported REG file in the New Folder from step 5A in OPTION ONE above, click on Merge, Yes, and OK.

D) Continue on to step 4.

4. Your signatures have now been restored into Windows Live Mail.