Sign PDF Online — Free, In Your Browser, No Upload
Draw your signature with a mouse, trackpad or finger, or type your name in a handwriting face. Drop it anywhere on any page, drag it to size, add a date if the form wants one, and download a PDF with the signature flattened into the page. The document never leaves your browser, which is exactly what you want for a contract, an NDA or a tax form.
Private by design. Your PDF, your signature and every placement stay inside this browser tab — nothing is uploaded, and the handwriting styles are fonts already installed on your device rather than web fonts fetched from a server.
How to sign a PDF online for free
- Add the PDF. Drop the file onto the page or click to browse. It is read locally by pdf-lib — the page count and the size of every page appear straight away, and password-protected files are flagged instead of failing silently.
- Make your signature. Draw it in the pad with a mouse, trackpad or finger, or switch to Type and pick a handwriting style — the styles use fonts already on your device, so how many look distinct depends on your system. Choose black, blue or navy ink and click Save signature — it is cropped to the ink with a transparent background.
- Place it on the page. Click Place on page, then drag the signature where it belongs and pull a corner to size it. Arrow keys nudge it a pixel at a time. Add it to as many pages as the document needs, and add a date stamp from the same panel.
- Check and download. The right-hand pane shows the real signed document as your browser renders it. When it looks right, click Download signed PDF.
Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is parsed, edited and saved by pdf-lib running inside your browser tab, and the preview is a blob URL rendered by your own PDF viewer. Open the network panel while you sign a contract and you will see no file traffic at all — the only requests the page makes are its own assets and the site's analytics tag, neither of which carries a byte of your document. That is the whole point for anything confidential.
Is a signature I draw here legally binding?
In most of the world a drawn or typed mark counts as a simple electronic signature, and the table below sets out the main regimes. What matters legally is intent to sign, agreement to transact electronically, and a record showing what was signed. High-value or regulated documents — wills, some property transfers, anything needing a notary — often require more. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between this and a digital signature?
This tool creates an electronic signature: an image of your mark flattened into the page. A digital signature is a cryptographic certificate bound to the file that proves who signed it and detects any later edit. If a counterparty asks for a certificate-based signature, you need a certificate authority, not a drawing tool.
Can someone lift my signature out of the PDF?
The signature is drawn into the page as an image, so it cannot be selected or dragged out as an object in a normal reader. Anyone can still screenshot or crop it, which is true of every signed document ever emailed — treat a signed PDF the way you would treat a signed sheet of paper.
Why is my page shown as a blank white sheet?
Placement happens on a to-scale outline of the page rather than a rendered image of it, which keeps the coordinates exact and avoids shipping a heavyweight PDF renderer to your browser. The preview pane beside it shows the actual signed document, so you always see the real result before downloading.
My PDF is password-protected — what do I do?
Encrypted PDFs cannot be read without the password, and this tool deliberately does not try to bypass encryption. Open the file in your PDF reader, save an unprotected copy, and sign that copy here.
Is an electronic signature legally binding?
A drawn or typed mark is a "simple" electronic signature. Most major jurisdictions give it the same legal effect as ink for ordinary contracts, with named exceptions. General information only, not legal advice.
| Where | Law | What a drawn signature counts as |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ESIGN Act (federal, 2000) and UETA (adopted by 49 states; New York uses its own ESRA) | Valid for most contracts where there is intent to sign, consent to transact electronically, and a retainable record |
| European Union | eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014 | A simple electronic signature; Article 25 says it cannot be denied legal effect merely for being electronic, but only a qualified signature is automatically equivalent to handwritten |
| United Kingdom | Electronic Communications Act 2000 s.7, plus the Law Commission's 2019 report | Valid for the great majority of contracts, including deeds where the witnessing requirements are met |
| Canada | PIPEDA Part 2 and the provincial electronic commerce acts | Valid for most commercial documents; some federal filings require a "secure electronic signature" |
| Australia | Electronic Transactions Act 1999 and state equivalents | Valid where the method identifies the signer and is reliable for the purpose |
| Common exceptions | Varies by jurisdiction | Wills and codicils, some family-law documents, certain property transfers, and anything requiring a notary or wet-ink witness |
- Keep the evidence, not just the signature. Courts care about the trail around a signed file — the email that transmitted it, timestamps, who had access — more than about how pretty the mark is. Save the signed PDF and the covering email together.
- If the other side asks specifically for a "digital signature", they usually mean a certificate-based one (Adobe Approved Trust List, a qualified provider under eIDAS, or a corporate PKI). No browser tool can issue that, because it needs a certificate authority to vouch for your identity.
- A typed name in a handwriting font carries the same legal weight as a drawn one in every regime above. The scrawl has no special status; the intent does.