Feb 03, 2020 How To Add a Password to a PDF on a Mac; Here are 2 easy ways to open, edit and sign a PDF document on your Mac for free. Method 1: Using macOS Preview. Preview is a really useful free tool in macOS that allows you to edit both images and documents easily. Using Preview has the advantage that all of your data stays on your Mac. How to fill forms and sign PDFs online. Click the Select a file button above, or drag and drop a file into the drop zone. Select the PDF document you want to fill in and sign. After Acrobat uploads the file, sign in to complete the fillable form. Use the toolbar to fill in the form fields and add your signature.
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It seems that just a few years ago, everyone used PCs and the world was full of .doc files, which changed unpredictably depending on the platform or software you used to open them.
The rise of Macs, however, had an unintended consequence of solidifying PDF as the true standard for modern documents. PDFs were platform-agnostic, could be opened by nearly any graphic application or browser, and most importantly didn’t alter the styling and content within them — a major breakthrough for the document world.
Now, when PDFs are so prevalent, and most of us work from home, there’s another question on people’s minds: How to digitally sign a PDF?
Good news is it’s not only possible to insert signature in PDFs, but it’s actually an easier and better way to manage your paperwork. Let’s explore why PDF signing online is great and how to create a digital signature right now.
Why you should sign PDFs electronically
Think of how you used to sign documents before. Someone would send you a contract. You print it out, manually sign it, scan it, do some adjustments to the scanned file (e.g. file size, quality, cropping), then send it back, and shred the printed paper. That repeated multiple times a day.
Not only printing and shredding paper is incredibly wasteful if you think of the scale across companies, the resulting files are not the beautiful PDFs everyone started with, but essentially images, probably misaligned, not color-corrected, and with no way to select text within them.
If you learn how to create an electronic signature on a Mac instead, not only would you save a lot of time and paper, you’d keep the design and functionality of every document intact, so anyone else would also be able to take full advantage of the wonderful PDF format. Luckily, there are simple ways to solve the “OS X sign PDF” task for all Mac users.
In the guide below, we answer the most frequently asked questions:
- How to sign a PDF on Mac using trackpad
- How to sign PDF on Mac using camera
- How to sign PDF on iPhone and iPad
- How to add signature to PDF Mac, so that it can be reused
- Why PDF editor is the best choice for digital signatures.
How to sign a PDF using trackpad
You might be surprised to know that there’s free PDF signature functionality already on your Mac. In fact, default apps you use to open images, such as Preview and Quick Look, are able to sign PDFs. You can even learn how to sign a PDF without leaving the Mail app.
We’ll focus on how to sign in Preview because this is the major use case. Let’s start with how to create a MacBook signature for a PDF file using your trackpad:
- Open Preview from Applications
- In the menu bar, navigate to Tools > Annotate > Signature > Manage Signatures Alternatively, click the signature icon in the Markup tools and select Create Signature
- To create a digital signature, select Click Here to Begin and start drawing. Note that your trackpad is literally represented on a screen. So treat it like a piece of paper and press any key when done. Click Clear to start over or Done if you like the result.
Here’s how to digitally sign a PDF in Preview after you’ve created the signature:
- Open any document that requires a signature
- Click the signature icon in the Markup menu and select the one you have created before
- Put the signature in place (you can resize it by dragging the corners) and click off
- Save or export the PDF to save your signature.
The process is exactly the same in Quick Look, but differs slightly in the Mail app:
- Open Mail and start a new message (⌘ + N)
- Drag a PDF file into it
- Hover over the PDF, click the dropdown arrow, and choose Markup
- Repeat the same process as shown above for Preview
- Click Done.
There’s one concern, though. Even two. First, when you add signature to PDF Mac Markup menu, it will be saved there. The purpose of saving signatures is to let you reuse them in the future, but this could create a major vulnerability, since Preview is the first place that someone looking to gain access to your signatures will check.
Second, the Markup tool won’t help you do any major edits in a PDF, such as rearranging pages or editing the text. This is why a PDF editor with a signing feature is the best choice.
PDFpen is a truly full-featured, pro-level PDF editing app that fixes both problems. Not only can you sign documents, but also rearrange pages, merge separate documents, redact sensitive information, recognize text in images with the help of OCR technology, and much more. Imagine all the paperwork you’ll ever need to manage done within one app.
Within PDFpen, you can also save frequently used signatures, annotations, and symbols to the Library, which is a secure spot for keeping all your custom elements for PDF editing.
Here’s how to electronically sign a PDF on Mac with PDFpen:
Scan or draw your signature — we use Tayasui Sketches, which is something similar to Paint for Mac, because it has the best variety of drawing tools. But you can as well scan your physical signature using camera or import it from any other tool. Essentially, it’s just a picture with your signature in it.
Drag and drop or upload your signature into a PDFpen doc
In PDFpen, select the Edit tool if you want to resize or crop your signature
To make the background of your signature transparent, click Edit > Make Transparent Image > adjust transparency by moving the tolerance slider > Make Transparent.
