How to add a signature to a PDF — draw, type, or upload

For most everyday agreements — a rental form, a school permission slip, a vendor contract — an electronic signature is what the recipient wants and expects. You don't need a certificate authority, a notary, or specialized software. You need to put your signature image on a specific spot on a specific page, and you need to be done with it in under a minute.

That's what the Sign PDF tool is for. Here's how to use it, and how to choose between the three signature creation modes.

Three ways to make a signature

The tool gives you three tabs for creating your signature, and the right choice depends on the device you're on and what you want it to look like.

• Draw. Best on a touchscreen or with a stylus. Drag your finger or pen across the canvas to draw a signature; this captures your actual signature shape. Works on mouse too, but mouse-drawn signatures tend to look stilted.
• Type. Best when you don't have a touchscreen or just want it done fast. Type your name and we render it in a handwriting-style font. The result looks like a signature without you having to draw one. It won't match your real handwriting, but for everyday e-signatures, it does the job.
• Upload. Best if you already have a high-quality scan of your signature. Take a clean photo or scan of your handwritten signature on white paper, save as PNG with a transparent background, and upload. The PNG transparency keeps the page visible behind your signature strokes.

You can switch modes any time. Whichever you save last is the one that gets placed on the page.

The 60-second method

1. Open the Sign PDF tool. Drag your PDF onto the page.
2. Pick a tab. Draw, Type, or Upload. Create your signature.
3. Click "Save signature". The signature appears in the right-hand panel. Tick "Remember this signature on this device" if you'd like to skip step 2 next time.
4. Click on the page where you want the signature to go. The signature appears centered on your click point at a reasonable default size. Add as many as you need; switch pages with the arrows.
5. Click "Sign & download". The signature bakes into the page content. Open the result in any reader — it shows your signature on every page you placed it.

"Save this signature on this device"

The tool can store a copy of your signature in your browser's local storage. The next time you visit the tool on this same browser, the signature is already loaded — you can skip straight to placement.

The signature is stored locally. It doesn't sync to a server or to other devices. If you clear your browser data, the saved signature goes with it.

To remove the saved signature without clearing the rest of your browser data, click "Forget saved" in the signature panel.

When you should not use this

Electronic signatures (the kind this tool produces) are accepted for most everyday agreements in most jurisdictions. They are typically not sufficient for:

• Documents that require notarisation. A notary's certification is different from your signature.
• Documents that require a digital signature with a cryptographic certificate. Some banks, governments, and large enterprises require a real X.509-based signature with a CA-issued certificate. That's a separate workflow; this tool doesn't do it.
• Wills, trusts, real estate transfers in some jurisdictions. Local rules vary; check before relying on a typed signature for high-stakes legal documents.

If your recipient asks for a "digital signature" specifically, ask whether they mean an electronic signature image (what we produce) or a cryptographic one (we don't do that). Often the answer is the former.

Tips for clean placement

Use the page navigation buttons. Above the preview, "Prev" and "Next" let you switch pages. You can place a signature on the cover page and your initials on every interior page in one session.

Sign over the line, not under it. Most contract signature lines have a thin underline. Place your signature so the strokes sit above (and touching) the line, not below it. This looks like a real handwritten signature.

Pick a transparent PNG for uploads. A JPG signature has a white box around it that will fight your page color. If you're scanning your handwritten signature, use a scanner that supports background removal, or open the result in any image editor and export as PNG with transparency.

Frequently asked questions

Will the recipient see this as a "real" signature?

It will look like a real signature in any reader and in any printout. Whether it's legally binding depends on the document and your jurisdiction. For most everyday agreements (employment, residential rental, small contracts), yes.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The PDF, the signature image, and the placement step all run in your browser. Verifiable in DevTools → Network.

What if I want to use a different signature for a different document?

Sign one document, then click "Forget saved" before signing the next. Or just hit "Change" in the right-hand panel each time.

Can I undo a placement?

Yes. Each placement appears in the right-hand list with an "×" to remove it.

What's a "PNG with transparency"?

A PNG image where the area around the signature strokes is transparent rather than white. When placed on a page with content underneath, the page content shows through. Most modern scanners and image editors can produce one.

Can I rotate the signature?

Not in v1. The signature is placed at the angle it was drawn in. If you need it rotated, rotate the source image before uploading.

What if I'm on a phone?

Drag your finger across the canvas to draw. The result is captured at high resolution. Works in any mobile browser; iOS Safari is particularly good because of the precise capacitive touch.

The shortest version

Draw, type, or upload a signature → click "Save signature" → click on the page → click "Sign & download". 60 seconds, browser-only, signed PDF.