How to End an Email: The Complete Guide

Why Email Endings Matter

Your email closing is the last thing the recipient reads. It shapes their emotional response and determines whether they take action. A weak ending — or no ending at all — can undermine an otherwise well-written email. A strong one reinforces your professionalism and drives the desired next step.

Research shows that emails with clear closings receive 36% more responses than those that end abruptly. The closing is your last chance to communicate tone, set expectations, and prompt action.

Best Professional Email Sign-Offs

Universally Safe Sign-Offs

• Best regards — Professional and warm. Works in virtually every context.
• Kind regards — Slightly warmer than "best regards." Good for ongoing relationships.
• Best — Clean and modern. Widely used in business settings.
• Thank you — Perfect when you have made a request or received help.
• Thanks — Casual but professional. Great for brief, informal emails.

Formal Sign-Offs

For professional email endings in formal contexts:

• Sincerely — The gold standard for formal correspondence.
• Respectfully — Best for emails to authority figures. See our guide on ending emails to professors.
• Regards — Formal and neutral. Safe but can feel cold without "best" or "kind."
• Yours sincerely — Traditional formal closing. Common in British English.

Warm and Casual Sign-Offs

• Cheers — Friendly and energetic. Popular in creative industries and startup culture.
• Talk soon — Implies an ongoing conversation. Good for colleagues.
• All the best — Warm without being overly familiar.
• Take care — Genuinely caring. Best for people you know well.

Closing Lines Before Your Sign-Off

The line before your sign-off matters as much as the sign-off itself. For emails that require a response, use action-oriented closings:

• "Looking forward to hearing from you."
• "Please let me know if you have any questions."
• "I would appreciate your thoughts on this by [date]."
• "Would [day] or [day] work for a quick call?"
• "Happy to discuss this further at your convenience."

Sign-Offs to Avoid

• "Sent from my iPhone" — Remove this default signature. It suggests you did not care enough to write properly.
• "Thx" — Abbreviations look unprofessional in business email.
• "Warmly" — Can feel inappropriately intimate in professional contexts.
• "XOXO" or "Love" — Never in professional email. Ever.
• No sign-off at all — Ending abruptly feels rude or dismissive.
• "Please advise" — Technically polite but widely perceived as cold and demanding.

How to End Emails by Context

Professional and Business

For workplace and business emails, read our complete guide on how to end an email professionally. The safe combination is: action-oriented closing line + "Best regards" + your name.

Academic Emails

Emailing professors or teachers requires extra care. See our guides on ending emails to a professor and to a teacher. Use formal sign-offs like "Respectfully" or "Sincerely" and always include your full name and student ID.

Emails That Need a Reply

When you need a response, your closing must prompt action. Our guide on ending emails that require a response covers specific phrases and techniques that dramatically increase reply rates.

International Emails

Email etiquette varies by language and culture. See our guide on ending emails in Spanish for specific international sign-offs and cultural considerations.

The Complete Email Closing Formula

1. Summarize or restate your ask — One sentence reminding them what you need.
2. Action-oriented closing line — Tell them what happens next or what you expect.
3. Sign-off — Choose from the appropriate category above.
4. Your name — Full name for first emails, first name for ongoing threads.
5. Signature block — Title, company, contact info for external emails.

Let AI Polish Your Emails

AI email tools like Monssot help you write emails with the perfect tone and closing. The AI analyzes context and suggests professional, appropriate endings for every situation. Learn more about writing emails faster.

Also explore how to start an email, how to write a professional email, and email management.

Explore all guides in this series: end professionally, end to a professor, end to a teacher, end requiring response, end in Spanish.