Fill and Sign a PDF

How to fill and sign a PDF

1. Open the PDF in the editor above. Drop the file on the dashed box or click it to browse. A password-protected file is flagged right away.
2. Create your signature. Draw it or type it, pick black, blue or red, and press Use This Signature. You need it to reach the filling tools, even if you place it last.
3. Fill the form fields. A fillable form gets a Form Fields list beside the page, with a box, tick box or menu for each field. Type your answers there. They go into the file when it is created; the preview shows the page as uploaded.
4. Fill the rest on the page. Add Text puts a line of text on the page; drag it onto the right spot. Double-click it to change it.
5. Add the date and initials. Add Date opens a date picker set to today. Add Initials places up to five letters.
6. Sign. Click or tap the signature line, then drag to move or pull the corner to resize. Previous and Next switch pages.
7. Download with Confirm & Download Signed PDF. You get a new file ending in “-signed”; the original is not changed. Free to try. Downloading the signed PDF needs a plan: €2.99 a month or €24.99 a year, cancel anytime. After checkout the file downloads in the same browser with no sign-in step, and a plan has no cap on how many forms you download.

Fillable form or flat form?

A fillable form has fields built in: in most PDF apps you can click into a box and type. Here it shows the Form Fields list with the number of fields. Fill it there.

A flat form only looks like a form, because the lines and boxes are part of the page. Scanned forms usually work this way. No field list appears. Use Add Text for each answer, Add Date for dates, and an “X” with Add Text for tick boxes.

Some forms mix both. If the list shows names you can't match to the page (some forms use internal names like “f1_01”), type on the page with Add Text instead, where you see each answer as you place it.

What you can fill in

• Text fields, typed into the field list.
• Checkboxes, ticked in the list.
• Drop-down menus and radio buttons, chosen from the form's own options.
• Text anywhere, one line per item, in the color picked for your signature.
• Date, initials and signature, on any page.
• An image with Add Photo, such as a scan of your handwritten signature.

List boxes (scrolling lists) and certificate signature fields are not listed; write next to them with Add Text or place your signature over them.

Back to the editor ↑

Forms with personal details

Tax forms ask for your Social Security number, direct deposit forms for your bank account, patient forms for your health history. Here the PDF is opened and filled in your browser and is not uploaded to SigPDF. When you press Download, the filled file is kept in this browser's storage so it can download after checkout, and it is deleted once that download finishes. If you leave checkout without paying, it stays in this browser until you start another checkout or clear this site's data. Signatures you create are also saved in this browser (the last five) until you delete them. Anyone using the same browser could see what is stored there, so fill sensitive forms on your own device.

Problems people run into

• Answers look empty in another app. Some tools save the answers but not how they look. SigPDF flattens the form, so the answers become part of the page and look the same everywhere. Fields you leave blank are flattened too, so they can't be filled in as fields afterwards. If an unusual form can't be flattened, it is saved fillable with your answers in place.
• One box per character. Fields for Social Security numbers or ZIP codes often show a row of boxes. Type only the digits, without dashes or spaces: these fields hold a fixed number of characters, and the rest is cut off.
• Scanned or image-only form. There are no fields, so place everything with Add Text and Add Date. Each text item is one line in one size; for a two-line address, add two items.
• The form says “Please wait...”. That is a dynamic XFA form, a format made for Adobe's apps. This editor, like most non-Adobe apps, shows only that message and no fields. Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader on a Windows or Mac computer; the phone app can't open these forms either.
• Password-protected or restricted file. This includes files that open without asking for a password but block changes. Open it (enter the password if asked), choose Print → “Save as PDF” (in Windows apps: “Microsoft Print to PDF”), and use the saved copy. This works only if the file allows printing. The copy is usually flat, so fill it with Add Text.
• A witness, notary or ink signature is required. Some affidavits, deeds and court forms ask for one. An electronic signature may not be enough there, so check the instructions or ask whoever sent the form.

Other ways to fill and sign a PDF

• Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) fills fillable forms, and its Fill & Sign tools add text anywhere on a flat form. You sign by typing, drawing or using an image. Adobe's guide
• Preview on a Mac fills fields, or adds text boxes when there are none. It captures a signature with the trackpad, the camera or an iPhone or iPad. Apple's guide
• Microsoft Edge fills blank fields after you select Edit in its built-in PDF reader, and Add notes puts text, images or shapes on the page, so you can add a picture of your signature. Microsoft's guide

Common forms people fill and sign

• W-9 and W-4 tax forms: sign tax forms online.
• Medical and treatment consent forms: sign a consent form.
• School permission slips: sign a permission slip.
• Rental applications and leases: sign a lease agreement.