How to sign a PDF on iPhone and Mac without printing it

To sign a PDF on an iPhone, open it in the Files app, tap the Markup button, tap +, choose Add Signature, draw your name with your finger and drag it onto the signature line. On a Mac, open the PDF in Preview, show the Markup toolbar, click the Sign button and create a signature with the trackpad or your iPhone. Both tools are built in and free, and the signature you save once can be reused on every document after that.

That covers most contracts, client onboarding forms, leases and permission slips you’ll be sent as a freelancer. This guide walks through each method, how to fill in the rest of the form at the same time, how to send the signed copy back without losing it, and when a drawn signature isn’t the right tool.

Which method to use

Situation	Fastest method	Where the signed copy ends up
PDF arrived by email on your iPhone	Mail: tap the attachment, then Markup	Sent back as a reply or new message
PDF is in iCloud Drive, Downloads or another Files location	Files: open it, then Markup	Saved over the original file
You’re at your Mac and want a full-size view	Preview: Sign button	Saved over the original, or a copy if you export
You just need to drop a signature on and move on	Quick Look in Finder	Saved over the original
Contract needs signatures from several people with an audit trail	A dedicated e-signature service	Stored by the service, with a signing record

Sign a PDF on iPhone with the Files app

The Files app is the most reliable place to sign on an iPhone or iPad, because every PDF you save, whether from Safari, Messages, Google Drive or Dropbox, can be opened there.

1. Open the Files app and tap the PDF. If the document came from another app, use that app’s share button and choose Save to Files first.
2. Tap the Markup button (the pen tip). The Markup toolbar appears.
3. Tap the + button, then Add Signature.
4. The first time, you’ll get a blank signing area. Sign with your finger or an Apple Pencil, then tap Done. If you’ve signed before, tap your saved signature instead.
5. The signature lands in the middle of the page. Drag it onto the signature line and use the corner handles to shrink it so it fits.
6. Tap Done. Files saves the signed version in place of the original.

Two small things make the result look better. First, sign in the largest space Markup gives you, then shrink the signature down; squeezing it to fit while you draw makes it shaky. Second, turn your phone sideways when you create the signature, which gives you a wider canvas.

Because Files overwrites the original, keep an unsigned copy if you might need one later. Long-press the file in Files and tap Duplicate before you sign.

Sign a PDF attachment straight from Mail

If a client emails you a contract, you don’t need to save it anywhere first. Apple’s Mail app lets you sign the attachment and send it back in one pass.

1. Open the email and tap the PDF attachment to preview it.
2. Tap the Markup button.
3. Tap +, then Add Signature, and place your signature as above.
4. Tap Done. Mail offers to reply with the marked-up document attached, or start a new message with it.
5. Check the recipient, add a short note and send.

The signed file only exists in the email you send. If you want your own copy, use the share button on the attachment in your Sent folder and choose Save to Files. For anything you’ll need to produce later, such as a client agreement or a lease, it’s worth keeping signed copies in one backed-up folder. Our guide to backing up your Google account with Takeout covers that if your files live in Google Drive.

If you use the Gmail or Outlook app instead of Apple Mail, open the attachment, use the share button to save it to Files, and sign it there.

Sign a PDF on Mac with Preview

Preview, the app that opens PDFs by default on a Mac, has had a signature tool for years. Apple’s Preview guide says you can capture a signature with the trackpad, the Mac’s camera, or a nearby iPhone or iPad.

1. Open the PDF in Preview. If it opens in another app, Control-click the file in Finder, choose Open With, then Preview.
2. Click the Show Markup Toolbar button (the pen tip) if the toolbar isn’t already showing.
3. Click the Sign button (a signature squiggle) to see your saved signatures, or create a new one.
4. Pick how to create it:
   • Trackpad: click the prompt, sign with one finger on the trackpad, press any key, then click Done. On a Force Touch trackpad, pressing harder gives a darker, thicker line.
   • iPhone or iPad: choose your device, sign on its screen with your finger or Apple Pencil, then tap Done. This usually gives the cleanest result, and it relies on Apple’s Continuity features, so both devices need to be signed in to the same Apple Account.
   • Camera: on Macs and macOS versions that still offer it, sign on white paper and hold it up to the camera, level with the guide line.
5. Click the signature to add it, drag it into place and resize it with the handles.
6. Press Command-S to save, or choose File > Export as PDF to save the signed version as a separate file and leave the original untouched.

According to Apple, signatures created in Preview are available on your other Macs that use iCloud Drive, so you only have to create one.

Sign faster on Mac with Quick Look

For a quick one-off, you can skip opening Preview. Select the PDF in Finder and press the Space bar to open Quick Look, click the Markup button in the Quick Look window, then use the same Sign button to drop in a saved signature. Click Done to save it.

