How to Close an Email: 18 Professional Sign-Offs and Examples

I've written work emails across sales, support, and client accounts for years. I know that closing an email should be clear and professional, but matching them to the situation is tricky. Here’s how I close emails with the right line, sign-off, and signature for any circumstance.

How to close an email: The 30-second answer

To close an email well, use a short closing line that fits the situation, choose a sign-off that matches your tone, and add your name or signature. Here’s one example of how to do it professionally:

• A closing line: Looking forward to your reply
• A sign-off: Best regards
• Your name: Tony Brown

The best email closings sound natural, match the relationship, and make the next step clear. For example, a formal email might end with “I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards,” while a more casual work email might end with “Thanks, Tony”.

18 best email sign-offs you can use to close an email

An email sign-off is a phrase to end your email before your name and designation. The right email sign-off depends on your relationship with the reader, the tone of the email, and the formality of your message. 

Here are 18 email sign-offs you can use in different professional situations:

1. Best: Simple, flexible, and safe for many professional emails.
2. Best regards: A polished option for formal or first-time emails.
3. Kind regards: Professional with a slightly warmer tone.
4. Regards: Neutral and direct, though a little less warm.
5. Warm regards: Friendly and professional when you know the person.
6. Sincerely: Best for formal emails, job applications, or serious business communication.
7. Thanks: Ideal when someone helped you or you’re asking for something small.
8. Many thanks: A warmer version of Thanks that shows more appreciation.
9. Thank you: Clear, polite, and useful in formal or client-facing emails.
10. Appreciatively: Less common, but works when gratitude is the focus.
11. With appreciation: A good fit for thank-you emails.
12. Looking forward to hearing from you: Works well when you want a reply, though this fits best as a closing line before your sign-off.
13. Talk soon: Good for ongoing conversations with colleagues or clients you know well.
14. Speak soon: Similar to Talk soon, but slightly more polished.
15. Take care: Warm and personal, but better for less formal work relationships.
16. All the best: Friendly and positive without sounding too casual.
17. Cheers: Common in some workplaces, but too informal for many first emails or formal situations.
18. Respectfully: Best for very formal situations or when the context calls for extra care.

Here’s a tip: if you’re unsure, stick with “Best”, “Best regards”, “Kind regards”, “Thanks”, or “Sincerely”. These cover most professional email situations without sounding awkward.

Best ways to close an email by situation

The last sentence before your email sign-off is the closing line of your email. 

The best way to end an email depends on the situation. A sign-off that works well in a client email may feel too stiff in an internal thread. A closing that sounds warm in a thank-you note may not work in a job application.

Here are a few examples of email closings for different situations that you can modify:

Formal business email

In a formal business email, keep the ending polished and direct. Use a closing line that makes the next step clear, then choose a professional sign-off. For example:

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Alisha Cook

You can also use “Kind regards” or “Sincerely” here. These work well when you’re emailing someone for the first time, writing to a senior stakeholder, or handling a more formal exchange.

Client email

Client emails need a balance of professionalism and warmth. You want to sound helpful, confident, and easy to work with. For example:

Please let me know if you’d like me to send over anything else.

Kind regards,

Gary Strauss

In most client conversations, “Best regards”, “Kind regards”, and “Thanks” all work well. Pick the one that matches the tone of the thread.

Follow-up email

A follow-up email should feel polite, not pushy. Keep the closing clear and give the reader an easy next step. For example:

Just checking in on this when you have a chance.

Best,

Kevin Young

If you want to sound more direct, you can say:

Let me know what works best for you.

Thanks,

Kevin Young

Job application email

Job application emails call for a more formal tone. So, you should avoid casual sign-offs. For example:

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jim Scott

You can also use “Best regards” if the email feels slightly less formal, but “Sincerely” remains one of the best options for job-related messages.

Internal email

Internal emails usually give you more room to sound natural. You still want to be clear, but you don’t need to sound overly formal. For example:

Let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks,

Michael

Or:

Happy to discuss this more tomorrow.

Best,

Michael

In most internal threads, “Thanks” and “Best” work well because they keep things simple.

Thank-you email

Keep the closing simple so the thank-you lands without feeling forced. For example:

Thanks again for your help today.

Best,

Pam Wright

You can also use “Many thanks” if the tone feels right. Just keep the rest of the closing.

