How to Add a Signature to a Document on Mac

These days, everything is digital. It’s rare that someone asks for your fax number, and driving to someone’s office to sign a document seems absurd.

If you haven’t run across the problem yet, you surely will soon: someone needs you to sign a document and email it to them ASAP. Luckily, you can easily add a signature to a Word document on a Mac.

Fortunately, we’ll show you how to add a signature to a Word doc and a PDF on your Mac.

How to Create a Signature on a Mac

Before we dive into inserting a signature on your documents, let’s create the signature first. Your Mac will save your signature so you can easily add it to Word docs, PDFs, and more.

Here’s how to create your signature.

Step 1: Open the Preview App

Go to the Launchpad on your dock and open the Preview app on your Mac.

Note: Preview may open to the last image you used. That’s ok. We aren’t worried about the image; we want to create a signature and can do that regardless of what appears on the screen.

Step 2: Click the Markup Tool Option

Preview has a menu at the top of the page. To the right, you’ll see an icon that looks like the tip of a pen. Click it.

Step 3: Click the Signature Icon

After clicking the Markup Tool icon, the signature icon should darken and turn into a clickable link. Click the signature icon to the right of the markup tool icon.

Step 4: Click Create New

Now, a little pop-up window will appear. Click Create New to start drawing your signature.

Step 5: Create Your Signature

Here’s where things get a bit tricky. You can use your mouse or trackpad, your Mac camera, or your iPhone to create your signature.

We found that the camera option was easiest because we could write the signature on a white piece of paper and hold it up to the Mac camera.

However, if you prefer to use the trackpad or mouse, be sure to start at the left and move right. It reads just like a piece of paper.

Step 6: Click Done

Now, click Done. Anytime you want to use your signature, you can.

How to Add a Signature to Word on a Mac

Adding a signature to Word is a bit different from other document types because we need to open it in Preview. Below are the steps to convert and add your signature to a Word doc on a Mac.

Note: If you have any documents that you need to convert to PDF and open in Preview, these instructions should work.

Step 1: Open the Document

Access the Word doc on your computer. You’ll likely find the one you’re looking for by opening Finder and selecting Documents. You can also click the search bar or filter icon to make the process a bit faster.

When you find the Word doc, open it.

Step 2: Click File, then Save As

Now, we need to save the document as a PDF. Click File in the Mac menu at the very top of your screen. Then, click Save As.

Step 3: Click PDF

Choose a name for your file and select a location to save it. This will make things easier later. But, before you save it, be sure to click the File Type drop-down menu and select PDF.

Step 4: Open the File in Preview

Now, you can locate your file and open it in Preview.

Helpful hint: When we tested our methods, the file appeared in the Downloads folder in Finder. However, if you save your file properly, you can find it quickly using the search bar or by going to the location you chose in Step 3.

Step 5: Click the Signature Icon

We’re almost done. Click the signature icon at the top of the Preview window.

Step 6: Click Your Signature

The pop-up menu with your signature will appear. Click the signature you’d like to add to your document on your Mac.

Step 7: Place Your Signature

Drag and resize the signature so it fits perfectly on the page. You’re done!

How to Add a Signature to Email Documents on a Mac

More often than not, you’re signing a document that someone sends to your email. So, we wanted to include special instructions for adding your signature to documents that come in on your Mac email. This should work for any document type, and it’s quite simple once you do it.

Note: Beware of opening documents from unknown senders. It could put your computer at risk.

Step 1: Open the Document

Click on the email with the file you need to sign. Then, double-click the file.

Step 2: Click File

Click File in the Mac menu at the top of your screen.

Note: Skip to Step 5 if your document is already in PDF format.

Step 3: Click Export

Now, click Export in the drop-down menu.

Step 4: Click PDF

Choose the save location and select PDF from the file type drop-down menu.

Step 5: Open the File

Now that we’ve changed the file to a PDF, we can add a signature. Open the PDF version of the document.

Helpful hint: You may need to browse Finder to locate it. Start with the Recents folder to save time. Or use the search bar (near the top) if you know the name of the document.

Step 6: Click Signature

Click the signature icon and click the signature you’d like to use.

Step 7: Insert Your Signature

Move your signature anywhere you’d like. Then, save the document. You can email it back with your signature.

Mac Signatures

Technology has made things so much simpler! Sometimes it can be a pain to figure out how to do the most simple tasks. Because printer technology hasn’t improved much in decades, we hope we’ve saved you some time and a headache by showing you how simple it really is to add your signature to a document on a Mac.