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How to Sign PDF on Mac with 4 Powerful Methods for Mac Users (macOS Sonoma Included)

The world is using smart and effective technologies to increase their workflow in less amount of time. One such example is using electronic signatures on PDFs to guarantee security and authenticity. Moreover, electronic signatures are recognized and supported globally as a legal way to indicate someone's reliability. In this article, you can learn how to sign PDFs on a Mac with efficient and cost-effective tools.

What is an Electronic Signature?

To ease the workflow of business organizations and academic fields, electronic signatures are used as the replacement for handwritten signatures. This type of signature is used in electronic documents to show the approval, verification, or identification of a particular individual or organization. E-signatures can be in the form of anyone's name, an image, or a hand-drawn electronic sign. The biggest benefit of electronic signatures is that they can replace traditional handwritten signatures effectively.

What is a Digital Signature?

A digital signature refers to an innovative mathematical technique that can be used to sign legal documents, digital contracts, and more legal papers or simply to authenticate a digital document. These digital equivalents of the handwritten signature are considered more secure than the latter.

When Do You Need to Use an Electronic or Digital Signature?

An electronic signature can be used in various professional fields as it is eco-friendly and cost-effective. Following are some of the areas where an electronic signature can be used:

  • HR Department: The HR department of any organization can use an electronic signature to form a good impression on newly hired employees. It can accelerate the hiring process as HR officers can easily add e-signatures to the documents without any hassle.
  • Legal Use: E-signatures have a huge demand in the legal field where individuals or organization can sign their contracts in a confidential way. Rather than going in person to sign certain legal documents, people can use an electronic signature to save time and energy.
  • Finance Department: The finance department can also take benefit of electronic signatures to check the purchasing orders. Finance officers can easily approve invoices or sales tax through e-signatures that ensure great security.
  • Confidential Agreements: Rental and loan agreements can also use e-signatures to sign off their contracts while maintaining confidentiality. People can easily sign these important contracts while sitting in their homes to save energy.

Method 1: How Do I Add a Signature to a PDF on a Mac?

To add a signature to PDF Mac, the best tool you can use is UPDF for Mac, as it offers high compatibility with the Mac platform, including the latest macOS Ventura. This tool comes along with multiple options to edit and sign PDF files flawlessly.

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how to sign pdf on mac using updf

You can type and draw the electronic signature on UPDF either through a mouse or trackpad. Moreover, you can control the thickness of the cursor while drawing the signature on UPDF. To add more creativity, you can change the color of the signature according to your preference.

Advantages

  • You can navigate to its editing feature to add, modify, or remove the text along with changing its alignment.
  • Through its cloud storage feature, you can quickly access your PDF file across various platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
  • UPDF enables users to secure their documents by adding passwords and restrictions from executing editing or by adding the expiry date before sharing the PDF.
  • You can add, insert, extract, replace, split, crop, and delete PDF pages through UPDF to arrange your file in a well-structured manner.

How to Add Electronic Signature to PDF on Mac Using UPDF

Step 1: Open PDF File

Launch UPDF on your system and open its interface. Tap on the "Open File" button and browse the PDF file from your computer to open it to this tool.

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Step 2: Access the Sign Feature

Once the PDF file gets opened, tap on the "Comment" feature displayed above. This feature will display all the annotating options. Click on the "Signature" icon displayed on top and select the "Create Signature" option.

sign pdf on mac with signature icon

Step 3: How to Sign a PDF Document on Mac

Then a small box will appear in which you can type or draw the electronic signature preferably. Then you can start creating your signature.

how to sign a document on mac with three ways

Step 4: Apply the Signature

After creating the signature, you can also change its thickness. Once done, click on the "Create" button and then put it on any specified part for applying it.

Video Tutorial on How to Sign PDF on Mac

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Method 2. How to Add a Digital Signature to a PDF on a Mac with UPDF?

Multiple platforms support adding digital signatures to PDFs. However, we suggest using UPDF, as its user-friendly interface makes the entire process much easier for even non-tech savvy. Let's now hop onto the detailed steps of adding digital signatures with UPDF!

Step 1: Upload PDF File

Launch UPDF and hit the Open File button to upload your desired PDF file.

