How to sign a PDF on iPhone
Updated
To sign a PDF on iPhone, open it, tap the Add button in the AutoFill or Markup tools, then tap Add Signature. Sign with your finger, tap Done, and drag the signature onto the signature line. Your iPhone saves the signature, so next time you just tap it.
iOS steps below were checked against Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 26 and iOS 27.
Before you start
Get the PDF onto your iPhone. A PDF in the Files app or attached to an email works. If your iPhone asks you to open a document in the Files app, do that, then tap Save.
Know what kind of signature this is. Both Apple’s tools and the app in this guide put your handwritten signature on the page as an image. Some documents need a certificate-based digital signature instead. Whether a handwritten signature added on a phone is accepted depends on the document and the country, so if you’re unsure, ask whoever sent it.
Sign a PDF in the Files app
Files can fill out PDF forms and add your signature without any extra app.
- Open the Files app and tap the PDF to open it.
- Tap the AutoFill button. You can now tap blank fields to type into them.
- Tap the Add button, then tap Add Signature.
- Sign your name with your finger, then tap Done.
- Drag your signature to where it belongs on the page.
To resize the signature, drag any of the blue dots around it. To redo it while you’re signing, tap Clear and sign again. Rotating your iPhone gives you more room to sign.
When you’re done, share the signed PDF from the Share button. In iOS 27, tap the Menu button to choose Export, Print or Share, and tap the Back button to save the document.
Fill in the rest of the form first
Forms often need a name, address or date next to the signature. After you tap the AutoFill button, tap a blank field and type. If you’ve filled in your My Card in Contacts, your iPhone can suggest your details for supported forms. For text where there’s no field, tap the Add button, then Add Text Form Box.
Sign a PDF attachment in Mail
You can sign an attachment without saving it first.
- Open the email in Mail and tap the PDF attachment.
- Tap the Markup button.
- In the Markup toolbar, tap the Add button, then tap Add Signature.
- Tap a saved signature, or sign with your finger and tap Done.
- Drag the signature into place, then tap Done.
- Choose to reply to the sender, start a new message, or save the signed attachment to your files.
Save more than one signature
After you create a signature, your iPhone keeps it for the next time you add one with Markup. You can keep several, for example your full signature and your initials.
- In Markup, tap the Add button, then tap Add Signature.
- Tap Add or Remove Signature, then tap the Add button.
- Choose a label next to New Signature, such as initials or nickname.
- Sign, then tap Done.
To delete one, open the same list with Add or Remove Signature and tap the Delete button next to it.
Sign with your paper signature using eSign Documents
A signature drawn with a fingertip often looks different from the one you write with a pen. If you’d rather use your real signature, or you need to sign something that only exists on paper, eSign Documents can help.
- Draw or scan your signature. Draw it with your finger in black, blue, red or any color, in three line widths, with undo and redo. Or scan the signature you wrote on paper: it’s detected, cropped and its background removed. You can also import a photo of it.
- Bring in any document. Open a PDF from Files, turn photos into a document, or scan paper pages with the camera. Edges are found, the perspective is straightened, and you can scan several pages, then reorder or delete them.
- Place it where it belongs. Put your signature on any page, then move, resize or rotate it. You can add more than one signature to a document.
- Open eSign Documents and create your signature: draw it, or scan it from paper.
- Add your document: choose a PDF from Files, pick photos, or scan pages with the camera.
- Place your signature on the page, then move, resize or rotate it.
- Save a signed copy. The original file stays unchanged.
Signatures stay in a library for reuse, and you can save a draft and finish later.
What’s free and what isn’t: the download is free, and drawing, scanning, signing and drafts are included. Sharing a signed PDF or saving it to Files is part of Premium, a weekly or yearly subscription. Signed documents stay inside the app until you share them or save them to Files.
There’s no account to create. Your documents and signatures are stored on your iPhone or iPad and aren’t uploaded to a server.
Which way should you sign?
- A PDF in Files or an email attachment, and a finger-drawn signature is fine: use Apple’s built-in tools. They’re free and already on your iPhone.
- You want your real pen signature on the page: scan it once with eSign Documents and reuse it.
- The document is on paper: scan the pages and sign them in eSign Documents, without printing anything.
Quick answers
Can I sign a PDF on iPhone without downloading an app?
Yes. Open the PDF in Files or tap it in Mail, then use the Add button and Add Signature. Your iPhone saves the signature for next time.
Where does my iPhone save my signature?
Your iPhone keeps signatures you create with Markup and offers them each time you tap Add Signature. To add or delete one, tap Add or Remove Signature.
Can I use the signature I wrote on paper?
Apple’s tools have you sign with your finger. eSign Documents can scan your signature from paper, crop it and remove the background, so you can place it on any PDF.
Is a signature added on iPhone legally valid?
It depends on the document and the country. Both Apple’s tools and eSign Documents add an image of your handwritten signature, not a certificate-based digital signature. If you’re not sure, ask whoever requested the signature.
