Farewell Email to Coworkers: 6 Templates for Your Last Day
To write a farewell email to coworkers, keep it short and warm: state your last day, thank the people you worked with, share a personal way to stay in touch, and end on a forward-looking note. Send it two to three days before you leave, after your manager has confirmed your departure. Around 150 words is plenty.
You found this page because you're leaving, your last day is close, and you need the words. Maybe you've started the email five times and deleted it five times. That's normal. A goodbye to people you've spent years beside is harder to write than it looks.
Here's the short answer: the best farewell emails are specific, brief, and kind. They don't try to sum up your whole time at the company. They thank a few real people, point to a way to stay connected, and stop.
Below are templates you can copy, adjust, and send today. Pick the one that matches your relationship with the group, swap in the details, and you're done.
Farewell email templates you can copy right now
1. The simple all-team goodbye
Subject: My last day at [Company]
Hi everyone,
After [number] years at [Company], Friday will be my last day. I wanted to say thank you. I've learned a lot here, and most of that came from working alongside you. If you'd like to stay in touch, you can reach me at [personal email] or on LinkedIn [link]. Wishing you all the best, and I hope our paths cross again.
[Your name]
2. The warm, personal version
Subject: Thank you, and goodbye for now
Hi team,
My last day at [Company] is [date], and I can't leave without saying this properly. Thank you for the early-morning coffees, the projects we somehow pulled off, and the patience you showed me when I was new. [Name] and [Name], working with you both made the hard weeks easier. Please keep in touch: [personal email] / LinkedIn [link]. I'm rooting for all of you.
[Your name]
3. The short and professional version
Subject: Farewell and thank you
Hi all,
As some of you know, I'm moving on to a new role, and [date] is my last day. It's been a genuine pleasure. Thank you for your support and collaboration. [Name] will be taking over my current projects, so please reach out to them for anything in progress. You can find me on LinkedIn [link] going forward.
[Your name]
4. The goodbye to your manager
Subject: Thank you
Hi [Manager],
Before my last day on [date], I wanted to thank you directly. You gave me room to grow and backed me when it counted. I've learned things here that I'll carry into every job after this one. I'd love to stay in touch — [personal email]. Thank you for everything.
[Your name]
5. The goodbye to a close colleague
Subject: Don't be a stranger
Hey [Name],
A group email doesn't cover what these years have meant, so this one is just for you. You made this place feel like more than a job. We're staying in touch — I'll text you. Here's my personal email too: [personal email]. Thank you for everything. Talk soon.
[Your name]
6. The brief, no-fuss version
Subject: Goodbye and best wishes
Hi everyone,
[Date] is my last day at [Company]. Thank you for making my time here what it was. Keep in touch on LinkedIn [link]. All the best.
[Your name]
What every good farewell email includes
Whichever template you pick, five things should be in there. Your last working day, so nobody is surprised. A short, real thank-you. Who is covering your work, if that applies to you. A personal way to reach you — LinkedIn or a personal email, never your work address. And a warm closing line that looks forward, not back.
Keep it to around 150 words. The instinct is to write a long, emotional send-off, but a tight message reads better and gets remembered. One or two genuine details beat ten generic ones.
There's one step people skip in the rush of a last week, and it's the one that matters most. Before you hit send on a message to "all staff," stop and think about who actually needs a personal goodbye — not a mass email, but a real one. The mentor who took a chance on you. The teammate two desks over. The person in another department who quietly made your job possible. Those are the people you'll wish you'd thanked by name, and they're easy to forget when your calendar is chaos.
That's exactly the problem It Was Great Working With You solves. It walks you through your time at the company and helps you surface the people you'd otherwise forget to say goodbye to, so your farewells go to the right inboxes — not just the company-wide list.
Farewell email subject lines that work
Your subject line decides whether the email gets opened on a busy day. Keep it clear and human. These all work:
- My last day at [Company]
- Farewell and thank you
- Thank you for [number] great years
- Goodbye and best wishes from [Your name]
- Moving on — a quick note of thanks
Skip the clichés. "It's been a journey" and "all good things must come to an end" get skimmed past. A plain, honest subject line gets read.
When to send your farewell email
Timing matters more than people think. Send your goodbye email two to three days before your last day — not on your way out the door at 5 p.m. on Friday. That gives people time to reply, to swing by your desk, or to grab a coffee before you go.
Tell your manager first, always, and wait until your departure is officially known before you email the wider team. A clean exit protects the relationships you spent years building. If you want time for proper goodbyes, send it earlier in your final week. If you'd rather keep it quiet and quick, the morning of your last day works too.
Before you send it, take five minutes with It Was Great Working With You to make sure your list is complete. The worst feeling is remembering, a week after you've left and lost access to your work email, the one person you meant to thank.
Mistakes to avoid
A few things turn a good farewell into an awkward one. Don't vent. Even if you're leaving for hard reasons, your last email is not the place to settle scores — it's the one people will remember you by. Don't overshare why you're leaving; "moving on to a new role" is enough. Don't promise to "definitely keep in touch" with everyone, because you won't, and people know it. Be specific with the few you mean it about.
And don't leave it until your access is already cut off. Work systems disappear faster than you expect on a last day.
You'll remember the words. Make sure you remember the people.
The template is the easy part — you have six of them above. The harder part is making sure the right people actually hear from you before you go. Spend a few minutes mapping out who mattered with It Was Great Working With You, write your goodbye, and leave on a note you'll feel good about for years.
