How to Remove Signatures from PDFs: A Step-by-Step Guide

You've just spotted a typo in a contract you signed an hour ago. You open the PDF to fix it — and hit a wall: “This document is signed and cannot be modified.” Most people assume a signature is just an image they can delete. The reality: PDF signatures are cryptographic integrity checks built into the document’s security structure.
This guide helps you find the right solution for your situation — whether you’re the signer, working with a locked document, or need to clean up a file.

Example: If a contract was signed in the wrong signature field, first check whether the signature is an editable annotation, a certificate-based digital signature, or flattened page content before attempting removal. For a related workflow, see compare DocuSign alternatives.

Which Solution Fits You to Remove Signature from PDF?

Before diving into tools to remove signatures, clarify the three types of PDF Signatures and identify your scenario first:

• Signature Image – simple image; delete like any picture. (Any PDF editor supports image deletion)
• Electronic Signature – editable field; clear or delete the field. (Professional tools support clearing electronic signatures or signatures that were added within Preview)
• Digital Signature – cryptographic lock; may be unremovable; only the signer can clear it (if not locked)

Your Situation	What You Can Do	Recommended Tool
You are the only signer, and the document isn’t locked	Right-click → Clear Signature	Any PDF editor
You signed in Apple Preview and want to remove it	Use Markup toolbar → Select signature → Delete	Apple Preview (built‑in)
You need a quick fix without installing software	Upload and delete the signature image	Online tool (Smallpdf, Sejda)
The signature is a scanned image (not a digital signature)	Edit the PDF and delete the image object	Any PDF editor with image editing
The document is locked or certified	You cannot remove it — request an unsigned copy	Contact the signer/owner
You want a reliable, cross‑platform solution with one‑time payment	Full-featured PDF editor with signature management	UPDF (recommended)

Depending on the type of signature and the specific requirements of the situation, let’s look at five tools and methods for removing signatures from PDFs.

Tip: After printing to PDF, you can use editing tools to remove signatures (including digital signatures); however, the resulting file is not the original, and other viewers can see the document creation date in the document properties.

Best 5 Ways to Remove a Signature from PDF

Discover practical methods to safely erase image and digital signatures from your PDF files.

Tool	Platform	Price	Removes Signature Image?	Removes Digital Signature?	Best For
UPDF	Win, Mac, iOS, Android	$79.99 one‑time	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (if permitted)	Cross‑platform users, best value
Adobe Acrobat Pro	Win, Mac	~$240/yr	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (if permitted)	Professionals, compliance
Apple Preview	Mac only	Free	✅ Yes (signatures added in Preview)	❌ No	Casual Mac users
Smallpdf / Online Tools	Browser	Free (with limits)	✅ Yes (images only)	❌ No	Quick, one‑off fixes
Foxit PDF Editor	Win, Mac	~$140/yr	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (if permitted)	Business teams

Tool 1: UPDF – Best All‑Around Choice

You will need to rely on PDF editing tools to remove a signature. Though plenty of PDF editors are available in the market, we suggest trying out UPDF! It's the ultimate solution and a complete package for easing PDF management. It features a user-friendly and intuitive interface that allows editing, annotating, converting, compressing, sharing, protecting, and performing multiple PDF-related tasks. Furthermore, its price is relatively lower than that of competitive PDF editing tools.

UPDF allows creating a signature via mouse, trackpad, or keyboard and adding it to the PDF file to validate your authorship. However, it also comes in handy to explore how to delete signatures in PDFs. Just stick to the below-mentioned steps, and you are done!

• Download and launch UPDF with the button below. Then open the PDF file with the signature to remove.

• Once opened, click the "Tools" option to enter "Comment" mode. You can delete signatures in "Comment" mode.

• Click on the signature you need to remove and hit the "Delete" icon. Alternatively, right-click on the signature and select the Delete option. (You can also use the shortcut method: Select the signature and hit the Del key!)

That's it! You have answered the query on how to clear the signature from a PDF.

Is the way to unsign a PDF not working for you? No worries, you can still remove signatures by adding a rectangle covering the signature. Here is how UPDF will help you do that:

• Launch UPDF and open your desired PDF.
• Hit the "Comment" icon in "Tools".
• Navigate to the "Rectangle" icon on the top toolbar and click on it.
• A small menu will pop up. You can use the "Color Pick" function to set the "Fill Color" and the "Border Color" the same as your document background. Remember to change the "Opacity" to 100% if you want to fully cover the signature.

• Now drag to cover the signature using the shape. If you want to draw a proportional shape, you can hold the "Shift" key while drawing it.

Now, flatten the area to cover the signature permanently, and no one can edit it again. To do so, click the downward arrow next to the "Save" icon on the top-right menu bar and select "Save as Flatten". By flattening the PDF, the section becomes the background, and you can't edit the rectangle at all.

In the following dialogue box, tick "Comments" and hit "Save As". Lastly, select a destination for your PDF file and hit "Save".

Dive into enhanced document management. Download UPDF today! Moreover, there is an objective review of UPDF available on the PDF association site, allowing you to gain insight into UPDF.

You can also use UPDF to remove digital signatures. Follow these steps:

Launch UPDF and open your PDF file with UPDF. Navigate to the specific page containing the signature you want to remove.

Access the "Tools" menu and switch to "Form" editing mode (this is where signature fields can be modified). Then locate the "Digital Signature" button in the top toolbar.

Right-click on the signature field and select "Clear Signature" to remove it.

From the pop-up dialog, click "OK" to successfully remove the digital signature.

