Adobe How To Create Electronic Signature

How to add a signature to a PDF

Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Click on Fill & Sign in the Tools pane on the right.
Click Sign, and then select Add Signature.
A popup will open, giving you three options— Type , Draw , and Image. Once you're done, click the Apply button.
Drag, resize and position the signature inside your PDF file.

Though most people are used to signing paper documents with a pen, electronic signatures are becoming more common, especially in the following instances:

Businesses or individuals that provide services often need a signed contract for a project.
Employers may ask newly hired employees or interviewees to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Landlords and tenants both have to sign a lease or rental agreement.
Companies that rely on online forms to collect information from their users may need signed consent from their respondents.

Signing PDF files may seem daunting, especially if you haven't done it before. If you're a first-timer or someone who needs a refresher on how to sign PDF documents, we've got your back.

It's important to understand the difference between electronic signatures and digital signatures . This article discusses the electronic signature, the equivalent of your handwritten signature. It's merely an image of your signature overlaid on a PDF document. A digital signature, on the other hand, is cryptographically secure and verifies that someone with your private signing key has seen the document and authorized it. It's very secure, but also complicated. Digital signatures are the online equivalent to a notarized signature. A trusted third party, known as a Certificate Authority serves as the notary in terms of verifying your identity.

Since an electronic signature is what most people expect when they send you a document to sign, we'll focus on that process. If you're a Windows user, you're probably familiar with a PDF reader—an application installed on your PC that allows you to open PDF files (with a .pdf file extension). The most popular option these days is Adobe Acrobat Reader.

We'll assume that you already have your favorite PDF reader installed on your PC.

Open the PDF file inAdobe Acrobat Reader.

Click the File menu > Open… then, select the PDF file you want to sign.

Click on Fill & Sign in the Tools pane on the right.

If you're not seeing the Tools pane, press SHIFT+F4 on your keyboard.

A toolbar will appear at the top of your document.

Click Sign, and then select Add Signature.

A popup will open, giving you three options—Type , Draw , and Image. Once you're done, click the Apply button.

Type allows you to type your name in cursive format. You're free to change the style of the signature.

Draw allows you to draw the signature using your mouse, touchpad, or a pen if you're using a touchscreen device.

Image allows you to select an image file of your signature.

Drag, resize and position the signature inside your PDF file.

Quick Guide: How to Sign Electronically on different devices

Windows – Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader then click Fill & Sign in the right pane to add a Signature.
Mac – Open the PDF in the Preview app then click the Signature icon on the top menu to create/insert a signature.
Android – Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader android app, click the Pen icon then select Fill & Sign to add a signature
iOS – Long press the saved PDF file then select Markup , click the plus icon ⊕ then select Signature to insert a signature

Sign PDF on Mac

Whether you're a business owner or an individual, you might have been asked to sign a PDF document. You don't want to be one of those people who print the document out, sign the paper, scan it again, and send it through email. While this method works, it is still time-consuming and inefficient. If you're a Mac user, then here's an easy way to sign a PDF electronically. Please see our guide, " How to add a signature to a PDF on Mac Preview".

Sign PDF on Android

With today's technology, you have the power to keep your business moving right in the palm of your hand. You can simply take care of your computer tasks like signing a PDF from the convenience of your favorite mobile devices like an Android phone or iPhone.

With your Android phone, there are many apps that will let you sign a PDF but Adobe Acrobat Reader remains the simplest to use and is free to install. You can download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader on your Android phone then follow these steps to sign the PDF.

Open the Adobe Acrobat Reader app. If it's your first time to open the Adobe Acrobat Reader app, you need to sign in to your Adobe account, or you can choose to skip by hitting the close (x) icon on the top right corner of the screen.
In the app, tap the plus icon ⊕ then Edit PDF to edit a PDF file. You can also go to the Files tab then select On This Device so you can view all the PDF files on your device and edit the PDF you want.
After opening a PDF file, tap the pencil icon then select Fill & Sign
In the signature tools, tap the signature icon on the right side then select Create Signature to draw your signature
After that, tap the Signature icon again and select the signature you've created then tap anywhere in the PDF document where you want the signature to appear.

The whole process of Android is as follows:

Sign PDF on IOS

If you're an iPhone/iPad user, you can use the built-in feature called Markup. With Markup, you can easily add a signature to a PDF document straight from the Mail app. Here's how:

Tap the attached PDF Document in the Mail app.
Click the Markup button on the top right corner of the screen.
Tap the plus button then select Signature so you can add the signature you want.

The whole process of iOS is as follows:

This article is originally published on Nov 14, 2018, and updated on Sep 15, 2021.