How to Add Signature to PDF File Free [Electronical/Digital] – 5 Ways
Electronically or digitally signing PDF files has become increasingly popular because it will save natural resources and fasten our working belts. However, how to add signature to PDF file for free, including electronic and digital types? After reading this post, you will solve this problem on Mac, Windows, and online with several methods. Just take action now and sign PDF document immediately. You will learn:
😎 1. Digital Signature vs. Electronic Signature
🤩 2. How to Add Electronic Signature to PDF for Free?
—–2.1 Via Writing/Signature Image with WorkinTool
—–2.2 Via Typing with PDFfiller Online
🧐 3. How to Add Digital Siganture to PDF File?
—–3.1 Adobe Acrobat on Mac
—–3.2 PDF Xchanger Editor on Windows
—————– Enjoy Your Reading —————–
How to Add Signature to PDF File Free [Electronical/Digital] – 5 Ways
In this digital office age, we will deal with many PDF files every day. And sometimes, we need to add text, comments, or signatures to the PDF documents. However, signing on a PDF page is troublesome because you need to print it out first. To save time, you can try to add an electronic or digital signature to PDF on Mac, Windows, and online, which is a trend in the age of rapid technological development.
Hence, this post will explain how to add signature to PDF file for free on Mac, Windows, and online. Whether you want to insert electronic or digital signatures into PDF documents, you can make it in this post. Are you ready to explore the signing methods? Let’s do it.
✨ Table of Content:
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You might also want to know how to remove signature from PDF >>
Words before Starting
📘 What Is Electronic Signature?
An electronic signature can also be called an e-signature with a personal handwriting style similar to a stamp. More importantly, electronic signatures have the same legal standing as handwritten ones. In other words, once you sign electronically on a PDF contract, it indicates that you have agreed with all contract terms.
📗 What Is Digital Signature?
Academically, the digital signature refers to a mathematical scheme used to verify whether the digital document and info are authentic or not. To put it in another easy-to-understand way, we say it is an encrypted, certified, and digital record verified by a digital certificate ID and used to confirm email, electronic PDF, bank statements, etc.
📒 Digital Signature vs. Electronic Signature
Before you insert signature in PDF file, you need to figure out the extract signature type you want to insert. No worries. The following will help you learn the difference between digital signature and electronic signature.
| 🎯 Different Aims: A digital signature is aimed at ensuring the document’s security and verifying there is no change or falsification on the digital documents. While the primary purpose of an electronic signature is to show the signer has known and agreed with the contract. |
| 🙋♀️ Different Using Cases: People tend to sign electronically in business contracts to show their agreement with the terms. As for digital signatures, people often use them to sign with certification authorities. |
| 💾 Created Method: Electronic signatures are created more effortlessly than digital signatures because we can generate e-signature by ourselves with Word and PDF editors. However, the digital signatures are created by Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), top-tier algorithms. In other words, you can only generate one by yourself if you get a digital certificate from PKI or registered providers, or self-sign programs. |
Part 1. How to Add Electronic Signature to PDF
There are several common ways to create and insert electronic signatures into PDFs. Let’s learn how to add signature to PDF together.
🚀 #1. Using WorkinTool PDF Converter on Windows/Online Free
If you want to create PDF signatures by writing, WorkinTool PDF Converter can make it easier and more customized. With WorkinTool, you can turn your mouse into your ink pen and PDF into your paper to create and insert an electronic signature in PDF with minimal effort. Moreover, you can change the signature color and store it for later use.
Besides adding electronic signatures, you can also upload and insert signature images into PDF in WorkinTool as well. After signing, you can edit, comment, compress, convert, merge, and do more with your signed PDF files in WorkinTool on Windows. Want to sign PDF online? Luckily, WorkinTool also has an online version for all users to sign PDF documents on any device.
| 📌 The Best Way to Add Electronic Signature to PDF with WorkinTool on Windows/Online | |
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⛳ Method 1. How to Add Signature to PDF by Writing
With several clicks, you can draw a signature with WorkinTool and move it to a suitable place.
- Step 1. After opening WorkinTool PDF Converter, head to View & Edit > PDF Edit to upload the PDF file you need to sign.
- Step 2. Tap the Sign in the tool tab. Then you can move your mouse to write a personal signature. Nest, click OK to continue.
- Step 3. Alter the signature color, filling color, and location as needed. Finally, click the export button to keep the signed PDF file.
⛳ Method 2. Upload and Insert Signature Image to PDF
Uploading a signature image is also an excellent method to insert signature in PDF. However, it isn’t suitable for the incompatible background color between the PDF and the uploaded image. Let’s check the how-to guide together.
- Step 1. Go to View & Edit > PDF Edit to select the target PDF file.
- Step 2. Click the Image button and choose the prepared signature image.
- Step 3. After adjusting the size and location, tap the Download button to save the PDF with the signature on your device.