Step 2: Add a Digital Signature Field

Once the file opens, go to the "Prepare Form" section; you can find the icon on the left panel. Spot and click the "Digital Signature" icon on the top toolbar. Now, you are supposed to click anywhere in the document to add a digital signature field. Once added, you can move it to any other location, change its size, etc.

sign a pdf on mac

Step 3: Digitally Sign the PDF

For this purpose, go to the "Preview" mode and double-click your added field. In the following Sign Window, choose whether you want to create a digital ID or import one and follow the further steps accordingly:

Create Digital ID – To do so hit the Create icon on the window and follow up by adding your personal information. You can save your created digital ID to a file for future use.

Import a Digital ID – Simply click on the Import icon on the Sign Window. Import your digital ID from the local storage and enter its password to validate your identity.

how to sign a pdf on mac

Step 4: Hit the Sign Button

Once you are done creating or importing the digital ID, just hit the Sign button to complete the process of adding a digital signature.

Method 3: How to Sign PDF in Preview on Mac?

Preview is a built-in app for Mac users to open and edit PDF files. The user interface is simple and easy to operate and open the documents in their original quality. As it's a built-in app on Mac, it offers fast processing speed and executes the given task in a timely manner.

Along with editing and opening PDF files, you can use the Preview app to sign PDF on Mac. Read the below instructions to add a signature to PDF on Mac through Preview.

Step 1: Open the main user interface of the Preview app and import the PDF file that you want to sign.  After importing the document, click on the "Markup Toolbar" from above. Now tap on the "Sign" option to create a signature.

sign pdf in preview with markup toolbar

Step 2: On the small displayed menu of "Sign", you can see two options "Camera" and "Trackpad". Click on "Trackpad" and draw your signature. You can add its description by giving it a name. Now click on the "Done" button to save it.

create and insert signature in pdf mac

Step 3: Click on the signature that you have created recently and drag it to any place in the document. Apply the signature and adjust its size. Now go to the "File" button and tap on "Save" to save all the changes.

save signature pdf mac

Method 4: How Can I Insert a Signature in PDF on Mac Online?

To sign PDF documents on Mac, there are various online PDF tools. There are many online PDF signing tools for Mac, and we are here to explain the general steps. Read the below steps to sign PDF on Mac online:

  • Step 1: Go to Google and search for an online PDF singer for Mac. Access the online website and click on its feature called "eSign PDF."
  • Step 2: After clicking on the eSign feature, tap on the "Choose File" button. Browse the PDF file from your device and upload it to this tool.
  • Step 3: After uploading the file, you can see various options displayed on the right side to add a signature to your document. You can either type, draw, or upload the electronic signature instantly on this tool. Once done, click on "Finish and Sign" to end the process. Now you can download the PDF file by selecting the "Download" button.

Comparing the Three Methods to Sign PDF on Mac

After learning the three methods above, we may be confused about which method to choose from. By choosing the best method, you should consider the performance, output quality, compatibility, etc. We have listed all the aspects for you to compare better. Check it below:

UPDFPreviewOnline Tool
Sign PDF on Mac ElectronicallyYesYesYes
PerformanceHighMediumLow
StabilityHighMediumNot stable
Advanced OCR FeatureYes. With UPDF, you can turn scanned PDFs into searchable and editable PDFs.NoNo
Edit Text in PDFYes. You can edit the text in PDF like in Word.No. Preview only offers the basic features.No, online tools don't have editing techniques.
User FriendlySuper easy to use with elegant UI designEasyEasy
Rating4.84.03.8

After comparing the necessary features and performance, we can easily tell that UPDF is the best choice for us. With complete features, you are able to deal with all PDF-related issues in one place.

Conclusion

Many Mac users are unaware of how to sign a PDF document on Mac through reliable platforms. This article has opted for a simpler approach to signing PDFs on Mac by using well-trusted tools. However, to access the best facilitating features, UPDF is at the top of the recommendation list. Three different ways to create a signature. It's not only a PDF signer but also a PDF editor, annotator, and organizer. It's a great software that you can't miss. Therefore, download UPDF to manage PDF-related tasks effortlessly. Furthermore, you can access advanced perks to boost your work efficiency, all at an exclusive 60% discount.

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