To add the signature to Library, right-click it > Add selection to Library. Next time when you need to insert this signature, click the Library icon in the top right corner and choose it from the list.
How to sign PDF on Mac using camera
If you don’t like scribbling your signature on the screen, you can use the old method — put your signature on paper and then scan it with your camera.
To scan your physical signature:
- Open Preview > Markup > Create Signature
- Navigate to the Camera tab and hold your physical signature up to the camera, aligning it with the baseline
- When your signature is recognized, click Done.
As mentioned, you can repeat exactly the same process in Quick Look and Mail if you want to do it there. Your signature will be available to all these apps regardless. Once you create a digital signature in Preview (Quick Look, Mail, or Tayasui Sketches), signing documents is going to be a breeze.
Signing a PDF on iPhone and iPad
Now when you know how to sign documents on Mac, you can forget about the pen and paper method. It’s really not necessary to travel anywhere just to sign docs. And you know what’s even more convenient? Signing docs on the go! This is possible if you learn how to sign PDFs on iPhone and iPad.
Similarly to Preview on Mac, iOS has a built-in Markup feature that lets you sign PDFs in the Files or Mail app. Here’s how to use it:
- Open your PDF in Files or Mail
- Click the Markup icon that looks like a pencil
- Click the plus button in the right bottom corner > Signature
- Draw your signature and click Done.
The signature will be added to your PDF. You can move it around on the page or reuse it in the future — just open the Signature menu in a different doc and select if from there.
The ultimate PDF editing toolkit for Mac
While PDFpen lets you do nearly any modification you can imagine, there are a few other apps you might include in your toolkit to improve your daily PDF workflow. No worries, they are part of Setapp anyway, so you can try them all for free.
PDF Search is a unique AI-powered app that helps you find any bits of data within a given PDF. When your life revolves around dealing with files, Preview only takes you so far. Using PDF Search, you can find specific search-term matches in one or many PDFs, related terms, ranked results, and much more. Unlike the traditional Command+F, PDF Search puts the most relevant search results first, and can even recognize text in images, thanks to OCR support.
PDF Squeezer is a powerful tool for compressing PDF files instantly. Just drop a PDF into it and you’re done. You can also squeeze multiple PDFs at once (just use a folder of PDFs) without any visible changes in quality. PDF Squeezer even works with password-protected files, leaving all the sensitive information intact. This is super useful if you need to upload your PDF file on a website that has file size restrictions, or you’re just mindful of your storage space.
As you can see, you can learn how to electronically sign PDF on Mac and iPhone using the built-in tools within your Mac. However, there’s also a much larger PDF world tailored specifically at making your workflow as efficient as possible. You can modify any file with PDFpen, look up exact keywords with PDF Search, and reduce file size with PDF Squeezer.
Best of all, PDFpen, PDF Search, and PDF Squeezer are available to you absolutely free with a seven-day trial of Setapp, a platform with more than 220 useful Mac and iOS apps for any task at hand. Try them all today at no cost and see how much better your remote setup can be.
Someone may send you a PDF file via email and require you to sign it before sending it back. While you could always print the document, sign it in hardcopy, and then scan it, this is time-consuming and will use a lot of resources. A better alternative would be to electronically sign a PDF. In this article, you will learn how to esign a PDF with or without a PDF tool.
Is There Any Difference Between Digital and Electronic Signatures?
In thisarticle, we will focus on electronic signatures, not on digital signatures.Compared to the electronic signatures, the digital signature is entirelydifferent.
Digitalsignatures are cryptographically secure – they verify that someone who has yourprivate signing key (this should be you) has already seen the document andauthorized it. Being secure, digital signatures are more complicated.
Theelectronic signature is just an image of the signature that you overlay overthe PDF document. Adding an electronic signature to a PDF file is generallymuch easier – you can use a wide range of applications.
Electronically Sign a PDF Using Adobe Reader
While other third-partytools may offer you the ability to sign your documents, the tools will probablyforce you to invest in a paid version so that you can have the ability to signyour document. With adobe reader, you should be able to sign your PDF for free.Below, we have the steps you will need to follow:
Step 1: Open the file in theAdobe Acrobat Reader DC application.
Step 2: On the right pane, hitthe Fill & Sign option.
Step 3: On the toolbar, hitthe Sign button and then choose Add Signature.
Step 4: After creating the signature, hit the Applybutton. This will apply the signature to the document.
Note: To quickly add the signature to future documents, put acheckmark on Save Signature.
Step 5: Position the signature where you would want itto appear.
Step 6: To save the signed PDF file, hit the Fileoption on the top-left corner, select Save, and then choose a location on yourhard disk where you would like to save the document.
Note: You can use Adobe Reader on both Mac and Windows PC.
Insert a Signature Into a PDF on Mac
Mac users are basically luckier, compared to the Windows users – they can use the Preview feature to sign their PDF documents.
Tolearn how to esign a PDF on Mac using the Preview option, you will need tofollow the simple steps we have outlined below:
Step 1: On your Mac, launch your PDF file in the Preview.
Step 2: Hit the Show Markup Toolbar button – thisshould look like a toolbox.