🚀 #2. Insert Signature into PDF with PDFfiller Online Free
If you want to hold multiple methods to add a signature to PDF, PDFfiller is a good option. It is a web-based PDF e-sign creator providing all-in-one solutions to solve all your PDF signature problems. With PDFfiller, you can type, draw, upload, and capture signatures. Moreover, you can add signature block to PDF via QR code, text, and email. Sounds magic, right? More surprisingly, you can highlight, blackout, circle, and replace text in PDFfiller online. However, there is no perfect diamond. You can enjoy the free and fully-functioned PDFfiller for only a month.
⛳ Add Electronic Signature to PDF by Typing with PDFfiller
- Step 1. Touch Browse for a Document on Your Computer to select your PDF file. Or you can drag your file to PDFfiller directly.
- Step 2. Press the Sign button and then type your name in the blank box. And you can alter the style if you don’t like it. Then touch Save and Sign.
- Step 3. Move the created signature to the wanted place and change its size. At last, press the DONE button to preserve the signed PDF on your device.
Part 2. How to Add Digital Signature to PDF
🚀 #1. Add a PDF Digital Signature in Adobe on Mac
When you want to create and insert a digital signature in PDF, Adobe Acrobat might be the self-signer software that occurs in your mind at first. In Adobe, you can easily hold and add digital signatures to PDF with date and time. Moreover, you can change the appearance and put additional info, including name, reason, location, distinguished name, Adobe version, logo, and labels. Besides digital signatures, you can sign via typing/drawing or upload a signature image to PDF. However, you need to pay at least $19.99 monthly to enjoy the premium services after a free trial.
⛳ How to Add Digital Signature to PDF in Adobe
- Step 1. Add/Create a Digital ID.
- Open your Adobe Acrobat DC. Then click File > Preferences > Signatures. Next, right-click the More… option in the Identities & Trusted Certificates. Forthwith, click Digital IDs to create a new one with personal info.
| 🐰 Note: Digital ID is known as a digital identity certificate, used to verify the authenticity and digital signatures, containing your name, email, address, time, etc. Without a digital ID, you cannot create a digital signature. |
- Step 2. Change the Digital Signature’s Appearance.
- Under the Signature menu, click the More… option in Creation & Appearance. Next, click the Appearances > New… option to activate a window. And enter your title, upload your signature image, and configure the text. At last, click OK to finish.
- Step 3. Insert Digital Signature in PDF.
- Import a PDF in Adobe and click Tools > Certificates. Then select the Digitally Sign tool and tap the Sign button to confirm adding PDF digital signature in Adobe.
*Click here to know more detailed steps.
🚀 #2. Digitally Sign PDF with PDF Xchange Editor on Windows
If you want to sign PDF with digital signature certificate without Adobe, PDF Xchange Editor will facilitate your demands on Windows. As a legendary PDF Xchange View’s optimized version, it can fill in and insert a digital signature in PDF with several clicks. And the method is similar to what you do in Adobe. You need to create a digital ID at first, and then you can easily add a digital signature field to PDF with date and time. Besides digitally signing, you can fill in PDF files, add links/bookmarks, protect PDF files, insert highlight fields, etc.
⛳ How to Add Signature to PDF in PDF Xchange Editor
- Step 1. Create a Self-Signed Digital ID.
- Access your PDF file in PDF Xchange Editor software. Then tap Home > Sign Document > Create Certificate… to generate a new one if you don’t have it. Fill in the personal info and click OK to confirm. Then in select your completed certificate in Use Certificate from File or Use Certificate from System store.
- Step 2. Setup Signature’s Appearance.
- Fill in the Reason for Signing, Location, Contact Info, and Permission, and change the Sign Template as you like. Forthwith, click the OK button to confirm.
- Step 3. Keep the Signed PDF.
- Touch File > Save to preserve the signed PDF file on your PC.
FAQs – How to Add Signature to PDF
🕓 How do I add an electronic signature to a PDF?
It’s super simple to add an electronic signature to a PDF by WorkinTool PDF Converter. As long as you click WorkinTool’s PDF Edit feature, the Sign tool is available to create PDF signature and put it in a suitable location. Moreover, you can insert a signature photo with WorkinTool for free.
🕤 How do I add a signature to a PDF?
If you intend to sign your PDF files, you can make it through many methods. For instance, you can create and add a signature by typing, drawing, and uploading a signature image. You can select a suitable way for your preference to fill in and sign PDF documents.
🕐 How do I add a digital signature to a PDF?
Adding a digital signature is much more challenging than inserting an electronic signature because you need to create a digital ID at first. In fact, every digital signature is backed by a digital ID. In other words, you cannot digitally sign PDF without a digital ID. Then you can use PDF signers like Adobe Acrobat, PDF Xchange Editor, etc., to easily insert digital signature in PDF.
The Bottom Line
Electronically or digitally signing PDF files has become increasingly popular because it will save natural resources and fasten our working belts. However, how to add signature to PDF file for free, including electronic and digital types? After reading this post, you might have solved this problem on Mac, Windows, and online with several methods. Just take action now and sign PDF document immediately.
✨ More Features of WorkinTool
You can do more with your signed PDF files in WorkinTool:
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