‍

{{templates}}

‍

What to know before you close an email

Before closing an email and hitting send, double-check a few details. Consider these factors:

• Who you’re emailing: If you’re writing to a client, hiring manager, or senior stakeholder for the first time, use a more professional close. If the relationship feels more familiar, you can sound a little warmer.
• How formal the conversation is: Some emails need a polished ending like Best regards or Sincerely. Others work better with something simpler, like Best or Thanks.
• What you want the person to do next: If you need a reply, approval, feedback, or a meeting, make that clear in your closing line. A good ending should help move the conversation forward.
• Whether this is a first email or part of an ongoing thread: A first email usually needs more structure. A quick back-and-forth reply can often be shorter and more natural.

How to close an email step by step

You should close your email with an ending that fits the relationship, supports your goal, and sounds like a person wrote it. Here are the 5 steps to follow:

Step 1: Match the tone to the relationship

Start by thinking about who’s on the other side of the email. The way you close a message to a hiring manager should not sound the same as the way you close a note to a coworker you talk to every day.

If you’re writing to someone for the first time, keep the closing professional and neutral. Sign-offs like “Best regards”, “Kind regards”, or “Sincerely” usually work well here. They sound polished without feeling stiff.

If you already know the person and the conversation feels more relaxed, you can lighten it up a bit. In that case, “Best”, “Thanks”, or “Talk soon” may fit better.

The easiest mistake here is to use a very formal sign-off that feels cold in a friendly thread or a casual sign-off that feels careless in a job application or a client email.

Step 2: Write a closing line that makes the next step clear

Before the sign-off, add a final sentence that wraps up the message. It keeps the email from ending too abruptly and helps the reader understand what you want without forcing them to guess. 

Here are a few examples:

• Looking forward to your reply
• Please let me know if you have any questions
• Thanks again for your time
• I’d appreciate your feedback by Friday
• Let me know what works best for you

Step 3: Choose a sign-off that fits the situation and the tone

Once you have the closing line, choose the sign-off. It’s the last phrase before your name, and it should support the tone of the email, not fight it. For most professional emails, these are safe choices:

• Best
• Best regards
• Kind regards
• Thanks
• Many thanks
• Sincerely

Try not to treat sign-offs like decoration. Pick one because it fits, not because it sounds impressive. In most cases, plain and professional wins.

Step 4: Add your name and the right contact details

After the sign-off, add your name. In some emails, that’s enough. In others, you may want to include a short signature with your role, company, phone number, or another helpful detail.

For example, a quick internal reply might only need:

Thanks,

Ben

However, a client-facing email might need a signature. For example:

Best regards,

Ben

Editor

Eternal Inc

Your signature must be clear. A crowded signature can distract from the message, especially if it includes too many links, quotes, logos, or extra contact details the reader does not need.

Your signature should make it easy for someone to know who you are and how to reach you if needed. 

Step 5: Review the ending before you send

Before you hit send, read the last two or three lines one more time. It only takes a few seconds, and can help you catch avoidable mistakes. Review these 3 things:

1. Tone: Does the ending sound too cold, too casual, or too eager for the situation? 
2. Clarity: Have you made the next step clear, or does the email just fade out?
3. Repetition: If your closing line says Thanks again, and your sign-off says Many thanks, the ending may feel repetitive. If you ask for a reply in two different ways, the email can start to sound awkward.

The best email endings are easy and natural, and help the message land well. A simple formula works in most cases:

Closing line + sign-off + name

Following this formula gives you a reliable way to close almost any professional email without making it awkward.

What to include in your email signature

You should include your name and some context in your email signature, so that it’s easier to respond to. A clean professional signature includes:

• Your full name: It gives the email a clear, complete ending.
• Your job title: Include this when it helps the reader understand your role.
• Your company name: Add this to client, business, or external emails where context matters.
• One or two useful contact details: It can be your phone number, website, or calendar link, but only include what helps the reader take the next step.

Here’s a simple example:

Best regards,

Tobey Hudson

Content lead

Eternal Inc

Try not to overload your signature with too much information. Long legal disclaimers, multiple phone numbers, social links, quotes, and large images can make the email feel cluttered.