Also read: How to Remove Signature Field—Right Methods Explained

Pro tip: If you need to remove multiple signatures, UPDF lets you select and delete them in batch.

Beyond signature removal, UPDF offers a complete annotation toolkit – highlights, sticky notes, drawing, OCR, and more. Want to see how it stacks up against other annotation tools? Read our complete guide on how to annotate PDF for side‑by‑side comparisons and step‑by‑step tutorials.

Tool 2: Adobe Acrobat Pro – Industry Standard

If you are an Adobe Acrobat user, below is the step-by-step guide on how to remove digital signatures from PDFs with Adobe Acrobat.

• Open your PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.
• Go to the page where the digital signature is located.
• Right-click the signature, or hold the Control key while clicking the signature field, and then choose "Clear Signature".

What if it doesn't work? The following guide is useful if you cannot remove digital signatures by right-clicking and selecting the Clear Signature option. By following the steps below, you will remove the digital ID used to add that particular signature. This way, that signature will already get deleted.

• Click on "Menu" in the top left-hand side and select "Preferences".

• Choose "Signatures" > "Identities & Trusted Certificates" > "More".

• Now, hit Digital ID, select the ones you want to detach, and hit Detach File.
• Following that, you can also delete the .pfx file.

Note: You can only delete those self-signed digital IDs you created in Adobe Acrobat. It won't let you delete your digital ID from any other provider.

Tool 3: Apple Preview – Built‑in but Limited

Apple Preview is a free built-in Mac utility requiring no installation and suitable for casual PDF tasks. Still, it only deletes signatures created inside Preview, lacking support for digital signatures and certificates. It also has no batch processing or advanced export functions, and annotations might vanish when the file is relocated.

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. If the Markup toolbar isn't showing, click the Show Markup Toolbar button.
3. Click the Signature button (cursive‑style icon).
4. Click the X to the right of the signature you want to delete.

Note: If you signed the file outside of Preview, you may need to use Tools > Redact to redact the signature from the document.

Tool 4: Online Tools (Smallpdf, Sejda, iLovePDF) – Quick & Easy

Most online tools have the same process for removing signatures from PDFs:

1. Go to the official website > Edit PDF.
2. Upload your PDF from your device. ( or from Google Drive or Dropbox).
3. Click the signature image to select it.
4. Press “Delete” on your keyboard, or click the trash icon.

⚠️ Warning: Never upload confidential or legally binding documents to online tools. Files are stored on external servers — even if “auto‑deleted,” you lose control over your data.

Tool 5: Foxit PDF Editor – Solid Business Alternative

Foxit PDF Editor serves as a reliable business alternative. It runs more lightweight than Adobe Acrobat, supports smooth team collaboration, and delivers robust signature management. However, its Mac version is not as refined as the Windows build, and it adopts an annual subscription model priced at around $140 per year.

Let's check how to remove a signature from a PDF on Foxit.

1. Open the PDF in Foxit PDF Editor.
2. Click “Edit” > select “Edit Object” > “Image”.
3. Right‑click on the PDF signature and click “Delete” to remove it.

Among PDF tools, UPDF delivers the optimal overall value. Unlike Adobe’s costly annual subscription, UPDF provides a one-time purchase at roughly $79.99. It supports Windows and Mac, handles image and permitted digital signature removal, OCR, and batch processing offline for better privacy.

While Preview is free but Mac-exclusive and lacks advanced functions, free online tools carry privacy risks and feature limits. For users seeking a dependable, cost-effective cross-platform PDF solution, UPDF is the most sensible pick.

What to Do When You CAN'T Remove a Signature?

Sometimes, no tool will work. Here's why — and what to do.

Why Signatures Become “Unremovable”

Reason	Explanation	Solution
Document is locked	The signer selected “Lock document after signing”	Request an unlocked copy from the owner
Multiple signers	Others have signed the PDF after you	Request the original unsigned copy or ask each signer to remove their signature
Certificate‑based signature	The signature is cryptographically bound to the document	Only the original signer can remove it
Signature is “flattened”	The signature has been merged into the page content	Cannot be removed — use redaction to cover it, or start from an unsigned version

Practical Solutions

If you are the only signer but the document is locked:

• You cannot remove the signature
• You must recreate the document or request a new copy from the owner

If others have signed:

• You cannot remove their signatures
• You must request the original, unsigned copy or ask the signer to remove their signature

If the signature is flattened (merged into the page):

• The signature is now part of the page image
• You cannot “remove” it — but you can redact (black out) the signature area
• Or: start from the original unsigned version

If you need to edit a signed document:

• Best practice: Remove the signature first (if permitted), make your edits, then re‑sign
• Alternative: Start from the original unsigned document, make edits, then sign again

If you frequently work with signed or complex PDFs, mastering annotation tools will save you hours. Learn how to highlight, comment, draw, and organise your PDFs efficiently in our Complete Guide to Annotating PDFs – the go‑to resource for students, professionals, and researchers.

FAQs on Removing Signature from PDFs

Let's now have a look at the answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions!

Wrapping It Up!

Removing a signature is an easy task if you are the signer. You can opt for any of the ways mentioned above to eliminate the query, "How to delete signature from PDF?" However, if someone else has signed the document, you must ask them to remove it; there's no other way you can do it your way.

In all this, UPDF will remain your best buddy by helping you remove the signature from the PDF, edit the content the way you want, and re-sign the PDF. If you haven't got this software yet, you should get it now. To your surprise, you can use one UPDF license on any device, be it Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android!