We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Technology

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

How do I Add a Disclaimer to E-Mail?

Diane Goettel
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 6,681
Share

The process of adding a disclaimer to an email is rather simple, but the issue of getting the wording right within that disclaimer takes a bit of consideration and planning, and it is also important to make sure that the text of the disclaimer is differentiated from the body of the email. Most email systems allow users to add a standard signature to all of their emails. Some people use this as a way to avoid re-typing their contact information every time they send out an electronic missive. It is in this section that one can add a disclaimer that will be sent out at the bottom of all of their emails. Alternatively, one can add a disclaimer manually to emails as needed, either creating the text of the disclaimer within the body of the email or pasting it from another source.

There are a number of ways to make sure that people receiving emails with disclaimers can easily distinguish between the body of the email and the text of the disclaimer. Some people use punctuation such as a series of dashes or periods to create a visual break between the email and the disclaimer. Another way make the text of the disclaimer look different from the text of the email is to use different font sizes, font styles, and font colors. If the text of an email is black in 12-point Times New Roman font, then the text of the disclaimer could be blue in ten-point Courier New font.

Companies that require workers to add a disclaimer to all emails usually provide the text of the disclaimer. Those who want to add a disclaimer that is not provided for them should first consider the protections they are hoping to gain from the disclaimer. Then they can work to create a text that is concise, while still affording them the protections that they need.

In some cases, it may be necessary to consult a lawyer in order to add a disclaimer that serves unique needs. There are a number of standard email disclaimers that can be borrowed for basic confidentiality protection. These are readily available online. If something more complex is needed, then it may be necessary to seek legal counsel. A legal professional will be able to help created the right language to help secure the needed protections.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Diane Goettel
By Diane Goettel
"Diane Goettel has a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA in English from Brooklyn College. Diane lives in Mount Vernon, New York with her husband, Noah. They are the proud parents of a Doberman Pinscher named Spoon. Specialties: book editing, book marketing, book publishing, freelance writing, magazine publishing, magazine writing, copywriting,"

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By pastanaga — On Jun 12, 2014

@Fa5t3r - That would be beside the point though. If they cut off the disclaimer then it wouldn't be attached to the message, but the email source still would be and the legal purpose of the disclaimer might be voided.

I think the most you could hope for is some kind of smart email that would clear up multiple identical disclaimers into a bundle or something like that.

But I have a friend who works for the government and I know he has to be absolutely careful that there is a disclaimer on everything he says in public forums, even on facebook, because it's so easy for people to take offense.

By Fa5t3r — On Jun 11, 2014

@browncoat - People should try to keep these to an absolute minimum. I have a mailing list with my family and most of them work in offices of some description, so whenever we have a bunch of replies there seems to be ten minutes worth of scrolling through disclaimers to get to the actual messages.

I understand that you have to add a disclaimer to your email if you're working for a company and you use their email addresses but there should be some way of automatically cutting them off from replies so that they don't clutter up the whole thing.

By browncoat — On Jun 11, 2014

I would double-check with my workplace if you don't happen to have one of these because they seem to be fairly standard these days. Don't try to add one yourself unless they tell you to, or you work for yourself. You don't want to get the wording wrong and offend someone or put yourself in legal trouble or something like that.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
"Diane Goettel has a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA in English from Brooklyn College. Diane lives in Mount...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/how-do-i-add-a-disclaimer-to-e-mail.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.