How to add an eSignature in Google Docs

Three ways to sign a Google Doc

A free Gmail account does not include the built-in eSignature. The other two methods work for everyone. Pick the one that matches who has to sign.

Does Google Docs have an eSignature?

Yes, on some plans. Google lists Workspace Individual and several business, enterprise and education plans.

On business plans an administrator has to turn it on. The option appears under Tools as eSignature.

1. 1Open the doc in Google Docs.
2. 2Open Tools and choose eSignature.
3. 3Insert signature and date fields for each signer.
4. 4Send the request to the signers by email.
5. 5Each signer opens the link and signs the fields.
6. 6Google saves the signed copy as a PDF in Drive.

Check your plan before you count on it. Google can change which plans include the feature. The help page in the sources lists the current ones.

How to draw a signature in Google Docs

Any Google account can insert a drawing. Use it to put a handwritten signature in the doc. It works best on a computer.

1. 1Click where the signature should go.
2. 2Open Insert, choose Drawing and then New.
3. 3Pick the line tool and switch it to the scribble option.
4. 4Draw your signature with the mouse or the trackpad.
5. 5Click Save and close to place it in the doc.
6. 6Resize the drawing so it sits on the signature line.

A mouse makes a shaky line. A cleaner option is to draw it on a phone and insert the image.

Draw it in the free signature maker. Download the PNG and insert it with Insert and Image.

An image in a doc has no record of who placed it. Anyone with edit access can move it or copy it.

How to sign a Google Doc as a PDF for free

This route works with any account. It also fixes the layout so nothing moves after signing. It takes about two minutes.

1. 1In Google Docs, open File, choose Download and pick PDF.
2. 2Drop the PDF into the free signer at the top of this page.
3. 3Tap «Draw my signature» and sign with your finger, mouse or pen.
4. 4Tap the spot on the page where it goes.
5. 5Add the date and your initials with the buttons above the page.
6. 6Download the signed PDF. On a phone, use the brown bar at the bottom.

The box «Add signature certificate» comes checked. It adds a page with your name, the date and the SHA-256 fingerprint of the original.

Upload the signed PDF back to Drive if you keep files there. Share it like any other file.

How to sign a Google Doc on your phone

The Google Docs app opens and edits files. Signing works better in a browser.

1. 1Open the doc in the Docs app and save a PDF copy to your phone.
2. 2Open this page in Chrome or Safari.
3. 3Drop the PDF and draw your signature with your finger.
4. 4Tap the spot where it goes.
5. 5Tap the brown bar at the bottom that says «Download signed PDF».

The signed file lands in your downloads. Send it by WhatsApp or email from there.

Your signature stays saved in that phone browser. The next document takes less than a minute.

Built-in eSignature or a signed PDF

Teams on an eligible plan can use the built-in tool. For one signature today the free tool is faster.

Why the eSignature option is missing

Many people open the Tools menu and find no eSignature. There are a few usual reasons.

• Your account is a free Gmail account. The feature is not part of it.
• Your plan is not on the list. Google names the eligible plans in its help page.
• Your administrator has not turned it on. Business plans need the admin to enable it.
• The file is not a Google Doc. Convert it or download it as PDF first.

In any of these cases the PDF route still works. Download the doc and sign it at the top of this page.

How to sign a file stored in Google Drive

Drive holds PDFs, Word files and scans. Each one can be signed with the free tool.

1. 1Open Drive and find the file.
2. 2Download it to your computer or phone.
3. 3Convert Word or Docs files to PDF first.
4. 4Drop the PDF into the signer at the top of this page.
5. 5Draw your signature, place it and download the signed copy.
6. 6Upload the signed PDF back to the same Drive folder.

Name the signed copy with «-signed» at the end. The tool does that for you on download.

Common uses of signing a Google Doc

• Freelance proposals. Write the scope in Docs and sign the PDF before you send it.
• Offer letters. HR drafts the letter and the candidate signs from a phone.
• Club and school forms. Parents sign a permission slip without a printer.
• Small agreements. Two neighbors sign a fence or parking agreement.

For each one keep the original PDF and the signed copy together. That pair is your record.

Your file never leaves your device

The free tool signs the PDF inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

Your drawn signature stays on this device for next time. Erase it with «Forget my data on this device».

Is a Google Docs eSignature legally valid?

Yes, for most contracts. The ESIGN Act says a contract cannot lose effect only because it was signed electronically.

What matters in a dispute is the record. A signed PDF with a fingerprint of the original is a strong one.

Some records still need ink or a notary. The guide to wet signatures lists them.

Tips before you sign a Google Doc

• Resolve comments and suggestions. Open suggestions can end up in the PDF.
• Check the page breaks. Print preview shows where each page ends.
• Lock the final version. Name it in the version history before you download.
• Keep the original PDF. The fingerprint check needs it next to the signed copy.
• Share as view only. Give the other party a link they cannot edit.

Five minutes of review saves a second round of signatures. Do it before anyone signs.

When someone else has to sign

Send the PDF from a free SignSolú account. The other person gets a link by WhatsApp or email. They open it on their phone and tap the brown bar that says «Sign as …». You get the signed PDF back with a certificate that SignSolú timestamps. Your first ten documents are free.

Signing Google Sheets and Slides

Google Sheets and Slides do not offer the eSignature option. Download them as PDF from the File menu.

Then sign the PDF with the free tool at the top of this page. The signature and the certificate page go on the PDF copy.

Keep the Google file as your editable source. Share the signed PDF as the final version.

Sources

• Send signature requests and sign documents with eSignature on support.google.com
• 15 U.S.C. 7001, general rule of validity on govinfo.gov