How to sign a PDF for free

How to sign a PDF online for free in PDFZyro

1. 1Create a free PDFZyro account, open Sign on the Home page and choose your PDF from your documents, or upload it.
2. 2The Signature tool is already selected: click where you want to sign, or press Enter.
3. 3The first time, create your signature: type your name and pick a handwriting style, draw it with a mouse, finger or pen, or upload a picture of it, and choose the ink colour. It's saved to your account, so next time it's one click.
4. 4Drag the signature onto the line and resize it if needed. Add Initials and the Date wherever the document asks for them, and fill in any blanks with the Text tool.
5. 5Click Finish. Read and tick the consent to sign electronically, then click Sign and download.
6. 6PDFZyro seals the signed PDF with a digital certificate, so any later change to it can be detected. The signed copy is saved as a new version and downloaded.

Is it really free?

Signing your own documents in PDFZyro isn't counted towards the Free plan's daily tasks, so you can sign as many as you need, with files up to the Free plan's size limit. Nothing is added to the document, not even a watermark.

Sending a document for other people to sign uses a signature request. The Free plan includes a few signature requests each month, and paid plans include more.

Other free ways to sign a PDF

These are fine for a quick signature on a permission slip or a delivery note. They usually don't seal the document or keep a record of who signed and when, which matters more for contracts and agreements.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader: the free Reader has a Fill & Sign tool that lets you type or draw your signature, or add a picture of it.
• Preview on a Mac: open the PDF, show the Markup toolbar, click Sign and create a signature with the trackpad, the camera or an iPhone, then place it on the page.
• iPhone and iPad: the Markup tool in apps such as Files and Mail can add a signature to a PDF.
• Print, sign and scan: always works, but it's slow, and the scan is harder to read and can't be searched.

How to get someone else to sign a PDF

1. 1Click Request signatures on the Home page, pick the document and click Continue.
2. 2Add the people who need to sign, approve or receive a copy, and choose the order they sign in.
3. 3Place the signature, initials, date and other fields for each person.
4. 4Click Send. Each person gets an email link and signs in their browser, without creating a PDFZyro account.
5. 5Follow progress in Agreements. When everyone has signed, the sealed PDF and a certificate of completion are added to your library.

Are electronic signatures legally binding?

In many countries, yes, for most everyday documents. In the United States, the ESIGN Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) give electronic signatures the same legal effect as handwritten ones when the people involved agree to do business electronically. In the European Union, the eIDAS Regulation says an electronic signature can't be rejected as evidence just because it is electronic, and gives the strongest kind, a qualified electronic signature, the same effect as a handwritten one.

Some documents have special rules, such as wills and certain court, family or property documents. If you're not sure an electronic signature is accepted for yours, ask whoever asked you to sign, or a lawyer. This guide is general information, not legal advice. What usually helps an electronic signature hold up:

• Consent: the signer agrees to sign electronically. PDFZyro asks for this before every signature.
• Knowing who signed: signature requests go to each signer's own email address, and you can add an access code for extra security.
• A record: an audit trail of who opened and signed the document, and when.
• A sealed file: a digital seal shows whether the PDF was changed after it was signed.

Tips for signing PDFs

• Read the whole document before you sign, including the small print and any attachments.
• Sign the final version. If anything changes after you've signed, sign the new version again.
• Keep the signed copy. In PDFZyro it stays in your library, with the unsigned version in the version history.
• Don't email a picture of your signature around. A signature saved in your PDFZyro account can only be used by you.
• Need a certificate-based signature in your own name? Use Sign with a Digital ID from the more actions menu in Fill & Sign.