How to add a signature to a PDF.
Most of our lives are now stored on devices, from personal admin to important documents related to employment and housing. This digital shift has simplified our daily routines, and knowing how to add a signature to a PDF can streamline these tasks even further. With Adobe Acrobat, adding a signature to a PDF is incredibly easy. Whether you’re on your PC or smartphone, you can sign and send documents in minutes, ensuring important tasks are handled swiftly and securely.
What you’ll learn.
From signing that much-anticipated contract at work to securing a place of your own, digital signatures are extremely important these days. Knowing how to add your signature to a PDF file is invaluable.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- How to add a signature to a PDF using Adobe Acrobat
- How to add a signature to a PDF on an iPhone
- How to add a signature to a PDF using online tools
- FAQs
How to add a signature to a PDF using Adobe Acrobat.
With Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can easily use the Fill & Sign tool to complete and send your forms or documents electronically. Follow these steps to add a signature to a PDF:
- Open the PDF document in Acrobat.
- Click Fill & Sign from the All tools menu, or click E-Sign from the global bar at the top.
- Create your signature and initials if you haven’t already:
- From the Quick actions toolbar, select Add your signature or initials.
- To add a signature, choose Add signature. In the dialogue that appears, type or draw your signature, then select Done.
- To add your initials, select Add initials. In the dialogue that appears, type or draw your initials, then select Done.
- From the Sign panel, select your signature, move to the field where you want to place it, and click to add the signature. Alternatively, select Add your signature or initials from the Quick actions toolbar and choose your signature.
- The form fields are detected automatically. Hover over a field to display a blue box. Click anywhere in the blue box to place the cursor, then type your text to fill the field.
- To customise your text:
- Change the colour: From the Quick actions toolbar, select the Colour icon and choose your desired colour. By default, the signature colour is black. To keep the default colour, ensure the Keep signatures black option is unchecked.
- Adjust the size: Click the small A icon to make the text smaller or the large A icon to make it larger.
- Delete the text box: Click the garbage can icon.
- Access more options: Click the ellipsis icon for additional options such as signature, initials, checkmarks, or crossmarks.
- Move the text box: Hover until you see the drag handle, then move the field as needed.
- To move or resize the placed signature or initial, select the field to highlight it, then use the arrow keys. Use the options in the field toolbar to resize or delete the field.
How to add a signature to a PDF on an iPhone.
Looking to sign a document on the go? Follow our guide on using the Adobe Acrobat app to figure out how to add your signature to a PDF on your iPhone.
- Open your PDF document using the iPhone Adobe Acrobat app.
- Click on the blue pen icon in the bottom right corner.
- When the options appear, click the Fill & Sign option.
- From here, you can click on the field that you want to sign and choose your desired functionality (type, symbol, draw etc).
- If you wish to type your signature, the keyboard will appear once you click on your desired field. From here, you can type, amend font size, or switch to the draw functionality.
- If you prefer to draw your signature, click the fountain pen icon. You can either draw it freehand with your finger, insert an existing image of your signature, or take a photo of your signature using your camera.
How to add a signature to a PDF using online tools.
If you prefer to use an online tool to add a signature to your PDF, the Adobe Acrobat online PDF signing tool makes it easy. Here’s how you can fill in and sign a PDF document:
- Access the tool: Visit the Adobe Acrobat online Sign PDF tool.
- Upload your PDF: Click the Select a file button or drag and drop your PDF file into the drop zone.
- Sign in: After Acrobat uploads the file, sign in to your Adobe account to continue.
- Fill and sign the PDF: Use the tools in the Sign panel to complete form fields and add your signature. You can type, draw, or upload an image of your signature.
- Complete the process: Click Next when you’ve finished adding your signature and any other required information.
- Download or share: Download your completed form or get a link to share your signed PDF online.