diff --git a/src/client/composer/composer-web-view.vala b/src/client/composer/composer-web-view.vala
index c308dcd4..2e7f8147 100644
--- a/src/client/composer/composer-web-view.vala
+++ b/src/client/composer/composer-web-view.vala
@@ -133,7 +133,6 @@ public class ComposerWebView : ClientWebView {
      * Loads a message HTML body into the view.
      */
     public new void load_html(string body,
-                              string signature,
                               string quote,
                               bool top_posting,
                               bool is_draft) {
@@ -142,9 +141,7 @@ public class ComposerWebView : ClientWebView {
         const string BODY_PRE = """
 <div id="geary-body" dir="auto">""";
         const string BODY_POST = """</div>
-""";
-        const string SIGNATURE = """
-<div id="geary-signature" dir="auto">%s</div>
+<div id="geary-signature" class="geary-no-display" dir="auto"></div>
 """;
         const string QUOTE = """
 <div id="geary-quote" dir="auto"><br />%s</div>
@@ -171,10 +168,6 @@ public class ComposerWebView : ClientWebView {
             html.append(CURSOR);
             html.append(BODY_POST);
 
-            if (!Geary.String.is_empty(signature)) {
-                html.append_printf(SIGNATURE, signature);
-            }
-
             if (top_posting && !Geary.String.is_empty(quote)) {
                 html.append_printf(QUOTE, quote);
             }
diff --git a/src/client/composer/composer-widget.vala b/src/client/composer/composer-widget.vala
index cb6d9506..cd39fa94 100644
--- a/src/client/composer/composer-widget.vala
+++ b/src/client/composer/composer-widget.vala
@@ -461,6 +461,7 @@ public class ComposerWidget : Gtk.EventBox, Geary.BaseInterface {
         this.editor = new ComposerWebView(config);
         this.editor.set_hexpand(true);
         this.editor.set_vexpand(true);
+        this.editor.content_loaded.connect(on_editor_content_loaded);
         this.editor.show();
 
         this.body_container.add(this.editor);
@@ -628,10 +629,8 @@ public class ComposerWidget : Gtk.EventBox, Geary.BaseInterface {
         update_attachments_view();
         update_pending_attachments(this.pending_include, true);
 
-        string signature = yield load_signature(cancellable);
         this.editor.load_html(
             this.body_html,
-            signature,
             referred_quote,
             this.top_posting,
             is_referred_draft
@@ -2164,41 +2163,43 @@ public class ComposerWidget : Gtk.EventBox, Geary.BaseInterface {
 
             if (selected.account != this.account) {
                 this.account = selected.account;
-                this.load_signature.begin(null, (obj, res) => {
-                        this.editor.update_signature(this.load_signature.end(res));
-                    });
+                this.update_signature.begin(null);
                 load_entry_completions();
                 this.reopen_draft_manager_async.begin();
             }
         }
     }
 
-    private async string load_signature(Cancellable? cancellable = null) {
-        string account_sig = "";
-
+    private async void update_signature(Cancellable? cancellable = null) {
+        string sig = "";
         if (this.account.information.use_signature) {
-            account_sig = account.information.signature;
-            if (Geary.String.is_empty_or_whitespace(account_sig)) {
+            sig = account.information.signature;
+            if (Geary.String.is_empty_or_whitespace(sig)) {
                 // No signature is specified in the settings, so use
                 // ~/.signature
                 File signature_file = File.new_for_path(Environment.get_home_dir()).get_child(".signature");
                 try {
                     uint8[] data;
                     yield signature_file.load_contents_async(cancellable, out data, null);
-                    account_sig = (string) data;
+                    sig = (string) data;
                 } catch (Error error) {
                     if (!(error is IOError.NOT_FOUND)) {
                         debug("Error reading signature file %s: %s", signature_file.get_path(), error.message);
                     }
                 }
             }
-
-            account_sig = (!Geary.String.is_empty_or_whitespace(account_sig))
-                ? Geary.HTML.smart_escape(account_sig)
-                : "";
         }
 
-        return account_sig;
+        // Still want to update the signature even if it is empty,
+        // since when changing the selected from account, if the
+        // previously selected account had a sig but the newly
+        // selected account does not, the old sig gets cleared out.
+        if (Geary.String.is_empty_or_whitespace(sig)) {
+            // Clear out multiple spaces etc so smart_escape
+            // doesn't create &nbsp;'s
+            sig = "";
+        }
+        this.editor.update_signature(Geary.HTML.smart_escape(sig));
     }
 
     private async ComposerLinkPopover new_link_popover(ComposerLinkPopover.Type type,
@@ -2230,6 +2231,10 @@ public class ComposerWidget : Gtk.EventBox, Geary.BaseInterface {
         get_action(GearyApplication.ACTION_REDO).set_enabled(can_redo);
     }
 
