Sign a PDF
in your browser.
Add a handwritten or typed signature to any PDF — drag it where you need it. Nothing uploads. Your signature stays as private as the document.
Verify yourself: open DevTools → Network tab → drop a file. Watch zero uploads happen.
Three steps. Your signature never leaves this tab.
Drop your PDF
Pick the file you want to sign. It loads into your browser's memory, not a server.
Draw or type your signature
Use your trackpad to draw it, type a styled name, or upload a PNG of your existing signature.
Place it and download
Drag the signature to any spot on any page, then download a signed copy. Original file stays untouched.
When you'd want to sign a PDF online
The most common case is also the simplest: a contract, NDA, or form lands in your inbox and the other side wants it back signed. Printing, signing, scanning, and emailing back is the long way around — five minutes of fumbling with a printer and a phone camera, and the result is a slightly worse-looking version of the document. Signing electronically takes thirty seconds, and the other side gets a clean PDF instead of a re-scan of paper.
Other common cases: countersigning a vendor agreement, adding initials to each page of a long contract, signing a school or housing form, signing a freelance invoice, signing a release for a photo, signing a delivery receipt. Anywhere a paper signature would do, an electronic one usually does too — and it gets to the recipient faster.
How to put your signature in
Three ways, and you can mix them:
- Draw it. Use your mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen to sketch your signature in a small canvas. The closer your input device is to a pen, the more natural it looks — a stylus on a tablet beats a finger on a phone, which beats a mouse on a desktop. The result is saved to the PDF as a transparent image.
- Type it. Pick a handwriting-style font, type your name, and the tool produces a "signature" that looks like signed handwriting. Quick, legible, and works fine for everyday business documents. It looks slightly less personal than a drawn signature, but most counterparties don't mind.
- Upload an image. If you've already signed a piece of paper, scanned or photographed it, and saved the signature as a PNG with a transparent background, you can place that image on the page directly. Useful if you have a "real" signature you've used before.
Once the signature exists, you drag it to the right spot on the page. Resize it, rotate it if needed, and place it on however many pages it needs to be on. Initials work the same way — make a smaller version and drop it on each page that asks for it.
What this is, legally
An electronic signature in this sense is what regulators usually call a simple electronic signature. It's legally valid for the vast majority of business use cases — most contracts, most internal forms, most B2B documents, most consumer agreements. Both eIDAS in the EU and the ESIGN Act in the US recognise it, and so do most non-EU jurisdictions in some form.
What a simple electronic signature isn't: a qualified electronic signature with a cryptographic certificate from a state-approved provider. Those are required for specific cases — court filings in some jurisdictions, certain notarised documents, certain government submissions. If your document needs that level (you'll usually know — the document or the requesting authority will say so), you need a different tool. For everything else, a simple drawn or typed signature is what's actually being asked for.
Two practical points worth knowing: a signature applied to a flat PDF is exactly that — an image laid on top of the page, not a cryptographic seal. It can be removed by anyone editing the file the same way you added it. If tamper-evidence matters, the right move is to flatten the document after signing (so the signature becomes part of the page rather than an editable overlay) — see flatten-pdf for that. The other point: if the recipient is going to print and scan the signed copy anyway, the legal weight is the same as a paper signature regardless of how it was made.
Practical notes
- If the PDF is encrypted, unlock it first. Run it through unlock-pdf before signing — encrypted documents can't be opened for editing.
- Sign first, compress last. If you also need to shrink the file for sending, run compress-pdf on the signed document, not the other way around. Compressed PDFs are much harder to edit if you need to add another signature later.
- For long contracts that need initials on every page, save the initials as a small signature once, then drop it onto each page in turn. Faster than re-drawing 30 times.
- If both parties need to sign, sign your part, send the file, and let the counterparty open it in their own browser — no account, no upload, same tool. Each signs their own copy and the final version travels back through email.
Privacy
Your signature is just as personal as the document it's signing. This tool runs entirely in your browser — the signature you draw or type stays on your device, the PDF you sign stays on your device, and the result is a download you save locally. No upload, no server-side storage, no copy of your signature kept anywhere. You can verify it: open DevTools, watch the Network tab while you sign, and you'll see no outgoing requests.
Frequently asked
Is a typed or drawn signature legally binding?
In many jurisdictions, yes — for routine documents like contracts, agreements, and forms. For notarial acts, court filings, or land deeds, check your local rules; those usually require a notary or a qualified e-signature.
Where does my signature go?
Nowhere. Your signature is rendered to a PNG image and embedded into the PDF locally — entirely inside this browser tab. You can verify in DevTools → Network: nothing is uploaded.
Can I save my signature for next time?
Not currently. Since nothing leaves your device, your signature isn't stored on a server. You'll re-draw or re-type it the next time — which is also why no one else can grab it.
Does it support handwritten, typed, and uploaded signatures?
All three. Draw with your trackpad or finger, type your name in a signature font, or upload a PNG of an existing signature. Pick whichever feels right per document.
Will the signature be flat and uneditable?
Yes. The signature is embedded as an image at the position and size you chose. Recipients can't easily move it, edit it, or remove it without re-editing the PDF.