Draw, type or upload a signature and place it exactly where you click on the page. Nothing is uploaded — reading and writing both happen in your browser.
Sign PDF
LocalVisible signature or digital certificate — know the difference
Both get called "signing a PDF," and the real difference is what each one proves, not whether either is "legally valid":
| Visible signature (this tool) | Certificate-based digital signature | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A picture of a signature, drawn onto the page | A cryptographic signature tied to a digital certificate |
| Proves on its own | An image was placed here — nothing about who did it or whether the file changed afterward | Can provide cryptographic evidence about the signing certificate and detect later document changes; how strongly that ties to a specific person's identity depends on how the certificate and signing workflow were issued |
| Legal effect | Not denied legal effect merely for being electronic or uncertified — but the evidence behind it is weaker if disputed. Depends on jurisdiction, the transaction, and the parties' intent and consent | A Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) is a specific regulated category under eIDAS and gets the handwritten-signature equivalence in Article 25(2); not every certificate-based signature meets that bar |
| Good for | Internal forms, informal agreements, personal documents, anything where the parties are not likely to dispute who signed | Contracts and filings where verified identity, tamper evidence, or a formal audit trail matter |
| Where to get it | Here | A dedicated e-signature service such as DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Sign |
Under the U.S. ESIGN Act and most state UETA statutes, a signature is not denied legal effect solely because it is electronic. Under the EU's eIDAS regulation, Article 25(1) says the same for electronic signatures generally — a basic one is not automatically invalid. A Qualified Electronic Signature specifically (Article 25(2)) carries a statutory guarantee of equivalence to a handwritten signature that a plain certificate-based signature does not automatically have, and that a visible mark like this one does not carry at all — which matters most if the signature itself is ever disputed.
Draw, type, or upload — which to use
| Method | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Draw | Closest to an actual signature — use a trackpad, mouse or touchscreen. Slower to get right than typing, most natural once it is |
| Type | Fastest option, styled in a cursive font. Reads as a signature at a glance without needing to draw one |
| Upload | For a signature already scanned or photographed — a phone photo of an ink signature on white paper works, though a transparent PNG places more cleanly |
Common mistakes
Frequently asked questions
Is my file uploaded?
No. It is read and the signed copy is written entirely in your browser, including the signature itself if you draw or type it — the network panel in developer tools shows no request carrying your document or your signature. The only network requests are for the PDF libraries and, if you use the Type tab, a cursive font, and none of those carry anything of yours.
Is this legally binding?
It can be, but this tool does not decide that for you. It places a visible image of a signature onto the page, not a certificate-based cryptographic signature with identity verification or a tamper-evident audit trail. Under laws like the U.S. ESIGN Act and the EU's eIDAS regulation, an electronic signature is not automatically denied legal effect just for being electronic or uncertified — but if it is ever disputed, a certificate-based signature carries much stronger built-in evidence of who signed and that the file was not altered afterward. For anything where that evidence might matter, use a dedicated e-signature service instead.
Can I remove or move the signature after downloading?
Not from within this tool. The signature is drawn into the PDF page content, not created as a separate interactive signature field or a certificate-based signature object — the same way any text or image on the page is stored. Keep the original unsigned file, and place the signature again from it if you need a different position; a professional PDF editor could in principle edit the page content directly, but that is a different tool and a different job than this one.
Draw, type or upload — which should I pick?
Draw for something closest to an actual signature, using a mouse, trackpad or touchscreen. Type for speed, styled in a cursive font. Upload if you already have a scanned or photographed signature, ideally as a transparent PNG so only the mark itself appears on the page.
Can I place more than one signature, or sign more than one page?
One placement per download currently. For a second signature or a second page, download the signed file and run it back through the tool again — each pass adds one more mark onto whatever file you give it.
Why does my drawn signature look thin or faint?
The drawing canvas uses a fixed line weight that reads clearly at typical signature sizes. If it looks too thin once placed, try drawing larger within the pad and using the width slider to scale it down slightly rather than drawing small and scaling up, which makes the line thinner still.
Is there a page limit?
No cap is imposed by this tool. Nothing runs on a server, so there is nothing to ration; a very large document is limited only by your own device's memory, not a rule this tool enforces.
Can I sign a password-protected PDF?
Not while it is protected — remove the password in a PDF reader first. The output here is not encrypted, so protect it again afterwards if needed.
Related tools
See the full list of Document Tools, or try:
- Add Watermark to PDF — the same click-to-place approach, for a stamp instead of a signature
- Add Page Numbers to PDF — number a document before or after signing it
- Merge PDF — combine a signature page into a larger document
- Crop PDF — trim margins before placing a signature near an edge
- Compress PDF — shrink the signed file if it needs to be smaller