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How to sign a PDF on a Mac

To sign a PDF on a Mac, open it in an app that puts your signature on the page, then save a copy. Preview, which comes with macOS, does it free: Apple's guide shows signing with the trackpad, the built-in camera or an iPhone or iPad. In Latte PDF, choose Edit › Add Signature… (⌥⌘S), draw, type or import your signature, drag it into place and choose Save As. Your signature and the contract stay on your computer; nothing is uploaded.

Updated October 2026. The steps match the current Latte PDF for Mac.

Sign a PDF, step by step

  1. Open the PDF

    Drop it on the Latte PDF window, or choose File › Open… (⌘O).

  2. Choose Add Signature

    Choose Edit › Add Signature… (⌥⌘S), or click Sign. Pick Signature or Initials.

  3. Make your signature

    Draw it with the trackpad or mouse, type your name in one of two handwriting styles, or import a photo of your signature on white paper; the paper becomes see-through. Black or blue ink.

  4. Choose whether to keep it

    The first time, Keep this signature on this computer is ticked: the signature is saved only in Latte PDF's own folder on this computer, never uploaded, and offered next time. Untick it to keep nothing. To remove a kept one later, open the Saved tab and click Delete saved signature.

  5. Place it on the page

    Click Place on page. Drag the signature into place and drag a corner to resize it. Add the date with Edit › Add Text Box (⌘T), or type into the form's own boxes with Fill Form.

  6. Save the signed copy

    Choose File › Save As… (⇧⌘S). The signature is painted into the new copy; the unsigned original stays as it was.

Latte PDF will be free to try: everything above works without a licence except saving.

A signature on the page, not a certificate

This is the digital version of signing on paper: your signature, drawn or imported, placed on the page and saved into the PDF. It is what most forms, leases and everyday contracts ask for. Some organisations ask instead for a certificate-based digital signature from a signing service; if yours does, use the service it names.

Getting someone else to sign

Email them the PDF: they can sign it in their own PDF app, Preview included, and send it back. If you change anything after they sign, ask them to sign the new copy.

Questions

What is the cheapest way to sign a contract digitally?

If it means putting your own signature on the PDF, it can cost nothing: Preview comes with macOS and signs PDFs. Latte PDF will be free to try, and a one-time licence from $9.99 unlocks saving the signed copy, with your signature kept only on your computer. A certificate-based digital signature is different: it comes from a signing service, as above.

Email them the PDF: they can sign it in their own PDF app, Preview included, and send it back. If you change anything after they sign, ask them to sign the new copy.

Where is my signature kept?

Only on your computer. The first time you sign, Keep this signature on this computer is ticked: leave it and the signature is saved in Latte PDF's own folder, never uploaded, and offered next time; untick it and nothing is kept. To remove a kept one, open Add Signature…, choose the Saved tab and click Delete saved signature.

Can I sign a scanned contract?

Yes. A scan is a PDF page like any other: place your signature on it, drag it onto the line and Save As.