How to sign a PDF on Mac for free in 2023?
Jackson Kustec
jackson@macro.com
Still printing documents just to sign, scan and convert them back to PDF?
Ditch the paper hassle – it's 2023! 🤷🏻♂️
It's time for you to learn how to sign PDFs on Mac for free.
In this article, I walk you through a step-by-step process of signing a PDF using our sleek, modern tool – Macro.
How to sign a PDF on a Mac?
Method #1. Signing PDFs with Macro’s in-app capabilities
Macro lets you draw or type your signature in-app and sign PDFs in minutes.
Here’s a video demonstrating the process 👇
If you prefer written guides, here are the steps you need to follow to sign a PDF with Macro:
Step 1: Opening a PDF with Macro
After downloading and opening the Macro app, click on the ‘Open a PDF or DOCX files’ button to select and open the PDF file you want to sign.
Step 2: Opening Macro’s editing toolbar
Click on the Edit icon from the top menu bar, then click on the Signature option.
Step 3: Finalizing signature position
The moment you click on the Signature button, Macro will ask you to select where you want to place your digital signature.
👀 Note: You can place your signature anywhere on the PDF, and then drag it wherever you want.
If you have already signed a PDF with Macro, the app will automatically show the same signature you previously used.
If you want to sign another PDF, just place your signature box in the right place, and you're done!
Need to add a new signature? Here’s how to replace yours with a new one 👇
Step 4: Creating a new signature in Macro
Click on the ‘Replace signature’ icon at the bottom of the signature box.
Macro will give you two options:
First – Draw a signature with a mouse or trackpad.
👀 Note: Drawing a signature on your Mac is tough. If you’re comfortable with e-signing PDFs with your name or just initials, use the next method 👇.
Second – Click on the ‘Type’ button, and enter your full name or initials.
Click ‘ Sign’ once you’re done.
💡 Pro Tip: Resize the signature to match the PDF’s font size.
Method #2. Signing PDFs with Macro’s third-party integrations
Macro integrates with DocuSign, Adobe Sign, and HelloSign, through which you can sign PDFs or request signatures from others.
Signing documents from these three platforms is more or less the same.
As an example, I will show you how to sign PDFs and request signatures with DocuSign.
Step 1. Select the integration
After opening Macro, click on the ‘ Signature’ button from the left-hand side menu.
From the Select a Cloud eSignature provider tab, select DocuSign and click Launch .
Step 2. Choosing your signature with DocuSign
After you click Launch, Macro launches DocuSign’s website.
To get started, create an account or log in if you already have one.
After completing the process, you will be taken to DocuSign’s dashboard 👇
Click ‘ Create your signature’.
DocuSign lets you choose a digital signature from a range of automatically generated ones. It also gives you options to draw or upload your handwritten signature.
Click ‘Create’ after finalizing your signature.
Step 3. Signing PDF with DocuSign
Click ‘Start Now’ .
Upload the document you want to sign.
In the Add recipients section, add people you want to request a signature from.
If you're the only one signing, you can check I'm the only signer box and move ahead.
In the Add message section, add Email Subject and click on Next .
DocuSign will open the PDF file and ask you to place the signature field.
Choose the Signature icon from the left-hand side menu bar and place it where you want other people to sign.
Click Send, and DocuSign will send it to all recipients you added in the previous step.
The recipients will then receive an email requesting their signature on the document.
Read and edit documents faster with Macro
Signing PDFs isn’t rocket science 🚀. You can do it with Mac's built-in Preview app.
A major drawback with Mac's Preview app is that it doesn't let you connect to third-party e-signature tools natively. This means you can’t request signatures from others.
That’s why you need Macro.
Apart from signing PDFs, you can do a lot more with Macro:
Key Feature #1. Edit PDFs with Macro
No more juggling between PDFs and Word files when finalizing contracts.
With Macro’s PDF editor, you can directly manipulate PDFs by inserting text, repositioning images, and annotating the document for future reference.
What sets Macro apart is its convenient feature that can help you split, merge, and reorder pages.
Furthermore, Macro is fully compatible with both Word and PDF formats. This ensures that your changes seamlessly integrate with your everyday work tools.
Key Feature #2. Use Macro’s AI copilot
When multiple people work on the same PDF, it's hard to avoid errors. In such scenarios, rectifying errors becomes crucial. Macro lets you do just that.
The platform’s AI copilot finds errors in lengthy documentation by spotting undefined terms, empty clauses, or repetitive definitions.
But the copilot’s capable of doing much more than error detection.
To save valuable time and elevate your work, copilot can:
- Summarize long PDF documents
- Look up internal PDF documents
- Answer PDF-related questions
- Auto-complete paragraphs
- Rewrite sections
Key Feature #3. Compare multiple PDF versions
Have you ever dug through hundreds of emails to find the latest version of a document?
Irritating, right?
That's why Macro has the most advanced compare feature that gets you the final edited document in minutes.
After you run Macro Compare, you can approve or reject edits, prepare the final version, and export it to DOCX or PDF for execution.
To sign your PDF forms and documents with Macro, download the free app and get started immediately.