Sign PDF — free, in your browser
Draw or type a signature and place it on the page. No printing, no scanning, no upload.
To sign a PDF, drop it here, draw or type your signature, and place it on the page. This puts a visible mark on the document, which is what most agreements need. It is not a cryptographic digital signature. Nothing is uploaded.
- Nothing uploadedRuns on your device
- No limitsNo account, no watermark
- No upload waitStarts immediately
On this page
How it works
- 1
Add your PDF
Drop it in or click to browse. It stays on your device — which matters, because the documents people sign are usually the private ones.
- 2
Make your signature
Draw it with a finger, stylus or mouse. If you're on a desktop and a mouse signature looks wrong, switch to Type and your name is rendered in a script face instead.
- 3
Place it and sign
Choose the page and nudge the position and size with the sliders. Optionally stamp today's date underneath, then download the signed file.
What each setting does
- Draw
- Use a finger, stylus or mouse. On a phone or tablet this works well and looks like your actual signature. On a desktop without a touchscreen, a mouse-drawn signature rarely looks like anything you would put on a contract.
- Type
- Renders your name in a script face. Not a lesser option — on a desktop it usually looks far more credible than a mouse scrawl, and neither is more or less legally valid than the other.
- Page to sign
- Which page the signature lands on. Signature blocks are usually near the bottom of the last page, but forms vary.
- Placement
- Position from the left and top, and size, all as percentages of the page. Percentages rather than dragging on a preview: rendering the page here would pull a PDF engine into every visitor's browser, and sliders are precise, keyboard-operable and announce their value.
- Add today's date
- Stamps the current date under the signature, which many forms expect alongside it.
Results you can expect
Measured on real files by our own test suite, not estimated.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Signature placed | Page count unchanged |
| Background | Transparent — no white box |
| Original text | Untouched and still selectable |
What people use this for
Signing without printing
Printing a document to sign it and scanning it back is a routine most people would happily stop doing.
Read the guideAvoiding a subscription
Signature services charge for sending documents to others to sign. Signing one yourself does not need any of that.
Read the guideKnowing what you are signing with
Electronic and digital signatures are different things, and the distinction occasionally matters a great deal.
Read the guideSigning a scanned form
If the form is a photograph, run it through Scan Document first so the result is legible.
How this compares
| FileCrisp | DocuSign | Print and scan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uploads your document | No | Yes | No |
| Account required | No | Yes | No |
| Cost | Free | Subscription | Printer and scanner |
| Audit trail | No | Yes | No |
| Certificate-backed | No | Yes | No |
Questions
Is this a legally binding electronic signature?
It places a visible mark on the page, which is what most everyday agreements need and what a printed-and-scanned signature amounts to. It is not a cryptographic digital signature — it doesn't embed a certificate and it can't prove who applied it or detect later tampering. For contracts that specifically require a certified digital signature, use a service that issues one.
Is my document uploaded?
No. The PDF is opened, signed and saved entirely in your browser. This is the tool where that matters most: the things people sign are leases, offer letters, NDAs and consent forms. Your signature image never leaves your device either.
Why can I type instead of drawing?
Because signing with a mouse produces something most people wouldn't put on a document. On a phone or tablet, drawing with a finger works well. On a desktop without a touchscreen, typing your name in a script face usually looks far more like a signature than a mouse-drawn scrawl.
Can I sign more than one page?
One page per pass at the moment. To sign several, download the result and run it through again choosing the next page. The signature has to be redrawn each time, which is a rough edge we intend to fix.
Will my signature have a white box around it?
No. The signature is saved as a PNG with a transparent background, so only the strokes appear over whatever is underneath — text, a line, or a table cell.
Can I sign a password-protected PDF?
Not without removing the password first. An encrypted PDF can't be opened for editing, so you'll get a clear message rather than a file that appears to work but isn't saved correctly.
Is this legally binding?
It places a visible mark, which is what most everyday agreements need and what a printed-and-scanned signature amounts to. It is not a cryptographic digital signature: no certificate, no proof of who applied it, no tamper detection. For agreements that specifically require one, use a service that issues certificates.
What is the difference from a digital signature?
An electronic signature is a mark showing intent, and is recognised under ESIGN and eIDAS for most agreements. A digital signature is a cryptographic seal tied to a verified identity that also detects later tampering. This tool does the first.
Can I reuse a signature?
Not yet — it is redrawn or retyped each time. Storing it would mean keeping a copy of your signature somewhere, which we would rather not do without asking.
Will signing change the rest of the document?
No. The page count, the existing text and its selectability are all unchanged — only the signature is added.
Do I need to make a signature image first?
No. You draw it directly in the browser with a finger, trackpad or mouse, or type your name and have it set in a script face. There is nothing to photograph, crop or make transparent.
How large should the signature be?
Roughly the width of the signature line it sits on, which usually works out to a quarter to a third of the page width. Larger than that looks out of place and can overrun neighbouring fields.
How do I sign a document online without printing it?
Open the PDF in a signing tool, draw or type your signature, drag it onto the signature block and download. The whole loop takes a couple of minutes and involves no printer, no scanner and no loss of quality from photographing a page.
Can I sign a document on my phone?
Yes, and a phone is the best device for it — drawing with a finger looks far more like a real signature than anything a mouse produces. Any modern mobile browser works, with no app to install.
If something looks wrong
- The signature is in the wrong place
- Adjust the position sliders and run again. They are percentages of the page, measured from the left and top, so 50 and 50 puts the top-left corner of the signature at the centre.
- There is a white box around the signature
- There should not be — it is saved as a PNG with a transparent background so only the strokes appear. If you see a box, the signature was drawn on a filled area; clear it and draw again.
- The mouse signature looks wrong
- It usually does. Switch to Type and your name is rendered in a script face, which on a desktop looks considerably more like a signature than anything a mouse produces.
- I need to sign several pages
- One page per pass at the moment. Download the result and run it through again for the next page. The signature has to be redrawn each time, which is a rough edge we intend to fix.
Related reading
- Is It Safe to Upload Documents to Online Tools?What actually happens to a document you upload to a free web tool, which risks are real and which are overstated, and how to decide per document rather than per site.
- Electronic vs Digital Signature: The DifferenceElectronic signatures and digital signatures are not the same thing. This guide explains the difference, when each is legally valid, and which one you need.