How to Sign a PDF
A contract, a form or an invoice arrives as a PDF and has to go back signed the same day. The usual route — print it, sign with a pen, scan it, send it — costs half an hour and returns a worse-looking document, slightly skewed and a megabyte heavier per page.
The signature can go straight into the file instead: drawn with a mouse or a finger, typed in a handwriting font, or taken from a photo of your signature on paper. This guide covers making the signature, placing it correctly, signing several pages, and the one thing worth being clear about — where a stamped signature is enough and where it is not.
Ready to do it now? Open Sign PDF and get your file in a few seconds.
Open the toolWhen you need to sign a PDF
- Returning a signed contract, invoice or delivery note to a counterparty the same day.
- Filling in a form that asks for a signature and sending it back by email.
- Signing a stack of pages — every page of an agreement, or a set of acts — without printing any of them.
- Signing from a phone, where drawing with a finger is closer to a real signature than anything a mouse produces.
How to sign a PDF step by step
Open the Sign PDF tool
Go to the Sign PDF page. Everything runs on your own device: nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.
Add the document
Drag the PDF onto the upload area or pick it from the dialog, and wait for the first page to appear.
Make your signature
Draw it with a mouse or a finger, type your name in a handwriting font, or open the Image tab and upload a photo of your signature from a sheet of paper — its white background is removed automatically, so nothing covers the text underneath.
Place it on the page
Drag the signature where it belongs and set its size by the corner. Use the page arrows to reach the right page, or tick “Put it on every page” for a multi-page document.
Sign and download
Press “Sign and download” and check the result before sending it: the signature is now part of the page, and the original file on disk is untouched.
Common problems and how to fix them
The drawn signature looks nothing like yours
A mouse is a poor pen. Open the same page on a phone and draw with a finger, or sign a sheet of paper, photograph it and upload the photo on the Image tab.
A photographed signature sits in a white box
Keep “Remove white background” on and photograph the sheet in even light. A yellow desk lamp or a shadow across the paper leaves a tint the tool reads as content rather than background.
The signature came out too small or too large
Size is set by the corner handle before downloading, not after. If you have already downloaded it, sign the original again rather than the signed copy.
The file will not open for signing
It is probably password-protected or slightly damaged. Remove the password with Unlock PDF, or run the file through Repair PDF, and sign it after that.
The document needs two signatures
Sign it, send the signed file on, and let the other party sign that copy. Each pass stamps one signature into the page, so the signatures accumulate in the file.
A stamped signature versus a certificate-based one
What this tool produces is a facsimile: an image of your handwritten signature placed into the page. It is what people accept in correspondence, for internal paperwork, for forms and for most everyday agreements — and it is the same thing you get by printing, signing and scanning, only faster and sharper.
A certificate-based digital signature is a different mechanism: it binds the document to a certificate from a trusted authority, proves who signed and shows whether a single byte has changed since. Where that is required — tenders, filings, statutory reporting — a stamped signature does not qualify, and you need a certificate and the software that goes with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is signing a PDF free?
Yes — free, with no sign-up, no watermark on the result and no limit on how many documents you sign.
Is this a digital signature?
No. The tool stamps an image of your handwritten signature into the page. That is accepted in correspondence and for most everyday paperwork, but a certificate-based digital signature needs a certificate from a trusted authority and dedicated software.
Is my file uploaded to a server?
No. The document and the signature both stay in your browser on your own device; nothing is sent anywhere and nothing is stored.
Can I sign every page?
Yes. A multi-page file offers “Put it on every page”, and the signature lands in the same spot on each one without stretching, even when the pages differ in size.
How do I use a signature from paper?
Sign a white sheet, photograph or scan it and open the Image tab. The white background is removed automatically, so the signature sits on top of the text with no white box around it.
Can the signature be removed later?
Not from the downloaded file — it becomes part of the page. Keep the original if you may need an unsigned copy; before downloading, the signature can be redone and moved as often as you like.
Ready to do it now? Open Sign PDF and get your file in a few seconds.
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