How to sign a Word document electronically

By the Docmend team · Updated 19 October 2026 · 5 min read

Below are the three ways Microsoft documents for signing in Word itself, what works on a phone, and the route to take when the signature you need isn’t yours.

Way 1: Insert a picture of your signature

This is the method Microsoft describes for a handwritten signature you can reuse.

1. Write your signature on a piece of paper.
2. Scan it and save it as a common image file (.bmp, .jpg or .png). A clear phone photo on a plain white background is a common substitute when you don’t have a scanner.
3. In Word, choose Insert → Pictures and pick the image.
4. Select the picture and, on the Picture Format tab, choose Crop to trim the edges.
5. Right-click it and choose Save as Picture to keep a copy for other documents.

No scanner or paper to hand? Docmend’s Signature maker lets you draw or type your signature and download it as a PNG to insert the same way.

Photo has a white box around the signature? See how to make a signature transparent.

Want your title, phone number or email under the signature every time? Type it under the picture, select both, and save them as an AutoText entry with Insert → Quick Parts → Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. Next time, insert it from Insert → Quick Parts → AutoText.

Way 2: Draw your signature

Word’s Draw tab lets you write with your finger, a digital pen or a mouse.

1. On a touch-screen device the Draw tab is on by default. If you don’t see it, go to File → Options → Customize Ribbon and tick Draw.
2. Make sure you’re in View → Print Layout. Word needs Print Layout to draw with ink, so if the Draw tab is greyed out, switch to it.
3. On the Draw tab, pick a pen, choose a thickness and colour, and sign on the line.

A mouse signature tends to look shaky. A touchpad, touch screen or stylus gives a more natural result.

Way 3: Add a signature line (and what a “digital signature” means in Word)

A signature line shows an X where someone should sign. In Word on a Windows PC:

1. Click where you want the line, then choose Insert → Signature Line → Microsoft Office Signature Line.
2. In Signature Setup, type the suggested signer’s name and title, then click OK.
3. To sign, right-click the signature line and choose Sign. You can type your name next to the X, or sign by hand on a touch screen.

Signing a signature line adds two things: a visible signature and a digital signature that authenticates the signer’s identity. To create a digital signature you need a signing certificate, which proves identity and is issued by a certification authority. Microsoft notes that a digitally signed document becomes read-only to prevent changes, so sign last, once the content is final.

On a phone or iPad

Microsoft says you can’t add a digital signature line to a Word file on a mobile device without installing an add-in. Its suggested workarounds in Word for iPhone, iPad and Android:

• Underline key: hold down the underscore key until the line is long enough.
• Single-cell table: insert a table, delete everything but the first cell, and pick a table style with only a line under the header row.
• Signature image: insert a picture of your actual signature.

Signing without Word

No Word on this computer, or the file arrived as an attachment you just need to sign and return? Ask the sender for a PDF, then sign it in Chrome, Edge, Preview or on your phone. Our guide on how to sign a PDF without Adobe covers each.

Getting someone else to sign a Word file

The free route: save as PDF and email it

In Word, choose File → Save As (or Save a Copy) and pick PDF; without Word, Docmend’s Word to PDF converter turns a .docx or .doc file into a PDF. A PDF keeps the layout and the signature line where you put them. Email it and ask the other person to sign it in a PDF reader they already have and send it back. It costs nothing, but you have no record of when it was opened or signed. More options are in how to get someone to sign a document online for free.

With a signing link (Docmend)

Docmend’s signature requests work with PDFs and Google Docs, so save the Word file as a PDF first, as above. Then:

1. Open the PDF in the Docmend side panel and choose to send it for signature.
2. Tap where the signer should sign, and add name and date boxes.
3. Enter their email, or copy the signing link and send it yourself.
4. They open the link, draw or type a signature, and click Finish, with no account. See signing a PDF without an account.
5. The signed PDF, with a signing certificate as the last page, is emailed to you both. See how both sides get the signed PDF.

Docmend has a free plan, and Pro at $4 a month or $36 a year.

Want comments before the signature?

If the document still needs a review, send the .docx as a Docmend review link first. The reviewer opens it in any browser and leaves notes without Microsoft Word or an account; see commenting on a Word file without Word. Once it’s agreed, save the final version as a PDF and send it for signature.

Which way fits?

Whether a particular signature is accepted for a document depends on the document and the jurisdiction; see whether an electronic signature on a PDF is legally valid.

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

• Microsoft Support: Insert a signature in a Word document, checked 2026-10-16
• Microsoft Support: Draw and write with ink in Office, checked 2026-10-16
• Microsoft Support: Add or remove a digital signature for Microsoft 365 files, checked 2026-10-16
• Microsoft Support: Add a signature line to a Word document on a mobile device, checked 2026-10-16
• Microsoft Support: Save or convert to PDF in Office desktop apps, checked 2026-10-16
• Docmend homepage FAQ
• Docmend pricing

Related guides

• How to sign a PDF without AdobeSign on a computer or phone with apps you already have.
• 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.
• Can someone comment on a Word document without Microsoft Word?Yes. A read-only review link that opens in any browser.
• How do both sides get the signed PDF?The signed PDF is emailed to you both when the signer clicks Finish.