How to Add a Handwritten Signature to a PDF – Free Methods Compared, and Digital Signatures Explained

“Signing” a PDF can mean two different things. Knowing which one you need tells you which method to use.

• Handwritten signature (a signature image): an image of your signature placed on the PDF. It looks like a signature on paper and is used for applications, consent forms and internal documents
• Digital signature: uses a certificate to prove who signed and that the document hasn’t changed since. It’s used by e-signature services for contracts and other documents that need legal proof

When someone simply asks you to “sign and return”, a handwritten signature is usually enough. If they ask for a digital signature or an e-contract, use the service they specify.

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, choose Fill & Sign, then Sign → Add signature. Type your name, draw it, or use an image of your signature, then place it anywhere on the page. It works in the desktop app and the phone app.

Open the PDF in Preview and click the Signature button on the Markup toolbar. Draw with your finger on the trackpad or hold a signature written on white paper up to the camera, then place it and save.

Open the PDF from an email attachment or the Files app and tap the Markup button (the pen icon). Tap “+” → Add Signature, sign with your finger and place it. Nothing to install.

Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge and use Draw on the toolbar to write with a mouse or pen. A neat signature is hard to draw this way, and its position and size are hard to adjust afterwards.

This site’s Sign PDF works the same way on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. It can also turn a photo of your signature on white paper into a transparent signature. Neither your PDF nor your signature is uploaded.

1. On Sign PDF, draw your signature in the box with your finger or mouse (or use a photo of it on paper)
2. Choose the PDF to sign
3. Tap where the signature goes, drag to adjust it, and choose a width from 20 to 80mm
4. Tap “Create signed PDF”, check the preview and download

Japanese forms often say 署名または記名押印 (“signature, or printed name with a seal”) by the signature field. Whether a signature alone is enough or a hanko seal is also needed depends on the recipient; many offices accept a signature from foreign residents. If you need a seal, make one with the Digital Hanko Stamp maker and stamp the same PDF. To type your name or the date, use Add Text to PDF.

• Keep your signature image and signed PDFs somewhere others can’t use them
• Before sending, check the signature’s position and that nothing else is left blank
• For important documents, consider adding a password before sending