Send a PDF for signature, free

How to send a PDF for signature

1. Upload the document. A PDF goes straight in. A Word file (.docx, .doc, .odt) or a photo (JPG, PNG, WebP) is turned into a PDF first. You can add up to 10 documents to one request, up to 15 MB each and 30 MB together.
2. Add the people. Type each person's name and email, or paste a list. Choose whether they sign one after another or all at once.
3. Place the fields. Drag signature, initials, name, date and text boxes onto the pages for each person, or press Place automatically for a first pass you can adjust.
4. Send. Review the message and the expiry date, then press Send. If you are not signed in yet, this is where you make a free account with a verified email. The request goes out in your name.

What happens after you press Send

Each person gets an email with a private link. Nothing to install and no account: the link opens the document in the browser, on a computer or a phone. You see in your sent documents who has opened it and who has signed, and you can send a reminder or let the automatic reminders do it.

When the last person finishes, everyone gets the signed PDF. It comes with a certificate of completion listing each person's name, email, the times they opened and signed, their IP address and their browser, and the file is sealed with a trusted timestamp so any later change shows. What a certificate of completion contains walks through it line by line.

Sending a Word document or a photo

Plenty of agreements start life as a Word file, and plenty of forms arrive as a photo of a printed page. You do not need to convert them yourself. Drop the .docx or the JPG in the box above and it becomes a PDF before you place any fields. Check the converted pages in the preview; if the layout moved, convert it with Word to PDF and adjust it in the PDF Editor first.

What is free

The Free plan has a limited allowance of requests each calendar month, and paid Pro and Team plans. Pro removes the limits. The people you send to never pay and never need an account. A free account is needed only for the sender, because the request goes out in your name and the emails need a real reply address.

Before you send: three checks

• The right email address. A typo sends the link to a stranger. If the document is sensitive, add an access code and tell the signer the code by phone.
• The right order. In order means the second person is emailed only after the first has signed. All at once emails everyone together.
• An expiry date. After it, the link stops working. Two weeks is the default.