Email sign-offs to avoid

Your email sign-off can fail in its purpose because it didn’t fit the situation. It can feel too casual, too stiff, or slightly off, even when the rest of the email reads well. Avoid these sign-offs or use them carefully:

• Cheers: Works in relaxed workplaces, but can feel too informal in a first email, client conversation, or job application.
• Take care: Sounds warm, but may feel too personal in a formal business setting.
• Yours truly: Feels dated in most modern work emails.
• Cordially: Can come across as overly formal or unnatural in everyday business communication.
• Thanks in advance: Works when the ask is small and expected, but can sound pushy when you’re asking for something bigger or emailing someone you don’t know well.
• No sign-off at all: In a quick internal reply, that may be fine. In a professional email, it can make the ending feel abrupt or incomplete.

Common mistakes when closing an email

Most email closing mistakes come down to tone, clarity, or overkill. Even when the message itself is strong, the ending can still weaken it. Here are the ones to watch for:

• Ending too abruptly: When you jump straight from the body of the email to your name, the message can feel unfinished. A short closing line usually fixes that.
• Not making the next step clear: If you need a reply, approval, feedback, or confirmation, say so in the closing line. Don’t make the reader guess what you want.
• Using a sign-off that doesn’t match the email: A casual sign-off can feel careless in a formal message. A stiff sign-off can feel cold in a friendly thread.
• Repeating yourself at the end: If your closing line says “Thanks again” and your sign-off says “Many thanks”, the ending may feel redundant. Keep it simple.
• Using the same closing for every email: Not every email needs “Best regards”. Not every email should end with Thanks. The best closing depends on the situation.
• Adding too much to your signature: A long signature with extra links, quotes, logos, and contact details can distract from the message. Include what helps, and cut the rest.

‍

{{cta}}

‍

Try Lindy to stay on top of your inbox and email tasks

Once you know how to end an email well, the bigger challenge is keeping up with your inbox day after day.

That’s where Lindy can help.

Lindy is an AI assistant you can text to manage your inbox, draft replies, and handle email tasks that would normally pile up in the background. Instead of checking every message yourself, you can ask Lindy to only notify you about the emails that need your attention.

For inbox and email work, you can ask Lindy to help with things like:

• “Flag the emails I need to reply to today.”
• “Draft a reply to this client email.”
• “Remind me if this lead doesn’t respond in 3 days.”
• “Send a follow-up to everyone who hasn’t replied.”
• “Summarize this thread and pull out the next steps.”
• “Highlight any urgent messages from my inbox.”

That makes Lindy useful for more than just drafting emails. It can help you stay on top of follow-ups, spot priority conversations, and keep routine inbox work from slowing down your day.

Lindy also provides ready-to-use skills to help you get started quickly. Whether you need to parse email attachments, triage your inbox, or summarize a thread, you can use these skills and customize them to fit your specific workflows.

It also connects with hundreds of business apps, so replies, follow-ups, and contacts stay synced with the tools your team already uses.

You also get enterprise-grade security with Lindy, as it’s SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and PIPEDA compliant.

For those new to AI or looking to expand their knowledge, Lindy Docs offers comprehensive guides and tutorials. It helps you learn how to use Lindy for your everyday tasks. 

Try the Lindy free trial today and automate your email and other repeat tasks.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to end an email professionally?

The best way to end an email professionally is to end with a clear closing line, use a polite sign-off, and add your name. In most cases, “Best regards”, “Kind regards”, or “Sincerely” work well. The right choice depends on the tone of the email and who you’re writing to.

How do you end an email if you want a reply?

If you want a reply, close the email with a short line that makes the next step clear. For example, say “Looking forward to your reply” or “Please let me know what works best for you”. Then use a simple sign-off like “Best” or “Thanks”.

Is “Best” a professional email sign-off?

Yes, “Best” is a professional email sign-off in many work situations. It sounds polite, simple, and natural without feeling too formal. If the email is more formal, “Best regards” or “Kind regards” may fit better.

Can you end a work email with “Thanks”?

Yes, you can end a work email with “Thanks”, especially when someone helped you, you’re making a small request, or the conversation feels more natural. It works well in many professional emails. In more formal situations, use “Best regards” or “Sincerely” instead.

What can I say instead of “Best” in an email?

Instead of “Best”, you can say “Best regards”, “Kind regards”, “Thanks”, “Many thanks”, or “Sincerely”. The right alternative depends on how formal you want the email to be. Choose the one that matches the relationship and the purpose of the message.