How to sign a PDF without printing it

Somebody sends you a PDF and says "sign and send back." You don't have a printer. Or you do, but it's out of cyan ink and refuses to print in black because of course it does. Good news: you haven't needed paper for this in years. Here's how to sign on whatever you've got.

The universal way: in your browser

This works on any phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install.

1. Open Sign PDF.
2. Add your PDF.
3. Make your signature. Draw it with your finger, a stylus or your mouse, or type your name and pick a handwriting-style font.
4. Tap the page where the signature goes. Drag it onto the line and resize with the corner handle.
5. Need initials on other pages? Flip to them and tap to place again.
6. Download the signed PDF and send it back.

Your signature and the document stay on your device, since the signing happens in your browser and nothing gets uploaded. No account, so there's no saved copy of your signature on someone's server either.

On iPhone or iPad: Markup

1. Open the PDF in the Files app (or straight from the Mail attachment).
2. Tap the Markup button (it looks like a pen tip).
3. Tap + and choose Add Signature.
4. Sign with your finger, tap Done, then drag the signature into place and resize it.
5. Tap Done to save. From Mail, it can go straight into a reply.

Your iPhone remembers the signature for next time.

On a Mac: Preview

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. Click the Markup button (the pen tip icon) to show the Markup toolbar.
3. Click the Sign button. You can sign on the trackpad with your finger, hold a signature on white paper up to your camera, or use your iPhone if it's nearby.
4. Pick your signature, then drag and resize it on the page.
5. Save, or use File, then Export as PDF to keep the original unsigned.

On Windows

Microsoft Edge can open PDFs and lets you draw on them with the Draw tool, which works with a mouse, but signatures drawn with a mouse tend to look like a toddler's crayon art. A touchscreen or pen helps a lot. Then save the file.

For a cleaner look, use the browser method above, where typed signatures look neat and drawn ones get smoothed out. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader also has a Fill & Sign feature if you already have it installed.

On Android

Android doesn't have one standard built-in signing tool. It depends on your phone maker and which PDF app you use. Some file viewers include a draw or sign option. The browser method works on every Android phone, so it's the simplest route.

Is a signature like this legally valid?

We're not lawyers and this isn't legal advice, but here's the general picture. In the US, the ESIGN Act and UETA make electronic signatures valid for most transactions. In the EU, the eIDAS regulation does something similar. Courts generally care that you intended to sign and agree, not whether you used ink.

That covers everyday stuff: leases, job offers, NDAs, permission slips, contractor agreements, invoices. Exceptions usually include wills, some real estate deeds, certain court documents and anything that needs a notary. When in doubt, ask the sender what they accept. Most will happily take an e-signed PDF.

Electronic signature vs. digital signature

These sound the same but aren't:

• An electronic signature is your signature on the document, like the image you place with any of the methods above. This is what 99 percent of people need.
• A digital signature uses a certificate to cryptographically prove who signed and that the file hasn't changed since. Some government agencies, banks and big companies require it, and it needs a specialized signing service.

If you've been asked for a "digital signature with a certificate" or a specific signing platform, use that. Otherwise, any method here works.

Signing for several people

If a document needs more than one signature, each person can sign their own copy and you combine the signed pages at the end. Or send the PDF around: person one signs and saves, emails it to person two, who signs the same file and saves again. Signatures added in a browser tool or Preview stay on the page, so the next person just adds theirs.

Finishing touches

• Fill out form fields first, then sign. Then flatten the PDF so your answers and signature can't be easily changed.
• Add the date next to your signature if there's a date line. Most signing tools, including ours, let you type text on the page.
• Got pages back from multiple people? Merge the signed pages into one final copy.
• Keep a copy of what you signed, in a folder where you'll find it in two years when the landlord says you never signed.