How to get a Google Doc signed by a client

By the Docmend team · Updated 2 October 2026 · 5 min read

Option 1: Google’s built-in eSignature

If your account has it, open the Doc and choose Tools → eSignature. You add signature, initials, name and date fields, then request signatures by email.

Google’s help page lists eSignature as available to Workspace Individual accounts and to plans including Business Standard and Plus, the Enterprise editions and Education Plus, when the administrator enables it. A request can have up to 10 signers. If you don’t see the menu item, your account type doesn’t include it.

Option 2: Download a PDF and sign it in a PDF app

1. In the Doc, choose File → Download → PDF document.
2. Email the PDF to your client.
3. They open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader and use Fill & Sign, or in Mac Preview with Tools → Annotate → Signature, then send it back.

It is free and works everywhere. It also depends on your client knowing how to sign a PDF and remembering to return it.

Option 3: A dedicated e-signature service

Services built for contracts add identity checks, detailed audit trails and legal compliance features. For agreements where those matter, such as employment contracts or regulated documents, a dedicated service is the right tool. They usually charge per user per month.

Option 4: Send for signature with Docmend

1. Open the Doc, click the Docmend icon, pick Use a Google Doc, and choose Send for signature.
2. Docmend turns the Doc into a PDF. Tap the page where your client should sign. You can also add name and date boxes.
3. Enter your client’s email, or copy the signing link and send it yourself.
4. Your client opens the link, draws or types a signature, and clicks Finish. They need no account.
5. The signed PDF is emailed to you and to your client, with a signing certificate as the last page.

Docmend adds a simple electronic signature: the signer’s drawn or typed signature, their name, the date, and a certificate recording when the document was opened and signed. This level of signature is commonly used for proposals, quotes and approvals.

Docmend’s free plan includes 10 signature requests a month. Pro, at $4 a month, makes them unlimited.

Which option fits which document?

Sources

• Google Docs Editors Help: Send signature requests and sign documents with eSignature

Related guides

• 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.
• How to turn PDF comments into Google Docs commentsGot a marked-up PDF back? Three ways to get those notes into your Doc.
• How to let someone comment on a Google Doc without a Google accountYour client has no Google account. Four ways to still get their comments.
• How to save a Google Doc as a PDF with commentsDownload as PDF drops your comments. Three ways to keep them.