How to add initials to a PDF
Initials do a job a signature doesn't: they show someone saw a particular page or clause. That's why leases want initials beside the late fee, and contracts want them on every page. Adding your own initials is easy with free tools. Getting someone else to initial in all the right places takes a little setup. Here's both.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
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Initial a PDF yourself
Most signing tools keep initials as a second, separate signature. Create it once and place it wherever the form asks.
- Mac (Preview): create a second signature with just your initials, then pick it from the Sign menu for each box. See Preview on Mac.
- iPhone and iPad: in Markup, tap Add, then Add Signature. Make a new one and label it as initials from the menu next to New Signature. See iPad.
- Windows and Android: Adobe Acrobat Reader's Fill & Sign has a separate add-initials option beside add-signature. See Windows and Android.
- Chromebook: in Gallery, open the signature button and choose Draw another signature to make a separate one for your initials.
Placing initials on a 20-page contract one at a time is tedious, and it's easy to miss a page. That's the strongest case for sending it through a tool that places initials for the signer.
Where initials belong
- Every page, usually in the bottom corner, on long agreements, so a page can't be swapped later without it showing.
- Beside key clauses: a late fee, a cancellation window, a non-refundable deposit, a liability limit.
- At handwritten changes: both parties initial a crossed-out price or a changed date to show they agreed to it.
- On each addendum or exhibit, if it isn't signed separately.
Ask signers for initials in SignMaster
Each send is an envelope: one or more documents going to one or more signers. Initials are their own field type, and each one is assigned to a single person.
- 1
Upload and add signers
Click New envelope, upload the PDF, and add everyone who initials and signs on Recipients & order.
- 2
Place one Initials field
Choose the signer, then drag Initials from the Signature group to the first spot, such as the bottom corner of page one.
- 3
Copy it to every page
Open the field's menu and choose Copy to other pages. Pick every page, every page after this one, or just the pages you choose. Each copy sits in the same spot.
- 4
Add initials beside key clauses
Drag more Initials fields next to the clauses that matter. Repeat for the next signer, in a different spot so the boxes don't overlap.
- 5
Send
New fields start out required, so nobody can finish with an initials box missed.
Signers create their initials once, by drawing, typing, uploading an image or taking a photo, and select Adopt and sign. SignMaster then places them on every initials spot assigned to them, so a 20-page contract doesn't mean 20 drawings. Team members can keep initials saved in Settings > Profile for one-tap countersigning.
Writing your own contract?
Type {{initials:1}} in the document's footer before you export the PDF. SignMaster offers to turn the tag on every page into an initials field for signer 1, so there's nothing to place by hand.
Questions? Answers.
Do I have to initial every page of a contract?
Usually it's not legally required, but it's common practice for long agreements because it shows you saw each page and makes a swapped page obvious. Follow what the contract asks for.
How do I add initials to every page of a PDF quickly?
In SignMaster, place one Initials field, then use Copy to other pages. The signer adopts their initials once and they fill every box.
Are initials legally the same as a signature?
Initials can serve as a signature when someone uses them intending to sign, but they're mostly used to acknowledge pages and clauses. The full signature still goes on the signature line.
Can I make initials with a free tool?
Yes. Type your initials into our free signature maker to get a transparent image, and Preview, Markup and Acrobat Reader can all keep initials alongside your signature.