Sign a PDF online, free.
Upload a PDF, create your signature by drawing, typing, or uploading an image, drag it into place, and download the signed copy. No Acrobat, no account, no watermark - and the file never leaves your browser.
Updated July 28, 2026
How to sign a PDF online
Open the PDF
Choose the document and it renders right in your browser, page by page. No upload happens at any point.
Create and place your signature
Draw, type, or upload your signature, then drag it onto the page and resize it. Add text or today's date if you need to.
Download the signed PDF
Click Finish and save your signed document with the original quality intact.
Is a signature added this way legally valid?
In the United States, the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001) says a signature "may not be denied legal effect... solely because it is in electronic form." The UETA, adopted by 49 states, says the same at state level. What the law actually tests is intent: you meant to sign, and the mark is attached to the document. A signature you draw or type here and place on your PDF clears that bar for contracts, forms, waivers, and most everyday agreements.
The exceptions are narrow but real: wills in most states, certain family-law and court filings, and anything a statute requires to be notarized. For those, an image on a page is not enough no matter which tool made it. Our plain-English breakdown of both laws covers the four validity requirements and the carve-outs.
Image signature vs sealed signature
This free tool stamps your signature into the PDF as an image. That is exactly what most people need to return a form or accept an everyday agreement - fast, private, done.
What it does not add is proof. Anyone with a PDF editor could change a number in the document afterwards and the file would look untouched. A sealed signature closes that gap: when a document is signed through Document eSign, it gets a SHA-256 hash and an embedded PAdES signature - open it in Adobe Acrobat and the signature panel verifies nothing changed since signing. Alongside the file you get an audit certificate listing each signer's email, IP address, device, and timestamp.
Our rule of thumb: this page for forms and one-off paperwork, the sealed version for anything you may need to rely on in a dispute. The free plan covers 30 sealed documents a month, so the choice isn't about money.
Need the other party to sign too?
Send the document with Document eSign instead: signers get a link, every signature is cryptographically sealed, and you get a full audit certificate. Free plan - 30 documents a month.
Sign PDF, answered.
Is signing a PDF here really free?
It is. No account to make, no watermark stamped on your document, no page limit. The tool earns its keep by introducing people to Document eSign, our e-signature platform - using it commits you to nothing.
Does my PDF get uploaded to a server?
No, and you can verify this: open your browser's network tab while signing and you'll see no request carrying your file. The document renders, gets signed, and exports without leaving your machine.
Is a signature added this way legally valid?
For most everyday agreements, yes - the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001) makes an electronic mark applied with intent to sign as valid as ink. Wills, notarized documents, and some court filings are the exceptions. The legality section above has the details.
Can I sign without Adobe Acrobat?
That's the point of this page. The browser does all of it - no Acrobat, no Preview, no install of any kind.
Can I add text and dates as well as a signature?
Yes. Text boxes handle names, titles, and notes; the date stamp drops in today's date. Both drag and resize the same way the signature does.
Can I sign on my phone?
It works well - drawing with a finger usually beats a mouse for a natural line. The placed signature scales with the page, so what you see on the phone is what prints.
How is this different from sending a document for signature?
This page is for signing something yourself. The moment a second person needs to sign - a client, a landlord, a new hire - you want Document eSign: the other party gets a signing link and the finished file carries a seal and an audit certificate.
The PDF has a password - can I sign it?
Encrypted files can't be opened by the tool. Remove the password in the source application first; the tool will tell you clearly if that's what's blocking it.
Keep your PDFs moving.
When a download isn't enough, send it for signature.
Document eSign adds what a stamped image can't: a signing link for the other party, a PAdES seal, and a complete audit certificate recording who signed, when, and from where.