Quick Look is handy for signing an attachment you’ve just saved from Mail or downloaded from a client portal, but it has fewer tools than Preview. For a form with lots of fields, use Preview.

Fill in the rest of the form

Most documents need more than a signature: your name, the date, an address, maybe a few checkboxes.

• Fillable forms: if the PDF was made with form fields, you can tap or click a field and type. On a Mac, Apple’s Preview guide notes that some forms also let you insert details from your contact card automatically, although not every PDF supports it. Recent iOS versions can offer to fill form fields from your own contact card as well.
• Non-fillable forms (scanned or flattened PDFs): on iPhone, tap + and choose Add Text, then drag the text box into place. On Mac, use the Text button in the Markup toolbar.
• Checkboxes: use a text box with an “X”, or the shapes tool, positioned over the box.
• Initials on every page: create a second saved signature with just your initials. Both iPhone and Mac let you keep several signatures and pick the one you need.

Zoom in before you place text. A date that sits half on the line looks careless when the client prints the document.

Change or delete a saved signature

It’s worth cleaning up old signatures, especially on a device you share or are about to sell.

• iPhone or iPad: in Markup, tap +, then Add Signature (or Signature), and choose Add or Remove Signature. Tap the red minus button next to a signature and confirm Delete.
• Mac: in Preview or Quick Look, click the Sign button, then remove the signature from the list. On older versions, hover over it and click the X; on newer ones, use the option to manage signatures. Apple notes that deleting a signature removes it from every app on your Mac that uses Markup, and from your other Macs if iCloud Drive is on.

Is a drawn signature legally valid?

For most everyday business paperwork in the US, yes. The federal ESIGN Act says a signature or contract can’t be denied legal effect just because it’s electronic, and almost every state has adopted the matching Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia have their own laws that broadly recognize electronic signatures too.

There are exceptions. US law carves out documents such as wills and testamentary trusts, many family-law papers, court documents and certain legally required notices, and states can add their own. Some organizations, including banks and government agencies, also set their own rules about what they’ll accept. If a document says it must be notarized or “wet-signed,” a Markup signature isn’t enough. This is general information, not legal advice; if the stakes are high, ask the person who sent the document what they accept, or a lawyer.

Know what you’re actually creating, too. Markup places an image of your signature on the page. It doesn’t add a cryptographic certificate, timestamp or record of who signed and when. For a simple NDA or a client’s onboarding form, that’s normally fine. For a high-value contract, a dispute-prone agreement, or anything several parties need to sign in order, a dedicated e-signature service that keeps a signing record is the better fit.

Because the signature is just an image, treat signed PDFs like any other sensitive file. Send them only to the person who needs them, and when you share a folder of signed agreements with a client, give them view-only access. Our guide to sharing a Google Drive folder with a client safely explains how.

If something doesn’t work

• No Markup button on iPhone: you’re probably viewing the PDF inside another app’s viewer (Gmail, Outlook, a banking app). Save the file to Files and open it there.
• Markup opens but there’s no signature option: make sure you tapped + in the Markup toolbar, not the app’s own add button. Some file types, such as Word documents, don’t open in Markup. Ask the sender for a PDF, or export to PDF first.
• The PDF won’t let you edit or save: some PDFs are password-protected against changes. You’ll need an unlocked version from whoever sent it.
• The iPhone option doesn’t appear in Preview: check that your iPhone is unlocked and nearby, that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on for both devices, and that both use the same Apple Account.
• The signed file shows the old, unsigned version: on iPhone, make sure you tapped Done in Markup. On Mac, make sure you saved (Command-S) before closing. If you’ve overwritten a document you needed, our guide to recovering overwritten documents explains how version history works in Microsoft 365, and iCloud Drive users can check Recently Deleted in Files.

Make signing part of your paperwork routine

Once your signature is saved, signing a PDF takes under a minute on either device, which removes one of the last reasons a one-person business needs a printer. Pair it with a clean invoice that includes what your country requires and a payment link your clients can use, and most new client paperwork can be done from your phone.

How we checked: steps for Preview come from Apple’s Preview User Guide for Mac, and steps for iPhone and iPad come from Apple’s support article on Markup, checked on October 26, 2026. Button positions vary between iOS and macOS versions, so your screen may look slightly different. We did not test every device and OS combination. Legal points are summarized from the text of the ESIGN Act and are not legal advice.

Signing contracts often? Compare free e-signature tools.

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Sources

• Apple: Fill out and sign PDF forms in Preview on Mac
• Apple: Use Markup on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
• Cornell LII: 15 U.S. Code § 7001 (ESIGN Act, general rule of validity)
• Cornell LII: 15 U.S. Code § 7003 (ESIGN Act, specific exceptions)

Next step: open any PDF in Files or Preview now and create your signature, so it’s ready the next time a client sends a contract.