| # | Type | Assigned to | Page | Placed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example | Signature | Me | 1 | ✓ placed |
Drop a PDF to sign
Add your signature, initials, dates, or fields for someone else to fill in
Works with any file size -- files over 50MB may just take a little longer
What is this tool?
Adds one or more signature, initial, date, or name fields to a PDF -- for your own signature, embedded directly into the document, or for someone else's, marked with a labeled placeholder for them to fill in themselves using this same tool.
How to use it
Enter your name and initials, set up how your signature and initials should look (drawn, typed in a signature-style font, or an image you already have), then add fields to the list: pick a type, who it's for, and which page. Click the page preview to place each field, then generate the PDF. If any fields are marked for someone else, send them both the downloaded file and the Sign PDF link shown -- they'll open the same file here and fill in their own marked spots.
Fields you assign to yourself get embedded permanently into the page. Fields marked for the other party aren't fillable PDF form fields -- they're a labeled placeholder showing exactly where to sign, initial, or date, meant to be filled in by the other party opening the same file in this tool, so they get the same real signature options (draw, type, or import) you just used, rather than a plain typed-text box with no way to verify who filled it in.
Watch: Sign PDF in Action
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Frequently asked questions
How to use Sign PDF
Beyond the field-placement workflow described above, it's worth knowing exactly how each signature method works: drawing lets you sign with your mouse, trackpad, or finger on a touchscreen directly on the page; typing renders your name in a signature-style script font as a quick alternative when drawing isn't convenient; and importing lets you upload an existing signature image (a photo of your real pen-and-paper signature, for instance) if you already have one you prefer to reuse across documents rather than redrawing it each time.
When to use it
The clearest use is signing a document yourself without needing to print, physically sign, and re-scan it -- a lease, a simple agreement, a form that just needs your signature and today's date. The multi-party field feature is specifically useful for a document that needs signatures from more than one person -- assign fields to the other party, send them the file, and they open it in the same tool to fill in their own marked spots with the same real signing options (draw, type, or import) you had, rather than a plain unverified text box.
When not to use it
For a document that legally requires a certified or notarized digital signature with cryptographic identity verification (common in certain legal or government filings), this tool's signature fields are a visual representation of a signature, not a certified digital signature with built-in identity verification -- a dedicated certified e-signature service is the right tool when that specific level of legal certification is required. If you need a full audit trail with signer IP addresses, timestamps, and legal e-signature compliance tracking (common in enterprise contract workflows), a dedicated e-signature platform built around that compliance need is a better fit than this tool's straightforward visual signing. If what you actually need is broader editing of the document's own text or images rather than adding a signature specifically, a PDF editor is the more direct tool; once a document's signatures and any other edits are final and shouldn't be changed further, Flatten PDF converts everything (including signature fields) into permanent, non-editable page content.
Tips for best results
If you'll be signing documents regularly, importing a saved signature image once and reusing it is faster than redrawing your signature each time, and produces a more visually consistent result across documents than drawing fresh each time with a mouse or trackpad. When placing fields for another party, add a bit of extra vertical space around each field on the page preview if the document allows it -- it makes the eventual signature easier for them to place accurately without overlapping nearby text.
Limitations
Fields marked for another party aren't fillable PDF form fields in the technical sense -- they're a clearly labeled placeholder showing exactly where to sign, meant to be filled in by that person opening the same file in this same tool, not a generic PDF form field that any PDF reader can fill. This means the other party needs to use this tool (or be sent back to it) to complete their part, rather than filling it in with any PDF viewer.
Privacy
Signing happens entirely in your browser -- your drawn, typed, or imported signature and the PDF itself are never uploaded to a server; the finished, signed PDF is generated locally and downloaded directly from your browser.
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