Sign PDF

How to add a signature image to a PDF in Chrome

A practical way to place an existing signature image on a PDF in Chrome, with a short check before you send the finished file.

Updated 2026-10-03

If you already have an image of your handwritten signature, you can place it on a PDF in Chrome with Sign PDF. Open the file in the extension, upload the image, move and resize it, then download the edited PDF. Reopen the download before sending it so you can check the page and signature placement.

This adds a visible electronic signature. If a document specifically requires a certificate-based digital signature, an image alone does not meet that requirement.

Prepare the signature image

Start with an image that shows the signature clearly, with little empty space around it. If you are making one from paper, sign on a clean sheet and photograph or scan it in even light. Avoid shadows crossing the writing. Adobe's image-signature guidance gives the same basic advice for preparing a handwritten signature image.

Keep the original image on your computer so you can select it while editing. Preview the image at roughly the size it will appear in the PDF. Thin strokes may be hard to see once you shrink it. These are preparation tips, not an automatic image-cleanup feature of Sign PDF.

Add the image to the PDF

The following sequence follows the Sign PDF Chrome Web Store description. Install the extension if you have not already done so.

  1. Open Sign PDF from Chrome's extension toolbar.
  2. Drop the PDF into the extension or choose Select Files to open a file from your computer.
  3. Choose the option to upload a signature image, then select the image you prepared.
  4. Move the image onto the signature line and resize it to fit the available space.
  5. If the document also needs a printed name or date, use the text tool to place that text on the page.
  6. Check every relevant page, then choose Download to save the edited PDF.

The extension's listing says it processes local files on your device without uploading the PDF to an external server. It also says the local workflow works offline after installation. A PDF opened from a web link still depends on that link being available when you open it.

Check the downloaded copy

Open the downloaded PDF. Check that the signature appears on the intended page and does not cover nearby text. Zoom in to inspect the edges of the image, then look at it at normal reading size. Confirm any name or date you added and keep a copy of the unsigned original if you may need to start over.

If the mark looks too small in the downloaded copy, return to the editor and resize it. If the image has a large white box or a visible shadow, improve the source image and add it again. Sign PDF's listing describes moving and resizing an uploaded image, but does not promise background removal.

Know what the image does and does not do

A signature image is a visible mark on the PDF. It does not by itself verify who placed it there or provide the certificate used in a digital-signature workflow. Adobe's digital-signature instructions require a Digital ID. Sign PDF describes its drawn and uploaded marks as electronic signatures, not certificate-based digital signatures.

If the recipient specifies a certificate, identity verification, or a particular signing process, follow those instructions before returning the document.

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