Sign a PDF online
Draw, type or upload a signature, drag it onto the page and download the signed PDF. Contracts never leave your browser.
- Runs in your browser
- Files are never uploaded
- Free, no account
Build a signature by drawing, typing or uploading one, then drag it into place. Add the date and your initials as text while you are here. Everything happens in this browser tab — you can turn off your network connection first and it will still work.
Signing a document without sending it anywhere
The documents that need signing are, almost by definition, the ones you least want to upload: an employment contract, an NDA, a tenancy agreement, a power of attorney, a settlement. Every free "e-sign" site works the same way — the file goes to their servers, sits there for some retention period, and you are asked to trust a policy document.
Here the PDF is opened by this browser tab. Your signature is drawn on a canvas in this browser tab. The signed copy is assembled in this browser tab. There is no origin the file could be sent to, which you can confirm by opening your network inspector or simply disconnecting from the internet before you start.
Three ways to make a signature
- Draw. The best result by far on a touchscreen or with a stylus. Sign larger than life — the drawing is trimmed to the ink and scaled down when placed, and a big signature reduced looks assured while a small one enlarged looks unsteady.
- Type. Your name rendered in one of the handwriting faces already installed on your system, then converted to a transparent image. Reliable, quick, and the better option if all you have is a mouse.
- Upload. Sign a white sheet of paper with a dark pen, photograph it in good light, and drop the photo in. Leave "make the paper transparent" on: it fades near-white pixels so the ink lands on the PDF rather than on a white card.
Whichever route you take, the signature exists only in this tab's memory. It is not saved to a library, not written to local storage, and gone when you close the tab.
Visual signature or digital signature?
These are different things and the words get used interchangeably, which causes real confusion.
| Visual signature (this tool) | Digital signature (PAdES, eIDAS, DSC) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An image of your signature drawn onto the page | A cryptographic hash of the document signed with your private key |
| Proves | Intent to sign | Identity, plus that the file has not changed since signing |
| Needs | Nothing | A certificate from a certificate authority, and usually a timestamp service |
| Accepted for | Most contracts, forms, consents and letters | Court filings, tender submissions, some tax and land registries |
| Possible in a browser with no server | Yes | No — there is no certificate store and no timestamp authority |
Under the US ESIGN Act, the EU's eIDAS regulation and the UK's Electronic Communications Act, an electronic signature is generally valid where the signer intended to sign. A drawn or typed signature placed on the document satisfies that. If your counterparty has specifically asked for a certificate-based signature, you need Acrobat with a token, or a service that issues certificates — and we would rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. None of this is legal advice.
Placing it well
- Navigate to the signature page before you create the signature — it is placed on whichever page you are looking at.
- Drag it so the baseline of the signature sits on the printed rule, overhanging the ends slightly. Signatures that fit neatly inside a box look printed rather than signed.
- Size it to about two-thirds the width of the rule. A signature that fills the whole line is usually too big.
- Add the date with the Text tool in the date field, and your initials on any page that asks for them.
- Apply, download, and check the result in a reader before sending.
Signing a form and keeping it fillable
The signature is page content and never touches the form dictionary, so an AcroForm PDF stays fillable after signing. If you would rather nobody could alter the answers afterwards, run the signed file through Flatten PDF, which merges the fields into the page. To fill the form in the first place, use Fill Out PDF Forms; if it has no fields, type onto it with Add Text to PDF.
Questions
Is this a legally valid signature?
In most jurisdictions an electronic signature is valid when it shows clear intent to sign — which a drawn or typed signature on the document does. What it is not is a cryptographic digital signature (PAdES, an eIDAS qualified signature, or an Indian DSC): those need a certificate issued by a certificate authority and a trusted timestamp, neither of which can exist in a browser with no server. If your counterparty specifically demands a certificate-based signature, you need Acrobat with a token or a service like DocuSign. For the overwhelming majority of contracts, forms and consent letters, a visual signature is what is being asked for.
What actually gets stored in the file?
A transparent PNG of your signature, embedded as an image and drawn onto the page. There is no separate signature layer, so it cannot be dragged off by the recipient, and there is no metadata recording who signed or when unless you add a date stamp yourself.
Where does my signature image go?
Into this browser tab's memory, and nowhere else. It is not saved to a signature library, not stored in local storage, and not sent anywhere — closing the tab discards it. That is the trade for privacy: you redraw it next time, and no service ever holds a picture of your signature.
How do I get a good-looking drawn signature?
Use a touchscreen with a finger or stylus rather than a mouse — the difference is dramatic. Sign larger than you normally would; the drawing is trimmed and scaled down when it is placed, and a big signature scaled down looks confident while a small one scaled up looks shaky. If you only have a mouse, the typed option with a script face is usually more convincing.
Can I sign a form and keep it fillable?
Yes — the signature is page content and does not touch form fields, so an AcroForm PDF stays fillable after signing. If you want the whole thing locked, run the signed file through Flatten PDF afterwards.