How to Add a Signature in Adobe PDF (Fill & Sign)
The short answer
Add a signature in Adobe Acrobat with the Fill & Sign tool: open the PDF, click Fill & Sign, click Sign, then type, draw, or use an image of your signature. Acrobat Reader (free) includes Fill & Sign — you don’t need Pro for signing. The honest catch: this is a drawn signature, not an audited e-signature — fine for most documents, not for regulated ones.
Sign in Acrobat Reader (free)
- Open the PDF in Acrobat Reader.
- Click Fill & Sign in the right panel.
- Click the Sign button → Add Signature.
- Type your name, draw it with the mouse/trackpad, or upload an image of your signature.
- Click where the signature goes — it drops onto the page. Drag to position, then Save.
Your signature is stored in Acrobat for future documents — the second signing takes ten seconds. This is genuinely the standard free signing flow on Windows (Mac users can also just use Preview).
Initials, dates, and text fields
Fill & Sign also covers the rest of the ceremony: the Text button adds name/date fields, and the Initials button works like signatures for the initial-every-page paperwork. If the PDF has real form fields, they fill directly — see filling PDF forms.
The honest part
Two distinctions worth making straight:
- Fill & Sign ≠ e-signature service. Acrobat’s signature is your drawing with a timestamp. A real electronic signature (via Adobe Sign, DocuSign, and similar) records identity and audit trails — the version banks and real estate require. If the document’s instructions say “signed via e-signature service”, Fill & Sign isn’t that.
- The signature is saved locally. It lives in your Acrobat profile — reinstalling or switching computers means recreating it (or use the image-upload option, which is portable).
And one practical habit: after signing, verify by reopening the file — the signature should be part of the page, not a floating layer that shifts. If you want it truly locked in, flatten before sending.