How to add your signature to a PDF
- Open the PDF above.
- Choose Signature and pick Photo, Draw or Type.
- For a photo, sign on plain white paper, take a well-lit picture from above, and add it. Use the "Keep fainter strokes" slider if parts of a light pen stroke disappear.
- Tap the signature line on the page, then drag, resize and rotate the signature until it sits on the line.
- Choose Download signed PDF.
Getting a clean signature from a photo
Your real signature is the one people recognise, so a photo of it is often the best choice. The tool evens out the lighting first (phone photos are usually darker on one side), then keeps only what is clearly ink and makes everything else transparent. Small specks and ruled lines are dropped.
- Sign on plain white paper with a black or dark blue pen. A felt tip or gel pen gives the strongest line.
- Hold the phone flat above the paper so the signature is not slanted.
- Avoid your own shadow over the paper. Daylight from a window works well.
- If a light stroke breaks up, move the "Keep fainter strokes" slider to the right.
You can recolour the cleaned signature black or blue, whatever the pen was.
Placing it neatly
A signature usually looks right when it is a little wider than the signature line's first half and sits slightly over the line, as a pen signature does. Drag the corner handle to size it; it keeps its proportions. If the page is scanned at a slight angle, drag the round handle above the signature to rotate it to match; it snaps to straight when you get close.
Signing a form that also needs to be filled in? Fill the PDF form in the same step.
Is a signature made here legally binding?
What this tool makes is a simple electronic signature: a picture of your signature placed on the page, the electronic version of signing a printout. It is not a certificate-based digital signature. There is no certificate, no cryptographic seal that shows whether the file was changed later, no identity check and no audit trail. Whether that is enough depends on the document, where you are, and what the person receiving it accepts.
United States
- The federal ESIGN Act says a signature or contract "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form" (15 U.S.C. §7001(a)). An electronic signature can be any "sound, symbol, or process" a person adopts with the intent to sign (§7006(5)).
- The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA §7) says the same at state level and has been adopted by 49 states and DC. New York has its own law with the same effect (State Technology Law §304).
- ESIGN does not cover wills and testamentary trusts, adoption, divorce and other family-law matters, court orders and filings, and certain notices such as foreclosure or eviction of a home, utility shut-off and insurance cancellation (§7003). Use ink, a notary or the court's own system for those.
- A simple signature proves little about who signed. If the other side may dispute it later, a signing service that verifies identity and keeps an audit trail is the safer choice.
India
- Under the Information Technology Act, 2000, an "electronic signature" means a technique listed in the Act's Second Schedule, such as Aadhaar-based eSign, or a digital signature made with a Digital Signature Certificate (sections 2(1)(ta), 3 and 3A). A pasted image of your handwritten signature is neither, so it does not carry the Act's legal recognition where a law requires a signature (section 5).
- The Act also says a contract is not unenforceable just because it was made electronically (section 10A). Whether a signed PDF is enough for everyday paperwork is up to whoever receives it. If a portal or official asks for a DSC or eSign, this tool is not that.
- The Act does not apply at all to wills, powers of attorney, trusts, contracts to sell immovable property, and negotiable instruments other than cheques (section 1(4) and the First Schedule).
This is general information, not legal advice. For anything high-stakes, ask a lawyer where you live.
After you sign
Uploading the signed copy to a portal with a size limit? Compress the PDF to a set KB, such as 200 KB or 1 MB, and check every page before you send it. Sending a signed document that also holds account numbers or an ID you don't want to share? Redact the PDF so those parts are removed, not just covered.
Questions people ask
How do I add a scanned or photographed signature to a PDF?
Choose Signature, then Photo, and add the picture of your signature. The paper, shadows and lines are removed automatically, leaving only the ink on a transparent background, which you then place on the page.
Why does my signature have a white box around it on other sites?
Because the photo still has its paper background. This tool turns the paper transparent, so the signature sits on the line without covering the text or lines underneath.
Can I add the same signature to several PDFs?
Yes. Tick "Remember on this device" when you make it, and it is offered every time you open the signature window in this browser. You can delete it there whenever you like.
Can I add a signature where there is no signature box?
Yes. Most PDFs have no signature field; you can place your signature anywhere on any page. If the PDF does have a signature field, tap "Sign here" and the signature is sized to fit it.
What size photo works best?
Any phone photo works. Sign with a dark pen, fill most of the frame with the signature, and take it in even light. The image is reduced to a sensible size before it goes into the PDF, so the file does not balloon.
Is the photo of my signature uploaded?
No. The photo is cleaned up in your browser and only the cleaned signature goes into your PDF, which is also saved on your device.