How to sign a PDF in your browser (without uploading it)

To sign a PDF without uploading it, open UnboundPDF’s Sign tool, draw your signature with a mouse, trackpad or finger — or type your name — place it on the page, resize it, and download. The document and your signature meet only on your device: the signed file is written in the browser tab and downloads from it. Free, no account, no watermark.

Updated 20 August 2026

Steps

1. Open the Sign a PDF tool and drop in your document (or try the sample).
2. Choose Sign. Draw your signature on the pad, or type your name. On a phone, sign with your finger.
3. Click where the signature should go, then drag the corners to size it. Add it again on any other page that needs it.
4. Need a date or a printed name next to it? Add a text box the same way.
5. Download. The signed PDF is produced in your browser and saved by your browser — nothing was sent.

How to prove it yourself

Do not take our word for it. Sign a harmless test file with the Network tab open. Neither the document nor your signature image leaves the browser. The Privacy Lab details what to watch for.

What you are adding — and what you are not

This tool embeds your signature as an image object inside the PDF, at the position and size you chose. That is an electronic signature: a visible mark that you placed. It is not a cryptographic (PKCS #7 / PAdES) certificate signature — the kind a reader shows with a blue ribbon and that proves the file was not altered after signing. The tool says this plainly in its result note rather than letting you assume otherwise.

Sign PDF is the tool for this — everything below runs in your browser.

For most everyday agreements — offers, leases, forms, consent letters — a drawn signature is what the other side asked for. If a counterparty, a court or a regulator requires a qualified or certificate-based signature, you need a certificate issued to you and a tool that signs with it; this one cannot. We are not giving legal advice here — when in doubt, ask the party who will receive the document which kind they accept.

Why sign locally instead of on a signing website

A signature page is usually the last page of something that matters — an offer, a lease, a mandate, a medical consent. Sending the document and an image of your handwriting to a third-party server adds a silent extra party to the agreement, and leaves a copy of both on a machine you do not control. Signing in the browser avoids the question entirely: there is no upload to retain, breach or train on. You can confirm it — sign a harmless test file with your browser’s network panel open and watch no document bytes leave the tab.

Drawing, typing, or using a saved signature image

Draw gives the most natural result; use a trackpad or, better, a phone or tablet with your finger. Type sets your name in a script-style face when you would rather not draw. If you already have a scanned or photographed signature, place it with the Image tool instead — crop it to the signature first so the white paper around it does not cover text. Resize by dragging a corner; the aspect ratio stays fixed so the signature does not stretch.

Signing on a phone

The same page works on iPhone and Android. Drawing with a finger on a phone screen usually produces a better signature than a mouse does. Tap the page where the signature belongs, then adjust the corners; the toolbar sits at the bottom within thumb reach. The download lands in your phone’s Files / Downloads.

Filling the form before you sign it

If the document has fillable fields — name, date, checkboxes — fill them first with Fill & Sign, which handles the fields and the signature in one pass. The Sign tool is the right choice for a plain PDF (a scanned contract, an exported letter) that has no fields and just needs your mark. To stop anyone moving or deleting the signature afterwards, run the signed file through Flatten PDF, which bakes annotations and form fields into the page content.

When something goes wrong

The signature looks blurry after download. It was drawn small and placed large. Redraw it bigger on the pad, or place it smaller — the drawing is an image, and images enlarge softly. The signature vanished after saving. Check you downloaded the saved copy rather than re-opening the original; the original on your disk is never modified. The file won't open in the tool. If it is password-protected, unlock it first (you need the password). If it is damaged, Repair PDF can usually rebuild it. You can't find the downloaded file on a phone. Look in the browser's downloads and the Files app's Downloads folder. The signature needs to be on several pages. Place it again on each page — the drawing can be reused within the session.

Typed, drawn, or an image of your signature

Three options, in order of effort: type your name and use the script styling; draw with finger or trackpad — the best-looking result on a phone; or place an existing image of your signature with the Image tool, cropped tight so the white paper around it does not cover text. All three are electronic signatures of the same legal character; none is a cryptographic certificate, as the section above explains.

iPhone's built-in Markup, compared

iOS can sign a PDF in Mail or Files with Markup, and if that is all you need, use it — it is local too. What it does not give you: typing into form fields properly, a reusable typed signature, page-level tools around the signing (reorder, merge, flatten), or the same flow on Android and desktop. This page's method is identical on every device, which matters the day you're handed a lease on a borrowed laptop.

After signing: common next steps

Combine the signed page with the rest of the paperwork using Merge PDF; shrink a phone-scanned contract for email with Compress PDF; lock it with a password using Protect PDF. All three run the same way — in your browser, no upload.

Frequently asked questions

Is a drawn signature on a PDF legally valid?

In many jurisdictions an electronic signature — a mark you intentionally placed to sign — is accepted for everyday agreements. Some documents require a certificate-based (qualified) digital signature, which this tool does not create. We are not giving legal advice; ask the receiving party which kind they accept.

Is this a digital signature with a certificate?

No. UnboundPDF embeds your signature as an image placed where you chose. It is not a PKCS #7 / PAdES certificate signature and will not show a validation ribbon in Acrobat. The tool states this in its result note.

Does my signature or document get uploaded?

No. The PDF is read into your browser’s memory, the signature is drawn and placed there, and the signed file is written and downloaded in the same tab. You can verify it with the browser’s network panel — the Privacy Lab guide shows how.

Can I sign a PDF on my phone without an app?

Yes. Open the Sign tool in your phone’s browser, draw with your finger, tap to place, resize, and download. No app, no account.

Can I add a date or my printed name next to the signature?

Yes — add a text box with the Text tool and type the date or name. If the form has real fields, use Fill & Sign, which fills fields and signs in one pass.

How do I stop someone removing the signature later?

Run the signed file through Flatten PDF. Flattening bakes the signature image and any form fields into the page content, so they are no longer separate objects a reader can select or delete.

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digitally sign pdf in browser · sign pdf without uploading

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