How to Create an Electronic Signature You Can Use Anywhere

Draw it with your finger, type it and pick a style, or upload a photo of the one you already use. Save it once and it is ready for every PDF, Word file, Google Doc and phone screen after that.

Create your signature free Try the signature pad

How to create an electronic signature three ways. Keep the one you like.

Open a document, click a signature field, and the signature builder appears. Every route below takes well under a minute, and you only do it once.

Option one

Draw a handwritten signature online

Sign with a fingertip on a phone, a stylus on a tablet, or a trackpad on a laptop. The pad smooths your stroke as you go, so it reads as your own hand rather than a wobble. Not happy with it? Clear and draw again as many times as you like.

Option two

Type it and pick a style

Type your name and choose from a set of handwriting styles. This is the quickest route on a desktop and the most legible option of the three, which is why plenty of people prefer it for everyday agreements.

A typed signature is legally binding under ESIGN and UETA when the signer clearly intended to sign and the record shows it, which is exactly what SignSecure's audit trail captures.

Option three

Upload a signature image

Sign a blank sheet in dark ink, photograph it in good light, and upload the JPG or PNG. SignSecure trims the background so the signature drops onto the page cleanly. This is the route to take when you want your existing ink signature carried across.

See what happens after you sign

Try the electronic signature generator online.

This is the real signing surface. Draw with your finger, mouse or stylus, and clear it as often as you like.

Renewal Agreement 2026 Draw your signature

Draw, type or upload on the real thing.

Digital signature vs electronic signature

One is the family. The other is a member of it.

The two terms get used interchangeably, and knowing the difference makes every other article on the subject easier to read.

An electronic signature is the legal idea: any sound, symbol or process attached to a record and adopted by a person with the intent to sign it. A signature you draw with your finger, a name you type into a field, and a scanned image of your ink signature are all electronic signatures.

A digital signature is the technology: a specific cryptographic method built on public key infrastructure and digital certificates. It binds a signature to a document mathematically and adds three properties on top of the signature itself.

AuthenticationThe certificate ties the signing act to a verified identity or a trusted service, so the origin of the signature can be checked.
IntegrityA hash of the document is signed alongside it. Change one byte afterwards and the check fails, which is what makes a document tamper-evident.
Non-repudiationBecause only the holder of the private key could have produced the signature, it is far harder to later claim the signing never happened.
How they fit togetherEvery digital signature is an electronic signature. Not every electronic signature is a digital one. SignSecure gives you the friendly electronic signature on screen and applies the digital signature to the finished file.

Read how the law treats each one

Platform by platform

Add your signature to whatever file just landed.

Your saved signature travels with you. Here is the shortest path on each of the places people ask about most.

Sign a PDF

Upload the PDF to SignSecure, drag a signature field onto the page, click it and pick your saved signature. Download the sealed copy, or send it on to someone else to sign after you. The finished file opens in any PDF reader with the signature already in place.

Add a signature to a Word document

Two good routes. Save the .docx as a PDF and sign that, which keeps the layout fixed and gives you a sealed file. Or insert your signature image directly in Word with Insert then Pictures, size it over the signature line, and set the wrap to In Front of Text.

Google Docs

Use Insert, then Drawing, then New, and draw with the scribble tool. For a version that carries a seal and an audit trail, download the doc as a PDF and run it through SignSecure instead.

Made for the phone in your hand

Most signatures happen on mobile, so that is where the pad was designed first.

iPhone and iPad

Open the signing link from your email in Safari and draw straight on the screen. An Apple Pencil on iPad gives you the closest thing to pen on paper. There is no app to install and no account to make.

Android

Tap the link in Gmail, sign with a fingertip or a stylus in Chrome, and tap finish. The signed copy is emailed back to you and stored in your account.

Common questions about making a signature.

Is a typed signature valid?

Yes. Typing your name counts as a signature when you intended it to be one, and the law does not require a drawn image. SignSecure lets signers draw, type or upload, and captures the same evidence either way.

How do I make a digital signature image with a clean background?

Sign a plain white sheet with a dark pen, photograph it straight on in even daylight, and crop close to the strokes. Upload the JPG or PNG and SignSecure trims the paper away so only the ink lands on the page. If you want a transparent PNG for use elsewhere, save your signature once in SignSecure and download it from your profile.

Do I need an account to sign something sent to me?

No. If someone sends you a document, you open the link, create your signature and finish. An account is only needed when you want to send documents yourself or keep a saved signature for reuse.

Can I change my signature later?

Yes. Your saved signature lives in your profile and you can redraw, retype or re-upload it whenever you like. Documents you already signed keep the signature that was applied at the time, which is exactly what the audit trail records.

Does a typed signature count as much as a drawn one?

Both are electronic signatures, and the law looks at intent, consent, attribution and the record rather than how the mark was drawn. SignSecure captures the same evidence set either way, so choose whichever feels most natural to you.

Can my whole team sign from inside our CRM?

Yes. Signing runs from the record your team already works on, and the sealed file returns to that record. See the Salesforce app for how that looks in practice, or compare what is included on each plan on the pricing page.

Make your signature once. Use it everywhere after that.

Free to try, no card needed. Draw it, type it or upload it, and your next document is ready to sign in seconds.

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