How to add a signature in Word
If you write letters, quotes or agreements in Word, you probably want your signature in them without printing and scanning every time. Word can hold a picture of your signature, keep it as a reusable block with your name and title, and add signature lines for other people. Here's how to set each up once.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
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Step 1: get a clean signature image
Everything starts with a picture of your signature. Microsoft suggests signing paper, scanning it and saving it as a BMP, JPG or PNG. A transparent PNG looks best, because it sits on the page without a white box around it. Our free signature maker makes one from a typed or drawn signature, and how to make a signature image covers photographing your pen signature.
Step 2: insert it and place it
- 1
Insert the picture
Put the cursor above your typed name. On Windows, choose Insert > Pictures. On a Mac, choose Insert > Pictures > Picture from File, then Insert.
- 2
Crop the spare paper
With the picture selected, open Picture Format and use Crop to trim it close to the ink. Smaller margins make it easier to line up.
- 3
Let it float over the line
Open Wrap Text on the Picture Format tab and choose In Front of Text. Now you can drag the signature so it overlaps the signature line slightly, the way ink does on paper.
- 4
Size it to the text
Drag a corner handle, not a side, so the signature keeps its shape. About twice the height of your body text usually looks right.
Step 3: save it for next time with AutoText
Type your printed name, title and phone number under the picture, select the picture and the text together, then save the whole block:
- Windows: Insert > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. Give it a name, set Gallery to AutoText and select OK. Next time, use Insert > Quick Parts > AutoText and pick it.
- Mac: Insert > AutoText > New, name it and select OK. Next time, Insert > AutoText > AutoText, then pick it.
To reuse just the image elsewhere, right-click it and choose Save as Picture. Word for the web has no signature command, so there you insert the saved image with Insert > Picture.
Adding signature lines for other people
In Word for Windows, Insert > Signature Line > Microsoft Office Signature Line adds a line with an X and, from the Signature Setup box, the suggested signer's name and title. Signing that line is a certificate-based digital signature, which most clients don't have set up. For ordinary agreements, a plain signature block is easier for everyone:
- A line for the signature, with the person's printed name and title under it.
- A date line beside each signature.
- Initials boxes in the footer, if every page should be initialed.
Making the document signable
A picture of your own signature is fine for a letter. For an agreement your client must sign too, send it as a PDF for signature so both of you sign the same fixed copy. Each send in SignMaster is an envelope: one or more documents going to one or more signers.
- 1
Tag the blanks in Word
On each signature line, type a text tag such as {{signature:2}}, with {{date_signed:2}} beside it, where 2 is the second signer. Use {{initials:2}} in the footer for initials on every page.
- 2
Save as PDF and upload
Save a PDF copy from Word, click New envelope in SignMaster and upload it. Accept the offer to turn the tags into fields.
- 3
Add the people
Add yourself with Add me as signer 1 and the client as signer 2, matching your tags, and set the order.
- 4
Send and countersign
Send it. You can adopt your signature once, or keep it saved in your profile, and SignMaster places it on every spot assigned to you.
Questions? Answers.
How do I add a handwritten signature in Word?
Make an image of your signature, then use Insert > Pictures, crop it, and set Wrap Text to In Front of Text so it can sit on the signature line.
Can I save my signature in Word to reuse?
Yes. Select the signature picture with your typed details and save it as AutoText: Insert > Quick Parts on Windows, or Insert > AutoText > New on a Mac.
How do I add a signature line in Word?
In Word for Windows, choose Insert > Signature Line > Microsoft Office Signature Line and fill in the Signature Setup box. On other versions, type a line with the signer's name and title under it.
Is an image of my signature in a Word file legally binding?
It can be, if you put it there intending to sign. Under the federal ESIGN Act, a signature can't be denied legal effect just because it's electronic. A picture alone just doesn't prove who placed it.
Sources
- Microsoft Support, Insert a signature in a Word document · support.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Support, Add a signature line · support.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Support, Can I add a signature in Word for the web? · support.microsoft.com
- 15 U.S.C. § 7001, ESIGN Act general rule and consumer consent (govinfo) · govinfo.gov