How to sign a PDF on a Mac

Ways to sign a PDF on a Mac

Preview comes with every Mac. The browser tool works on any Mac and adds proof of the file.

How to sign a PDF in Preview

1. 1Open the PDF in the Preview app.
2. 2Show the Markup toolbar if it is hidden.
3. 3Click the Sign button in the toolbar.
4. 4Create a signature with the trackpad, the camera or your iPhone.
5. 5Click your saved signature to add it to the page.
6. 6Drag it into place and resize it with its corners.
7. 7Save the file from the File menu.

Preview keeps your signature for the next document. You can store more than one, such as full signature and initials.

Create the signature with the trackpad

Click Trackpad and follow the prompt. Sign with your finger on the trackpad, press any key and click Done.

On a Force Touch trackpad you can press harder for a darker line. Click Clear to start again.

Create the signature with the camera

Click Camera and sign a sheet of white paper. Hold it level with the blue line on screen.

When the signature appears in the window, click Done. Good light gives a cleaner line.

Create the signature with your iPhone or iPad

Click Select Device and pick a nearby iPhone or iPad. Sign on its screen and tap Done.

This needs both devices to meet Apple Continuity requirements. Apple lists them on its support site.

How to sign a PDF on a Mac in the browser

The free tool at the top of this page runs in Safari, Chrome or Firefox. Nothing gets installed.

1. 1Drag the PDF from Finder into the box at the top of this page.
2. 2Click «Draw my signature» and sign with the trackpad or the mouse.
3. 3Click the spot on the page where it goes.
4. 4Drag it to move it and pull the corner to resize it.
5. 5Add the date and initials with the buttons above the page.
6. 6Click «Download signed PDF».

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

The signed file lands in Downloads with «-signed» at the end of its name.

Preview or the browser tool

Use Preview for a quick signature on your own copy. Use the browser tool when the other party may check the file later.

How to fill in a PDF form on a Mac

Many PDFs come with blank fields. Preview lets you click a field and type in it.

If a PDF does not let you type, add a text box from the Markup toolbar. Place it over the blank.

The free fill PDF form tool does the same in a browser. It adds text, dates and initials where you click.

Common problems when signing on a Mac

• The Markup toolbar does not show. Click the Markup button in the Preview toolbar.
• The signature looks shaky. Sign slowly or use the camera with a pen on paper.
• The PDF is locked. Some files block edits. Ask the sender for an unlocked copy.
• The other party cannot see it. Check the file in another reader before you send it.

When a PDF fights Preview, try the browser tool. It rebuilds the file with your signature on the page.

How to add the date and initials on a Mac

Contracts often ask for a date next to the signature. Some ask for initials on every page.

• In Preview. Click a form field and type, or add a text box from the Markup toolbar.
• For initials in Preview. Create a second signature with only your initials and reuse it.
• In the browser tool. Click «Date» or «Initials» above the page, then click where each goes.

The browser tool takes the date from your Mac. Correct it before you download if it should be another day.

Before you send a PDF signed on a Mac

1. 1Open the signed file again and scroll every page.
2. 2Check that the signature sits on the right line.
3. 3Make sure the date and initials are where the contract asks.
4. 4Keep the original PDF next to the signed copy.
5. 5Send the signed copy by email, WhatsApp or AirDrop.

A second look takes a minute. It saves a new round of signatures when something is missing.

Signing PDFs on a Mac at work

Office teams sign the same kinds of PDFs every week. Offer letters, vendor forms and NDAs are common.

A saved signature in the browser makes each one a one-minute task. The certificate page gives the team a record of each file.

When a client or employee must sign, send it from an account. SignSolú collects the signatures and stores the final PDF.

Sign with the trackpad, the camera or an iPhone

Preview offers three ways to capture a signature. Each one ends in the same saved signature.

• Trackpad. Sign with one finger on the trackpad and press any key when done.
• Camera. Sign on white paper and hold it up to the camera until it captures the line.
• iPhone or iPad. Sign on the screen of a nearby device signed in with the same Apple Account.

The browser tool takes the trackpad, the mouse or a drawing tablet. It saves the signature in the browser for next time.

Keep the original next to the signed copy

Preview saves over the file you opened. Duplicate it first with File, Duplicate, and sign the copy.

The browser tool downloads a new file with «-signed» at the end. The original stays untouched in its folder.

Your file never leaves your Mac

The browser tool signs the PDF inside Safari or Chrome. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

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

Is a PDF signed on a Mac legally valid?

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

A signature image alone is weak proof. The certificate page adds a fingerprint anyone can check with the verification tool.

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

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 many PDFs on a Mac

Preview keeps up to several saved signatures. Pick the right one from the Sign menu each time.

The browser tool remembers your last drawn signature. Open the next PDF and place it with one tap.

For a batch of contracts that others must sign, send them from an account and track who signed.

Sources

• Fill out and sign PDF forms in Preview on Mac on support.apple.com
• 15 U.S.C. 7001, general rule of validity on govinfo.gov