A contract lands in your email while you are out, and it needs your signature today. You do not need a printer, a scanner or another app. This guide walks through signing a PDF in your phone’s browser, on an iPhone with Safari or an Android phone with Chrome, using the free Sign PDF tool. The file stays on your phone the whole time.
Before you start: get the PDF onto your phone
The tool opens files from your phone’s storage, so the PDF needs to be saved there first. An attachment that only lives inside your email app is not yet a file the browser can see.
On an iPhone: open the email, tap the PDF attachment, tap the share button, then Save to Files. Choose a folder you will find again, such as On My iPhone or iCloud Drive.
On Android: open the email and tap the download icon on the attachment. It goes to your Downloads folder. From WhatsApp or Telegram, open the document and use the menu to save or download it.
Step 1: Open the tool and choose the file
- In Safari or Chrome, open Sign PDF.
- Tap Choose a PDF file.
- iPhone: the Files picker opens. Tap Browse or Recents and pick your PDF. Android: the file picker opens. Pick the folder where you saved the file.
The pages appear on the screen. The file is opened inside your browser and is not uploaded anywhere.
Step 2: Make your signature
Tap Add signature. A panel slides up from the bottom of the screen with three tabs.
Draw it with your finger
The Draw tab is the natural choice on a phone. Sign in the white area with your finger, the way you would on a delivery driver’s screen.
- Choose the colour (black, blue or red) and the pen: thin, medium or thick. Blue is common for signatures on documents that will be printed.
- Undo removes the last stroke; Clear starts again.
- Turn the phone sideways if you want a wider area to sign in.
When you are happy with it, tap Place on the page.
Or type it
The Type tab writes your name in a handwriting style: Flowing, Classic or Plain. Arabic names work in every style, with the letters joined as they should be.
Or use a photo of your real signature
The Upload tab takes a JPG or PNG. On an iPhone you can pick a photo from your library or take one there and then; on Android, the picker offers your gallery or files. Sign on plain white paper, photograph it in good light, and keep Remove the white background switched on so only the ink goes onto the page.
Step 3: Put the signature in the right place
The signature appears in the middle of the page you are looking at. Now:
- Drag it with your finger to the signature line.
- Resize it with the corner handle. A signature on a form is usually no wider than the line it sits on.
- Turn it with the turning handle if the page is rotated.
- Remove it with the × if you want to start again.
Use Previous page and Next page under the page to move between pages. If the contract needs your signature on more than one page, go to that page and tap Add signature again: the signature you made is offered for reuse under “Used on this document”, so you do not have to draw it twice.
Initials and the date
Many contracts ask for initials on every page. Add initials works the same way as the signature. Add date places today’s date on the current page, written out in full, and you drag it into position like the signature.
Step 4: Save and download
Tap Save signed PDF, then Download PDF. The file is named after the original with “-signed” added.
- iPhone (Safari): Safari may ask you to confirm the download. The file is saved in the Files app, in the Downloads folder.
- Android (Chrome): a notification shows the download, and the file is in your Downloads folder.
From there, attach it to a reply or share it the way you would any file. Keep signing takes you back to the pages if you notice something you missed.
Good to know
- This is a visual signature. The tool places a picture of your signature on the page. It is not a certificate-based digital signature, so software cannot verify who signed or prove the file has not been changed since. Whether a signed PDF is accepted is up to the person or institution receiving it, so check with them for anything important.
- Your signature is not saved unless you ask. By default, a signature is forgotten when you close or reload the page. To reuse it another day, tick Remember this signature on this device before placing it; it is then kept in this browser only and never uploaded. Delete saved signatures in the signature panel removes saved ones, as does clearing your browser’s data. Leave the box unticked on a shared phone or tablet.
- Filling in the form first? If the PDF has boxes you can type into, fill them with Fill a form before signing. If it has only printed lines, write your answers with Add text to PDF.
- Password-protected files cannot be signed until the protection is removed by someone who has the password.
Quick answers
Do I need to install an app? No. Everything works in Safari on an iPhone and in Chrome on Android.
Can I sign on a tablet? Yes, the same way. A larger screen makes placing the signature easier.
My finger signature looks shaky. What can I do? Turn the phone sideways for more room, choose a thicker pen, and sign a little larger than usual. You can make it smaller once it is on the page.
Is the document uploaded? No. The tool runs in your browser, and the file never leaves your phone.