+    private void on_editor_content_loaded() {
+        this.update_signature.begin(null);
+    }
+
     private void on_draft_id_changed() {
         draft_id_changed(this.draft_manager.current_draft_id);
     }
diff --git a/test/client/composer/composer-web-view-test.vala b/test/client/composer/composer-web-view-test.vala
index 4bb36939..ef5b97e0 100644
--- a/test/client/composer/composer-web-view-test.vala
+++ b/test/client/composer/composer-web-view-test.vala
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 
 public class ComposerWebViewTest : ClientWebViewTestCase<ComposerWebView> {
 
-    private const string BODY_TEMPLATE = """<div id="geary-body" dir="auto">%s<div><br></div><div><br></div></div>""";
 
     public ComposerWebViewTest() {
         base("ComposerWebViewTest");
@@ -23,6 +22,7 @@ public class ComposerWebViewTest : ClientWebViewTestCase<ComposerWebView> {
         add_test("get_text_with_named_link", get_text_with_named_link);
         add_test("get_text_with_url_link", get_text_with_named_link);
         add_test("get_text_with_surrounding_nbsps", get_text_with_surrounding_nbsps);
+        add_test("update_signature", update_signature);
     }
 
     public void load_resources() throws Error {
@@ -45,17 +45,12 @@ public class ComposerWebViewTest : ClientWebViewTestCase<ComposerWebView> {
         assert(new ComposerWebView.EditContext("0,,,12").font_size == 12);
     }
 
-    public void get_html() throws Error {
-        string html = "<p>para</p>";
-        load_body_fixture(html);
+    public void get_html() throws GLib.Error {
+        string BODY = "<p>para</p>";
+        load_body_fixture(BODY);
         this.test_view.get_html.begin((obj, ret) => { async_complete(ret); });
-        try {
-            assert(this.test_view.get_html.end(async_result()) ==
-                   BODY_TEMPLATE.printf(html));
-        } catch (Error err) {
-            print("Error: %s\n", err.message);
-            assert_not_reached();
-        }
+        string html = this.test_view.get_html.end(async_result());
+        assert_string(ComposerPageStateTest.COMPLETE_BODY_TEMPLATE.printf(BODY), html);
     }
 
     public void get_text() throws Error {
@@ -210,12 +205,40 @@ long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long,
         }
     }
 
+    public void update_signature() throws GLib.Error {
+        const string BODY = "<p>para</p>";
+        load_body_fixture(BODY);
+        string html = "";
+
+        const string SIG1 = "signature text 1";
+        this.test_view.update_signature(SIG1);
+        this.test_view.get_html.begin((obj, ret) => { async_complete(ret); });
+        html = this.test_view.get_html.end(async_result());
+        assert_true(BODY in html, "Body not present");
+        assert_true(SIG1 in html, "Signature 1 not present");
+
+        const string SIG2 = "signature text 2";
+        this.test_view.update_signature(SIG2);
+        this.test_view.get_html.begin((obj, ret) => { async_complete(ret); });
+        html = this.test_view.get_html.end(async_result());
+        assert_true(BODY in html, "Body not present");
+        assert_false(SIG1 in html, "Signature 1 still present");
+        assert_true(SIG2 in html, "Signature 2 not present");
+
+        this.test_view.update_signature("");
+        this.test_view.get_html.begin((obj, ret) => { async_complete(ret); });
+        html = this.test_view.get_html.end(async_result());
+        assert_true(BODY in html, "Body not present");
+        assert_false(SIG1 in html, "Signature 1 still present");
+        assert_false(SIG2 in html, "Signature 2 still present");
+    }
+
     protected override ComposerWebView set_up_test_view() {
         return new ComposerWebView(this.config);
     }
 
     protected override void load_body_fixture(string html = "") {
-        this.test_view.load_html(html, "", "", false, false);
+        this.test_view.load_html(html, "", false, false);
         while (this.test_view.is_loading) {
             Gtk.main_iteration();
         }
diff --git a/test/js/composer-page-state-test.vala b/test/js/composer-page-state-test.vala
index ad8098fd..52afd678 100644
--- a/test/js/composer-page-state-test.vala
+++ b/test/js/composer-page-state-test.vala
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@
 
