Sign a PDF in four steps
- 1Open the Edit PDF tool and drop in the document you need to sign.
- 2Choose Sign in the mode bar.
- 3Create your signature by typing your name, drawing it, or uploading a photo of one you already have.
- 4Place it on the signature line, drag to resize, then click Download to save the signed PDF.
Three ways to make your signature
Which one you choose depends on how the document will be read and how much it matters that the mark looks like your handwriting.
- 1Type it — enter your name and it is set in a signature typeface. The fastest option, and perfectly acceptable for internal forms, delivery notes and routine approvals.
- 2Draw it — sign with a mouse, a trackpad, or a finger or stylus on a touchscreen. A finger on a phone gives a far more natural result than a mouse on a laptop.
- 3Upload it — sign a blank sheet of white paper, photograph it, and upload the image. This produces the closest match to your usual ink signature, which is what you want on anything a counterparty will scrutinise.
Placing it so it looks right
Zoom in before positioning. A signature that looks fine at page-fit zoom is often noticeably off the line when someone opens the file at full size.
Size it to sit within the signature line rather than dwarfing it — roughly the height of a line of body text plus a little. Add the date in a text box if the form asks for one, and add your printed name underneath if the document has a field for it.
Is an electronic signature legally valid?
In most jurisdictions, including under the US ESIGN Act and the EU eIDAS regulation, an electronic signature can be as binding as ink for ordinary commercial agreements. What matters legally is intent and consent, not the mechanism that put the mark on the page.
There is an important distinction to understand, though. What you place here is a visual signature — a picture of your mark on the document. A qualified digital signature is different: it uses a cryptographic certificate from a recognised authority to bind the signature to the document and to your verified identity, so any later change to the file is detectable.
For an NDA, an invoice, a consent form, a rental agreement or a school permission slip, a visual signature is what everyone uses and expects. For a property transfer, a will, or anything a regulator has specified must be qualified, you need a certificate-based service. This guide is not legal advice; when the stakes are high, check what the receiving party requires.
Why signing in your browser matters here
Documents that need signing are, almost by definition, the documents you would least like sitting on someone else's server: contracts, financial agreements, medical consent, employment paperwork. Most online signing services work by uploading the file and storing it in an account.
Signing here happens inside your browser tab. The PDF and your signature never leave your device, which means there is no account holding your signed contracts and no signature image stored anywhere for reuse.