Signing guides
Sign a PDF on a Mac or Windows PC without new software
If the only signature needed is yours, the software already on your computer may be enough. Preview on a Mac has a built-in signature tool; Microsoft Edge on Windows can add text and markings to a PDF. Neither one sends the document to another person to sign or produces a record of that.
DocAISign paid checkout is not currently enabled. Self-signing is free; check your available sends and the Pricing page before planning a request.
On a Mac: create a signature in Preview
Apple’s Preview guide describes opening the PDF, showing the Markup toolbar and choosing Sign. You can create the signature on the trackpad, by holding a signature on white paper up to the camera, or on a nearby iPhone or iPad. Drag the saved signature onto the page and resize it with its handles.
Apple notes that saved signatures are available on your other Macs when iCloud Drive is on. Form fields can be filled by clicking and typing, with a text box tool for PDFs that do not accept typing.
On Windows: what Edge documents
Microsoft’s page about the Edge PDF reader describes highlighting, marking up and adding text, then saving a copy of the PDF with those changes. It does not describe a dedicated signature tool, so a typed name in a text box or a hand-drawn mark is what you would place.
Save a copy rather than relying on the open tab, and open the saved file again to check the mark is really in it.
Check the saved file before sending it
- Open the saved copy in another viewer and read every page.
- Confirm the signature is on the intended page and not covering text.
- Keep the unsigned original separately in case you need to redo it.
- Name the signed copy clearly so the wrong version is not sent.
- If you will email it, read the attachment guidance first.
This signs your copy, it does not ask anyone else
Placing your own signature image is not a signing request. If another person must sign, emailing the file and waiting for them to do the same leaves you matching versions by hand, without a shared record of who opened and signed which file and when.
A request workflow sends a private link, collects the signature in the boxes you placed and returns the completed PDF to both sides. With DocAISign you can sign your own boxes first, then send to one recipient, and both of you receive the signed PDF and audit record.
Do the same in a browser
DocAISign works in any current browser on a Mac, Windows PC or phone. Upload the PDF, place signature and date boxes, draw or type your signature and download the signed PDF with an audit record. Signing your own document is free and needs no account.
Like Preview and Edge marks, these are electronic signatures, not certificate-based digital signatures, and they do not verify identity. If a recipient requires a certificate or a specific verification method, ask which one before signing.
- Sign a PDF in your browserNo upload, no account, no watermark. Adds a signature image to your own copy.