How to sign a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, free

On a Windows PC or Mac

Adobe has redesigned Reader's menus more than once. If a label below doesn't match your screen, look for Fill & Sign under All tools, or the pen-shaped Sign icon in the toolbar.

1. 1

   Open the PDF in Acrobat Reader

   Right-click the file and open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader, or open Reader and choose the file.

2. 2

   Open Fill & Sign

   Choose All tools, then Fill & Sign, or click the Sign icon in the toolbar.

3. 3

   Fill in the form

   Hover over a blank and a blue box appears where Reader found a field. Click in it and type. Where there's no field, click where the text should go and type there instead.

4. 4

   Create your signature

   Choose to add a signature or just initials. Type your name and pick a style, Draw it with a mouse, trackpad or pen, or use an Image of your signature. Click Apply.

5. 5

   Place it and save

   Click where the signature belongs. Select it to move it with the arrow keys, or resize or delete it from the small toolbar beside it. Then save, ideally as a new file.

Reuse it next time

If you're signed in to Reader with a free Adobe account and leave the save option ticked, your signature is stored in Adobe's cloud and offered again next time, on any device where you sign in. On a shared computer, untick it.

On a phone or in a browser

• iPhone and Android: the free Acrobat Reader app has Fill & Sign in its bottom menu. Adobe retired its separate Fill & Sign app and points people to Reader instead.
• In a browser: Adobe's free online Sign PDF tool works without installing anything, but its own page says you must be signed in to complete the form.

Where free Reader stops

• It's a picture of your signature. Fill & Sign places an image on the page. Nothing records who added it, when or from which device.
• Getting other people to sign isn't free. Adobe notes that requesting signatures from others and accessing audit trails may require a paid Acrobat plan.
• A digital ID is a different thing. If someone asks for a certificate-based digital signature, Fill & Sign isn't it. Ask what they need first; the electronic vs digital signature guide explains the difference.
• Some forms resist. Password-protected PDFs and forms locked by their author may not let you type or sign at all. Ask the sender for an unlocked copy.

Free alternatives

You may not need Reader at all. Mac Preview, iPhone and iPad Markup, Microsoft Edge and Firefox all sign PDFs; sign a PDF without Adobe lists the built-in tool on each device. For a fillable form, our free Fill a PDF tool fills it in your browser without uploading it anywhere.

When someone else has to sign, a customer, a tenant or a new hire, send it for signature instead of emailing the PDF back and forth. In SignMaster you upload the PDF, place their fields and send a link they open on any phone or computer. The Free plan covers 3 envelopes a month, and each one comes back with a certificate of completion showing who signed and when.