Hotlinking images in Outlook emails

Question

I want to create an email with a signature that contains an external image. For example, I would like to always include my SuperUser flair in my signature like so: http://superuser.com/users/flair/53525.png

This can be done if I insert an image and select the above source. The problem occurs when I copy the image and paste it into the body of a new email. Outlook creates an embedded version and breaks the link to the original email.

How can an image be pasted into Outlook and NOT be embedded (ie: the link to the original image is maintained?)

Answer 1

What are you pasting it into? Why do you need to copy it? Why not manually insert an image with source of http://superuser.com/users/flair/53525.png

Answer 2

To do this follow the below steps:

1. Go To Tools > Options > Mail Format tab
2. In Mail Format tab, click on Signatures button
3. Click on New and enter a name in the box to distinguish different signatures in case you have multiple accounts. Click Ok.
4. Click on the Picture button to insert a picture. Select the picture from your computer that you want to insert into your signature.
5. Once the picture is inserted into signature box, select it and click on the Hyperlink button to insert a link for the image.
6. Insert the link which you want to link to the image in the Address box and click OK.