How to sign a PDF without Adobe

By the Docmend team · Updated 16 October 2026 · 5 min read

On a computer

In Google Chrome’s built-in PDF viewer

Chrome opens PDFs on its own, and Google’s help page says its viewer can “fill out and sign paperwork”.

1. Open the PDF in Chrome. If you don’t see the editing tools, open the PDF in a new tab.
2. Select Draw, then pick Pen in the right panel and choose a size and colour.
3. Draw your signature with the mouse or touchpad. Zoom in on the signature line first; it makes a steadier signature.
4. To type your name or the date next to it, select Add text and click where it should go.
5. Select Done, then download the PDF to keep the signed copy.

In Microsoft Edge

Edge has a built-in PDF reader on Windows and macOS. Microsoft lists inking, highlighting and basic form filling among its features. Open the PDF in Edge, use the inking (Draw) tool in the PDF toolbar to sign on the line, fill any form fields, and save the file.

On a Mac with Preview

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. Show the Markup toolbar if it’s hidden, then click the Sign button.
3. Create a signature: sign on the trackpad with your finger, hold a signature written on white paper up to the Mac’s camera, or draw it on your iPhone or iPad.
4. Click the signature to place it, then drag and resize it on the line.

Preview saves the signature, so next time it is one click.

If you already have Adobe Acrobat Reader

The point of this guide is that you don’t need it. But if Acrobat Reader is already installed, its signing tool (Fill & Sign, shown as E-Sign in newer versions) lets you drag a signature or initials onto a form.

On a phone

iPhone

1. Open the PDF. If you’re asked, open it in the Files app and tap Save.
2. Tap the Markup button, then the add button, and choose Add Signature.
3. Sign your name with your finger and tap Done.
4. Drag the signature to where it should appear, resize it, then share or save the signed PDF.

Android

Open the PDF in the Google Drive app and tap the annotate button in the bottom-right corner. Pick the pen and draw your signature with your finger or a stylus. When you save, you can overwrite the original or save a new copy with a new name, which leaves the original unmarked.

In any browser with Docmend’s Edit PDF tool

If you’d rather not learn a different app on each device, Docmend’s Edit PDF tool works in your browser. It adds text, highlights, boxes, drawings, pictures and your signature to any page, covers mistakes with white-out, and fills in PDF forms.

1. Open Edit PDF and choose the PDF.
2. Pick a tool from the toolbar and click on the page. Fill in form fields in the panel if the PDF has them.
3. Click Save edited PDF.

The tool runs in your browser, and the page states that files stay on your computer. The same tools are in the Docmend Chrome extension, alongside the other PDF tools. If you also want to merge or password-protect the signed file, see how to merge, compress or protect a PDF without uploading it.

Typed, drawn or image signature: what’s the difference?

In practice, there are three ways to put a signature on a PDF:

• Drawn: you sign with a finger, stylus, mouse or trackpad. Chrome, Edge, Preview, iPhone Markup and the Drive app all do this.
• Typed: you type your name, sometimes in a script font. In Chrome you can add it with Add text.
• Image: you sign on paper, photograph or scan it, and place the picture. Preview can capture it with the camera, and Docmend’s Edit PDF can add pictures to a page. No paper signature yet? Docmend’s Signature maker makes one as a PNG from a drawn or typed signature.

Whichever you choose, add your printed name and the date beside it so the reader knows who signed and when. Whether a signature is accepted for a particular document is a legal question, not a technical one. Our answer on whether an electronic signature on a PDF is legally valid explains the levels of signature.

Need someone else to sign?

Signing your own copy is one job; getting a client to sign is another. Our guide on how to get someone to sign a document online for free covers three ways, from emailing a PDF to sending a signing link they open with no account. Starting from a Google Doc? See how to get a Google Doc signed by a client.

See also: how to sign a Word document electronically, if the file is a .docx rather than a PDF.

Don’t have a signature you like yet? See how to make a signature from your name.

Which tool should you use?

Docmend’s signing links provide simple electronic signatures (drawn or typed signature, name, date, signing certificate). For contracts that need a certified or qualified e-signature, use a dedicated signing service.

Sources

• Google Chrome Help: Manage PDFs in Chrome, checked 2026-10-15
• Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Edge PDF reader, checked 2026-10-15
• Apple Support: Fill out and sign PDF forms in Preview on Mac, checked 2026-10-15
• Apple Support: Fill out forms, sign documents, and create signatures on iPhone, checked 2026-10-15
• Google Drive Help: Annotate PDFs with a stylus or freehand on Android, checked 2026-10-15
• Adobe Acrobat Help: Fill and sign forms, checked 2026-10-15
• Docmend: Edit, fill and sign a PDF

Related guides

• How to get someone to sign a document online for freeThree ways to get a PDF, Word file or Google Doc signed by someone else.
• How to merge, compress or protect a PDF without uploading itPDF tasks that stay on your computer, and how to check a tool.
• Can a client sign a PDF without creating an account?Yes. They open a Docmend signing link, draw or type a signature, and finish. No account.
• Is an electronic signature on a PDF legally valid?What a simple electronic signature includes, and when to use a dedicated service.