How to Sign a PDF: Free, Without Printing It

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How to sign a PDF without printing it

Add the PDF Drop the file on Sign PDF. It opens in your browser on your own device; nothing is uploaded, so a lease or a job offer stays with you.

Make your signature In the pad that opens, draw it with a mouse, trackpad, finger or pen, type your name and pick a handwriting style, or upload a photo of your signature on white paper. The paper is made see-through, so only the ink lands on the page.

Place it Press Place signature and click the signature line. Drag it to move it and pull a corner to resize it. Press Sign again for each extra place the document needs you to sign, on any page.

Add the date or your initials Date drops today’s date onto the page, ready to drag beside your signature. Text lets you type a printed name, a title or initials anywhere.

Save the signed copy Press Save signed PDF. The signature is now part of the page, so it looks the same in every reader and when printed. Keep the unsigned original too, in case you need to sign it differently later.

Picture, e-signature or digital signature: which one do you need?

People use these words for three different things, and it is worth knowing which one the sender expects before you sign.

A signature image is what this site does, and what Preview, Markup and Acrobat Reader’s Fill & Sign do: your signature placed on the page, like signing a printout and scanning it, minus the printer. It is right for most everyday paperwork: rental forms, delivery notes, school permissions, timesheets.
An e-signature service (DocuSign, Adobe Sign and similar) adds an audit trail: who signed, when, from which email. Senders use these when they want proof of the signing itself, and they send you a link rather than a file.
A certificate-based digital signature is cryptographic. The PDF is sealed with a certificate issued to you, and any change after signing breaks the seal. Some government and company filings require one: in India, for example, many official filings ask for a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). A picture of a signature can’t do this job, so if a portal asks for a certificate, use the signing route it names.

Whether a signature is legally binding depends on the country and the document. This is general information, not legal advice: when in doubt, ask the person who sent the document what they accept.

How do you sign a PDF on a Mac, iPhone or Windows without extra software?

Each system has something built in, and it is fine to use it. Here is what each one does, so you can choose.

Mac: open the PDF in Preview, click the Markup button (the pen tip), then the Sign button. You can create a signature on the trackpad, by holding a paper signature up to the camera, or by drawing it on an iPhone or iPad.
iPhone or iPad: open the PDF in the Files app, tap Markup, then the plus button and Add Signature. The signature you make is saved for next time.
Windows: Microsoft Edge opens PDFs and has a Draw tool you can sign with, though there is no separate signature button. Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free, has Fill & Sign.
Any device: Sign PDF works the same in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox, on a computer or a phone, and keeps the file on your device. It is the quickest route when the signature should come from a photo of your real one, or when you need a date and initials beside it. On a phone, signing on your phone walks through it with a finger.

What if the form also has boxes to fill in?

Many documents that need a signature also want a name, an address, a date or a ticked box. If the PDF is a fillable form, the boxes are real fields: fill them first in Fill PDF Form, which lists every field with the words printed beside it, then sign the saved copy.

If clicking a box does nothing, the form is flat and the boxes are only printed lines. Then type your answers with Text in Sign PDF, in the same pass as the signature.

Can you change or remove a signature after saving?

Not from the signed copy here: saving draws the signature into the page, so it can no longer be dragged or deleted. That is deliberate, because a signature anyone could lift off and move would be worth very little. Open the unsigned original and sign again instead.

A certificate-based digital signature is different: signers with the right software can clear their own signature, and the certificate records it. If someone else’s signature needs to go, ask them for an unsigned copy rather than editing it out.

Questions

How do I electronically sign a PDF for free?

Open Sign PDF, add the file, draw or type your signature, press Place signature, click the spot and save. It is free, needs no account, and the PDF never leaves your device.

How do I add a digital signature to a PDF?

If you mean a visible signature, place one with Sign PDF. If the sender needs a certificate-based digital signature, that requires a certificate issued to you (a DSC in India) and software that applies it, such as Adobe Acrobat. A picture of a signature does not count as one.

Can I sign a PDF without Adobe?

Yes. Preview on a Mac, Markup on an iPhone, and Sign PDF in any browser all sign PDFs without Adobe software.

Can I sign a PDF with a photo of my real signature?

Yes. Sign on plain white paper, take the photo straight on in good light, and upload it in Sign PDF. The white is removed, so only the ink appears on the page.

Will the person I send it to be able to change my signature?

Not easily: it is part of the page, not a movable object. Anyone can still edit a PDF with enough effort, though, which is why contracts that need tamper evidence use certificate-based digital signatures.