Guide
Email Sign-Offs: 100+ Ways to End an Email
The safest email sign-off is “Best regards” or “Thank you”; for a quick ask, “Thanks” works. Below are 100+ email closings grouped by tone (professional, warm, grateful, casual, funny and cold email), the ones to avoid, and which get more replies.
Subject Q3 report: two numbers to confirm
Hi Maya,
Could you confirm the churn and expansion figures by Thursday? Everything else in the deck is ready.
Thanks in advance,Sign-off
Sam Lee
Head of Finance · Lumen
Data
Which email sign-offs get the most replies
Boomerang analyzed closings in more than 350,000 email threads from public mailing-list archives. Emails that ended with some form of thanks were answered more often than the 47.5% average.
Response rate by email sign-off
Boomerang, 2017. Closings that appeared at least 1,000 times; average across all emails was 47.5%.
| Thanks in advance | 65.7% |
|---|---|
| Thanks | 63.0% |
| Thank you | 57.9% |
| Cheers | 54.4% |
| Kind regards | 53.9% |
| Regards | 53.5% |
| Best regards | 52.9% |
| Best | 51.2% |
| All emails (average) | 47.5% |
It's a correlation from community mailing lists, not a controlled experiment, and it can't account for who was writing to whom. Still, the takeaway is cheap to apply: when you're asking for something, close with thanks.
Professional
Professional, warm and grateful email closings
These work at almost any company. Start with professional for people you don't know, move to warm once there's rapport, and use a grateful close whenever you're asking for something.
Professional email sign-offs
| Sign-off | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Best regards | The default for clients, recruiters and people you don't know well. |
| Kind regards | Polite and slightly warmer; common in the UK, Europe and Australia. |
| Regards | Short, formal notes; can feel cool if used on its own with friends. |
| Warm regards | A professional contact you've built rapport with. |
| Respectfully | Government, legal, military or very senior recipients. |
| Sincerely | Cover letters and formal letters sent as email. |
| Yours sincerely | Formal British-style letters to a named person. |
| Yours faithfully | Formal British-style letters to an unnamed recipient. |
| With appreciation | Formal thanks after someone has done you a favor. |
| Thank you for your time | Job applications, requests and first contact. |
| Thank you for your consideration | Proposals, applications and anything awaiting a decision. |
| Looking forward to your reply | You need an answer and want to say so politely. |
| Looking forward to working together | After a deal, hire or project kick-off. |
| I appreciate your help | Support requests and favors from colleagues. |
| Best wishes | Formal but friendly; good for wrapping up a project. |
| All the best | Ending a conversation or relationship on a good note. |
| With thanks | Brief, formal gratitude; works with suppliers and partners. |
| Many thanks | A step warmer than “Thank you” and still professional. |
Warm and friendly sign-offs
| Sign-off | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Warmly | Someone you like working with; personal but professional. |
| Warm wishes | Holiday notes, congratulations or reconnecting. |
| Kindest regards | Extra warmth with a client you know well. |
| Have a great week | Monday or Tuesday emails to colleagues. |
| Have a lovely weekend | Friday afternoon wrap-ups. |
| Enjoy your day | Light, positive notes to people you know. |
| Take care | Friendly endings, or someone going through a tough time. |
| Talk soon | You will genuinely be in touch again shortly. |
| Speak soon | Same as above, common in British English. |
| Until next time | Recurring meetings, newsletters or regular partners. |
| Looking forward to catching up | Before a coffee, call or event together. |
| Hope to see you soon | Before a visit, conference or event. |
| Stay well | Personal check-ins and long-term contacts. |
| Wishing you a great trip | Someone heading off on travel or leave. |
| Best of luck | A colleague starting a new role, launch or exam. |
| Fondly | Close colleagues, mentors or former teammates. |
Grateful sign-offs
| Sign-off | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Thanks | Everyday asks; short and friendly. |
| Thank you | A little more formal than “Thanks”; safe anywhere. |
| Thanks in advance | A reasonable request; avoid if it feels presumptuous. |
| Thanks so much | Someone did more than they had to. |
| Thanks again | You've already thanked them earlier in the email. |
| Thanks for your help | Closing a support or favor thread. |
| Thanks for reading | Long updates, reports or newsletters. |
| Thanks for your patience | Delays, apologies or slow fixes. |
| Thanks for considering this | Proposals, pitches and requests for a decision. |
| Much appreciated | Quick, friendly thanks to colleagues. |
| Grateful for your help | Sincere thanks after real effort. |
| Thanks a million | Casual gratitude with people you know well. |
| Appreciate you | Very warm; close teammates only. |
| Thank you kindly | Polite and slightly old-fashioned; works with older audiences. |
Casual
Casual, funny and interesting sign-offs
Good email sign-offs match the relationship. Save these for colleagues and contacts who already know you, and drop them the moment a thread turns serious.
