How to End an Email Professionally

Why the sign-off matters

A weak or mismatched sign-off can undo an otherwise well-written email. "Cheers" in a message to HR about a formal complaint reads as flippant. "Sincerely" in a casual follow-up to a colleague you work with daily reads as stiff and strange.

The sign-off's job is to close the message in a tone that matches the rest of the email and the relationship — nothing more.

The most reliable professional sign-offs

These work in virtually any workplace context:

• Best, — the most universally safe choice. Warm without being familiar, professional without being stiff.
• Thanks, — good when you've made a request or the recipient is doing you a favor. Implies gratitude without over-thanking.
• Best regards, — slightly more formal than "Best" alone. Good for external communications with new contacts.
• Kind regards, — similar to "Best regards" in tone. Common in UK and European business contexts.
• Thank you, — more formal than "Thanks" — use when the request is significant or the recipient is senior.

When to use casual sign-offs

Once you have an established working relationship with someone, lighter closings are fine and often more natural:

• Talk soon, — good for colleagues you work with closely and communicate with frequently.
• Cheers, — casual; appropriate when you're certain the relationship supports it. Can read as overly informal in serious contexts.
• Thanks! — the exclamation point makes it feel lighter. Fine in casual workplace culture, jarring in formal ones.

Match the energy of the exchange. If someone signs off with "Cheers," mirroring it is fine. If they use "Best regards" every time, don't switch to "Later" — let them set the register.

Sign-offs to avoid (and why)

• "Sincerely," — reads as archaic in most modern workplace contexts unless the email is genuinely formal (a resignation letter, a legal complaint). Using it in everyday email makes you sound stiff.
• "Warm regards," — not wrong, but noticeably warmer than most professional contexts call for. Use "Best regards" instead unless you genuinely have a warm relationship with the recipient.
• Nothing (no sign-off) — abrupt. Even in short replies, a sign-off signals that the message is complete. Without one, emails can feel unfinished or passive-aggressive.
• "Respectfully," — almost always reads as stiff or even subtly hostile, especially when the email body has any critical content. Avoid unless you're writing a formal complaint or addressing a superior in a hierarchical institution.
• "Hope this helps!" — too informal for most professional contexts and carries an undertone that can read as condescending. "Let me know if you have questions" is better.

Sign-offs by scenario

Following up on a request

Cold outreach or first contact

Declining something

Delivering difficult feedback or news

In high-stakes messages, the closing line before the sign-off matters as much as the sign-off itself. Leaving a door open ("happy to make time") softens a difficult message. Ending without it ("Let me know what you decide") can read as abrupt or cold.

What goes after the sign-off

After your sign-off word and your name, include your contact details if this is an external email — but not always for internal ones. A six-line signature block on every reply to a colleague you sit next to is visual clutter.

For internal emails: name only is usually enough.
For external emails: name, role, and one contact method (email or phone).
For formal external correspondence: full signature block with company name and title.

Not sure if the full email is landing right?

The sign-off is the last thing they read, but the tone of the whole email shapes how the sign-off lands. If you're not confident the message reads the way you intend, check it before you send.

Related: How to write a professional email — How to message a recruiter on LinkedIn