How to sign a document on iPhone

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How do I digitally sign a document from my iPhone or Mac? While not an important issue, it sometimes comes up in the case of digital agreements, urgent receipts, self-assessments, and more. Well, the good news is that you can sign and sign documents on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac in a variety of ways. …

I went over each of them in detail. So, choose the one that suits your requirements. Let’s start!

How to sign a document on iPhone and iPad

All thanks to the magic of the markup tool, you can easily create a handwritten signature and use it to sign PDFs and photos from iPhone and iPad.

Depending on the location or type of your file, and its ease of use, choose the appropriate method from the following.

I. Sign PDF file on iPhone using Files app

  1. Open the Files app and select a PDF document.
  2. Tap the markup icon.
  3. Select the + sign and click Signature.
  4. Sign with your finger or compatible stylus.
  5. Click “Clear” to start over and “Done” when you’re satisfied.
    The signature will appear on the document.
  6. Resize and reposition as needed.
  7. Press and hold a signature to Cut, Copy , Delete or Duplicate a
  8. Click Finish to save.

Note. Once saved, you cannot undo your changes. So if you are not sure, duplicate the file before signing.

To add more signatures:

Go to Files app → PDF → Markup icon → + icon → Signature → Add or remove signature → + icon → sign → click Done.

II. Sign scanned document on iPhone using Notes app

Unfortunately, you cannot insert a signature into a regular note. This feature is only available if you scan a document through the Notes application or add a photo or PDF file to your notes.

  1. Click and open the scanned document / PDF / photo in the Notes application.
  2. Tap the Share icon in the upper right corner.
  3. Select the Layout option on the shared sheet.
  4. Click the + icon in the lower right corner and select a signature.

Now create a signature or choose from the saved signatures. Click Finish to save your changes.

III. Sign documents with photos on iPhone

Sometimes, you may have to authenticate and share your ID yourself. Or, instead of a PDF file, you can get a photo of the receipt for signature. Alternatively, you can take a screenshot of the document and add a signature using the Photos application. This is the easiest way to sign documents on iPhone.

  1. Launch the Photos app and open the photo or document you want to sign.
  2. Click “Change” in the upper right corner.
  3. Here select the three-dot icon in the upper right corner.
  4. Click Markup → + icon → Signature.

As shown in the previous sections, select a signature → edit it → tap Done → tap Done again to confirm your changes.

Note. All thanks to the “Restore” function, this is the only method that allows you to undo and remove the signature.

IV. Sign and send documents via the Apple Mail app

Received a file in the mail that requires a digital signature? Well, you can control this from within the Apple Mail app itself.

Just tap the file to open / view it → select the markup tool → repeat the exercise described in the previous sections.

Note. I also tested Gmail and Spark for this feature, but it was not available for them.

How to sign a document on Mac

Once again, the markup tool comes to the rescue. However, you cannot touch your Mac’s screen, so how do you put your name or initials on the dotted line?

Notably, Apple has included three clever ways to help you do just that in the Preview app. Let’s check them out.

Add signature to PDF in Mac Preview

  1. Open a preview document.
  2. Go to the page where you want to subscribe.
  3. Click the markup icon at the top right.
  4. Then click the Signature icon.
  5. Select a signature from the list or click Create Signature.

Here you have three options; let’s deal with each in detail.

  1. Use the trackpad to create a signature
  2. Make sure the Trackpad tab is selected and select “Click here to get started.”
  3. Now slide your fingers across the trackpad to create a signature and press any key to stop.
  4. Click “Clear” to start over, or “Done” to save the signature.
  5. Create a signature using your Mac camera
  6. Click the Camera tab.
  7. Sign on white paper and show it to the camera.
  8. The Mac will read and show a mirror image of the signature, click Done to save it.

Note. Try using plain paper, otherwise something like this might happen. (27)

III. Use iPhone to Create Signature on Mac

  1. Open the iPhone tab.
  2. A similar screen will immediately appear on the paired iPhone.
    Rotate to landscape orientation for better access.
  3. Use your finger or stylus to sign; it will instantly appear on the Mac screen.
  4. Click Done on iPhone or Mac to save your signature.

After you have created and pasted the signature into the file, resize and move it to the desired location → press command + S to save the changes.

Sign documents by mail on Mac

You can directly sign PDFs and photos attached to the letter. The good thing is you’re not limited to the native email app. Almost all third party email apps support this feature.

  1. Open the email with the attachment you want to sign.
  2. Double click the attachment; it will open in preview.
  3. Now click the markup icon → Signature → Add Signature.
  4. Save a copy on your Mac and plug it back in to share.

How to create a transparent signature on Mac

Why do I need a copy of my signature without a background? Because you cannot sign text documents or other file formats using markup.

Alternatively, you can sign your digital artwork, add a personal signature to your mail, or something similar. This trick can help you with this and more.

  1. Take a random screenshot of your screen.
  2. Open the screenshot in preview mode and click the Markup tool.
  3. Click the Instant Alpha tool (stick-shaped icon).
  4. Drag your cursor over the photo until it turns completely pink.
  5. Now press Delete on your keyboard twice without releasing the cursor. (38)
  6. Insert your signature in a blank frame and expand it as much as possible.
  7. Finally, go to the File menu and click Export.

Save the image as PNG, TIFF, or JPEG 2000 (formats that support an alpha channel) and make sure this option is enabled to keep the background transparent. … (40.40a)

After that, you can use this image as you like! Here’s an example.

How to Delete Saved Signature from iPhone, iPad and Mac

Don’t want to save your signature for security reasons, or are you just having a lot of fun signing up and now you need to clean up? Whatever the reason, here’s how to do it.

IPhone and iPad

  1. Open any PDF or photo and invoke the markup tool.
  2. Tap + → Signature and select Add or remove signature.
  3. Here click the icon – → select Delete.
  4. Click Finish to exit.

From Mac

  1. Open a document or photo in preview mode and click the Markup icon.
  2. Click the Signature icon and simply move your cursor to the signature.
  3. Click the X to remove it.

Huff! Who knew we had so many options for electronically signing and signing documents using your iPhone, iPad and Mac. All the love to the Apple developers for including such a handy gem in the markup tool.

I hope the article was helpful to you. Feel free to ask any related queries or questions in the comment section below. I’ll be glad to help.

 

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