Step 3: Next, hit the sign button on the toolbar thatappears.
Step 4: Your Mac will prompt you to either track yourfinger on the trackpad to create a signature or sign on a paper and then scanthe signature using the webcam. After capturing the signature, the Previewfeature will remember it in the future.
Step 5: Select the signature from the menu that showsafter you hit the Sign button. The signature will be applied as an image. Youcan drag it around and even resize it to fit the document ideally.
Step 6: After you are done with signing the PDF file,hit the File option and then select the Save option to save the signed document.Alternatively, to create a duplicate of the PDF document and save the changesinto a new file, you will need to select File > Duplicate. If you use theDuplicate option, the new copy will be modified, instead of the originalone.
How to Esign a PDF on iPad and iPhone?
Use the Mail Option
On your iPhone and iPad, you can easily sign your documents using the Markup feature available in the iOS mail application.
This feature is quite convenient. However, it will only work if your goal is to sign the documents in the Mail application. To give you an example, you could have been emailed the PDF document and you may want to sign it and then email it back immediately.
Toelectronically sign a PDF using the Mail application on iPad and iPhone, youwill need to follow the steps outlined below:
Step 1: Open the attached PDF on the mail, tap on the pen icon on the top right corner of the screen.
Step 2: Tap the signature button to add your signature.If you like, you can also draw on the document or type text.
Step 3: When you are done with adding the signature, hit the Done button.
Use the Adobe Fill & Sign Application
The Mail app is quite limiting – you can only use it with email documents. If you would like more flexibility when it comes to signing documents on your iPhone or iPad, you will need to use Adobe Fill & Sign application. The application is 100% free and you can get it on the App Store.
You cansign a document by drawing on your screen using a stylus or your finger. You canalso type into a PDF document to fill it. Below, we will show you the steps youwill need to follow to insert a signature into a PDF using the Adobe Fill &Sign application:
Step 1: To get a PDF file from a different app (say anAdobe Reader) into Adobe Fill & Sign, locate the file and then hit theShare button. From the dialogue that appears, select Adobe Fill & Signapplication.
Step 2: To sign the document, choose the signaturebutton.
Step 3: Once you are done, hit the Share button withinthe Adobe fill & Sign application to send the already signed document to adifferent application.
Note: Adobe Fill & Sign application is also available onGoogle Play Store. If you would like to sign documents on a device running onAndroid, you can download the app and install it on your Android phone ortablet. To sign a PDF on your Android device, you will need to follow stepssimilar to the ones we have outlined above.
How to Sign a PDF in Microsoft Edge
In theWindows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft Edge makes it possible for you tofill and sign PDF documents electronically. Below, we will show you how toesign a PDF using Microsoft Edge:
Step 1: Locate the PDF file you would like to sign onyour computer and right-click on it.
Step 2: Go to “Open with” on the menu that appears andthen select Microsoft Edge.
Note: If Microsoft Edge is your default PDF viewer, you will justneed to double-click the PDF file.
Step 3: If the file appears too small, you canuse the plus icon (+) available at the top to enlarge it.
Step 4: To sign the document, tap the pencil icon,available at the top right.
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Step 5: Tap on the ballpoint pen icon and then choosethe ideal font color and the size for the signature.
Step 6: Draw the signature in the signature field. Todo this, you will need to just right-click, hold, and then draw.
Note:
- If the drawing fails to work, you will need to tap the Touch Writing – this should be available on the top-right.
- If the signature is not as impressive as you would want, tap the eraser icon available on the top right. Next, tap on the signature to erase it.
Step 7: After you are done with the signature, you canright-click on the PDF file, select Save As, choose the location where youwould want to save the document and then hit the Save button.
Esign a PDF Using Nitro PDF Reader
Forthis method to offer ideal results, you may need to make a copy of the PDF fileyou would like to sign. After making a copy, follow the steps below to learnhow to electronically sign a PDF:
Step 1: Open the Nitro PDF Reader. If you haven’tinstalled the application, install it first.
Step 2: On the top left, hit the File option >Computer > Browse. Go to the location where you have stored the PDF documentcopy (copy of the document you intend to sign).
Step 3: After selecting the document, hit Open. Next tothe File option at the top of the page, hit the Home button.
Step 4: Select the QuickSign option on the toolbar. Onthe Create New Signature that appears, you will need to do the following:
- Handwritten – this allows you to type the signature.
- From File – This allows you to use an image featuring your signature.
- Draw – This will allow you to draw the signature.
Sign Pdf Free Mac Version
Step 5: After creating the signature Hit OK.
Step 6: Drag the signature to the signature field andthen hit Apply. Next, click OK.
Step 7: The moment you are finished with signing thedocument, hit File and then choose Save as to save the document on yourpreferred location.
Electronic Signature On Macbook Air
Summary
Sign Pdf Free Adobe
If you have to esign a PDF file, you can use the solutions outlined in this article. The majority of the solutions are 100% free. This means that printing the document, signing it manually, and then scanning it will be a waste of both resources and time.