 class ComposerPageStateTest : ClientWebViewTestCase<ComposerWebView> {
 
-    private const string COMPLETE_BODY_TEMPLATE = """<div id="geary-body" dir="auto">%s<div><br></div><div><br></div></div>""";
-    private const string CLEAN_BODY_TEMPLATE = "%s<div><br></div><div><br></div>";
+    public const string COMPLETE_BODY_TEMPLATE =
+        """<div id="geary-body" dir="auto">%s<div><br></div><div><br></div></div><div id="geary-signature" dir="auto"></div>""";
+    public const string CLEAN_BODY_TEMPLATE = "%s<div><br></div><div><br></div>";
 
     public ComposerPageStateTest() {
         base("ComposerPageStateTest");
@@ -89,7 +90,6 @@ class ComposerPageStateTest : ClientWebViewTestCase<ComposerWebView> {
 
 some text
 """,
-                          "-- <br>sig",
                           "<p>outerquote text</p>",
                           true
             );
@@ -103,9 +103,6 @@ some text
             assert(!WebKitUtil.to_bool(run_javascript(
                 @"geary.containsAttachmentKeyword(\"innerquote\", \"subject text\");"
             )));
-            assert(!WebKitUtil.to_bool(run_javascript(
-                @"geary.containsAttachmentKeyword(\"sig\", \"subject text\");"
-            )));
             assert(!WebKitUtil.to_bool(run_javascript(
                 @"geary.containsAttachmentKeyword(\"outerquote\", \"subject text\");"
             )));
@@ -292,14 +289,13 @@ unknown://example6.com
     }
 
     protected override void load_body_fixture(string body = "") {
-        load_body_fixture_full(body, "", "", true);
+        load_body_fixture_full(body, "", true);
     }
 
     protected void load_body_fixture_full(string body,
-                                          string sig,
                                           string quote,
                                           bool top_posting) {
-        this.test_view.load_html(body, sig, quote, top_posting, false);
+        this.test_view.load_html(body, quote, top_posting, false);
         while (this.test_view.is_loading) {
             Gtk.main_iteration();
         }
diff --git a/ui/composer-web-view.css b/ui/composer-web-view.css
index 83c36e90..a5344c10 100644
--- a/ui/composer-web-view.css
+++ b/ui/composer-web-view.css
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ body.plain a {
   cursor: text;
 }
 
+body > *.geary-no-display {
+  display: none !important;
+}
+
 body > div#geary-body {
   margin: 0 !important;
   border: 0 !important;
diff --git a/ui/composer-web-view.js b/ui/composer-web-view.js
index 31fda273..876e4cb5 100644
--- a/ui/composer-web-view.js
+++ b/ui/composer-web-view.js
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ ComposerPageState.prototype = {
         if (!enabled) {
             this.stopBodyObserver();
         }
+
         this.bodyPart.contentEditable = true;
         if (this.signaturePart != null) {
             this.signaturePart.contentEditable = true;
@@ -140,6 +141,7 @@ ComposerPageState.prototype = {
         if (this.quotePart != null) {
             this.quotePart.contentEditable = true;
         }
+
         if (enabled) {
             // Enable modification observation only after the document
             // has been set editable as WebKit will alter some attrs
@@ -208,8 +210,13 @@ ComposerPageState.prototype = {
     },
     updateSignature: function(signature) {
         if (this.signaturePart != null) {
-            console.log(signature);
-            this.signaturePart.innerHTML = signature;
+            if (signature.trim()) {
+                this.signaturePart.innerHTML = signature;
+                this.signaturePart.classList.remove("geary-no-display");
+            } else {
+                this.signaturePart.innerHTML = "";
+                this.signaturePart.classList.add("geary-no-display");
+            }
         }
     },
     deleteQuotedMessage: function() {
@@ -315,13 +322,17 @@ ComposerPageState.prototype = {
 
         if (this.signaturePart != null) {
             parent.appendChild(
-                ComposerPageState.cleanPart(this.signaturePart.cloneNode(true), false)
+                ComposerPageState.cleanPart(
+                    this.signaturePart.cloneNode(true), false
+                )
             );
         }
 
         if (this.quotePart != null) {
             parent.appendChild(
-                ComposerPageState.cleanPart(this.quotePart.cloneNode(true), false)
+                ComposerPageState.cleanPart(
+                    this.quotePart.cloneNode(true), false
+                )
             );
         }