Casual sign-offs
| Sign-off | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Best | Quick notes to almost anyone; neutral. |
| Cheers | Friendly and common in the UK and Australia; casual in the US. |
| Thx | Internal chat-like threads only. |
| Later | Close teammates and friends. |
| Catch you later | Informal threads with people you see often. |
| See you soon | You have a meeting or event coming up together. |
| See you tomorrow | Colleagues you'll see the next day. |
| Have a good one | Relaxed, all-purpose friendly close. |
| Ciao | Playful; people who know you well. |
| Onward | Teams moving on to the next phase. |
| Happy Friday | End-of-week internal emails. |
| Enjoy the weekend | Friday notes to colleagues and friendly clients. |
| -[Initial] | Short replies inside an ongoing thread. |
| Just your name | Fast back-and-forth threads where a closing feels stiff. |
Funny and interesting email sign-offs
| Sign-off | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Fueled by coffee | Early mornings or long days, with colleagues who'd smile. |
| Sent from my desk, not a beach | A friendly nudge at a teammate who's on holiday. |
| May your inbox be light | Busy seasons or end-of-quarter emails. |
| Over and out | Closing a long thread for good. |
| Back to the spreadsheets | Finance, ops or data teams. |
| Stay curious | Researchers, writers and learning communities. |
| Keep calm and ship it | Product or engineering teams on a deadline. |
| Here's to fewer meetings | Colleagues who share the pain. |
| Powered by snacks | Late afternoon emails with a friendly team. |
| Live long and prosper | Fellow sci-fi fans only. |
| To infinity and beyond | A fun project launch with a close team. |
| Toodles | Light-hearted; people who know your humor. |
| Peace out | Very casual threads with friends. |
| Yours in caffeine | Fellow coffee drinkers. |
| Typed with one hand, holding coffee | Quick replies to people you know well. |
| Happy almost-Friday | Thursday emails to the team. |
| Onwards and upwards | After a win, or after a setback you're moving past. |
| Cheerio | Playful British-flavored close. |
Cold email
How to sign off a cold email
In a cold email the last line is usually your ask. Keep the close short so the question stays the last thing they read.
Sign-offs for cold emails and sales
| Sign-off | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Thanks | Most cold emails: short, polite, no pressure. |
| Thanks for reading | You've asked a stranger for 30 seconds of attention. |
| Worth a chat? | The question is your sign-off; follow with just your name. |
| Open to a quick call? | Same idea, slightly more direct. |
| Either way, thanks | You've offered an easy “no”. |
| Appreciate your time | Senior recipients or formal industries. |
| Best | Follow-ups where you want to stay brief. |
| Cheers | Informal audiences such as founders, startups or agencies. |
| Talk soon | After they've replied and a call is likely. |
| Thanks either way | Break-up emails that close the loop politely. |
| Happy to help | Sharing a free resource with no ask attached. |
| Looking forward to hearing your thoughts | Warm leads who already showed interest. |
Cold email close
...We helped {{similar_company}} cut onboarding time in half.
Worth a 10-minute chat next week?
Thanks,
{{your_name}}The best sign-off can't fix the spam folder
Context
How to choose the right sign-off
Match the closing to three things: how well you know them, what you're asking for and how the thread has gone so far.
| Situation | Good sign-off | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First email to a stranger | Best regards / Thank you | Polite without assuming familiarity. |
| Asking a favor | Thanks in advance / Thank you | Gratitude is the strongest close for a request. |
| Job application or cover letter | Sincerely / Thank you for your consideration | Formal and expected by recruiters. |
| Client you know well | Warm regards / Talk soon | Friendly but still professional. |
| Internal quick reply | Thanks / your initial | Speed matters more than form. |
| Bad news or an apology | Sincerely / With apologies | Serious tone; no jokes. |
| Resigning | Best wishes / With gratitude | Leaves the door open. |
| Friday team update | Have a great weekend | Natural, timely and warm. |
Sign-off, then signature
The sign-off is one line; the signature underneath carries your name, role, company and one way to reach you. Keep it to three or four lines with no images in cold email. Build one with the free email signature generator, and pair it with the right email salutation at the top.
Avoid
Email sign-offs to avoid
Most of these aren't wrong everywhere, but each one carries a risk you don't need to take.
| Sign-off | Why to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Love | Too personal for work, even with friendly colleagues. |
| xoxo | Reads as romantic or a joke you can't take back. |
| Sent from my iPhone | Not a sign-off; looks careless. Add a real closing or turn it off. |
| Thanks!!! | Multiple exclamation marks read as anxious or sarcastic. |
| Respectfully yours | Overly stiff for most business email. |
| Yours truly | Old-fashioned letter style; odd in a modern email. |
| Rgds | Abbreviations look rushed and lazy. |
| Hugs | Too intimate for the workplace. |
| Blessings | Religious tone may not suit every recipient. |
| Thanks in advance (for a big ask) | Assumes a yes; can feel pushy when the request is large. |
| Per my last email | Passive-aggressive; say what you need instead. |
| No sign-off on a first email | Feels abrupt when the reader doesn't know you yet. |
Sources: Boomerang blog, email sign-offs and response rates (January 2017).
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Or see pricing →Frequently asked questions
What is the most professional email sign-off?
“Best regards,” “Kind regards” and “Thank you” are the safest professional sign-offs. They read as polite in every industry and country, so they work with clients, recruiters, executives and people you've never met.
Which email sign-off gets the most replies?
In Boomerang's 2017 analysis of 350,000+ email threads from public mailing lists, “Thanks in advance” had the highest response rate (65.7%), followed by “Thanks” (63%) and “Thank you” (57.9%), against a 47.5% average. It's a correlation from community mailing lists, not a controlled test, but closing with thanks is a low-risk choice.
Is “Best” a rude way to end an email?
No. “Best” is neutral and very common. Some readers find it a little clipped, so with someone new or senior “Best regards” or “Best wishes” is a softer version.
Do you put a comma after an email sign-off?
Yes, in English business email the convention is a comma after the closing (“Kind regards,”) and your name on the next line. Skip the comma only if your company style guide says so.
Can I use funny email sign-offs at work?
Only with people who already know you and in a thread where the tone is already light. Never in a first email, a complaint, bad news or anything going to a client you haven't met.
Do I need a sign-off on every reply?
No. In a quick back-and-forth thread it's normal to drop the sign-off after the first couple of messages and just write your name, or nothing at all. Bring it back when the thread ends or the audience changes.