How to Add a Signature in Google Docs

To add a signature in Google Docs on a computer, choose Insert > Drawing > New, select Scribble from Select line, draw your signature, and click Save & Close. You can also insert an existing signature image, including a photograph or scan. On Android, iPhone, or iPad, use the Google Docs app to insert a signature photo.

Draw your signature with Scribble

Open your document in a desktop browser and place the cursor where the signature belongs. Choose Insert > Drawing > New to open the drawing area. Open Select line, then choose Scribble.

Draw your signature by dragging across the drawing area. When you finish, click Save & Close to insert it into your document. This route works with personal and Workspace accounts.

To reuse a drawing across documents, save your signature in Google Drawings. In the destination document on desktop web, choose Insert > Drawing > From Drive, select the drawing, then click Select. If drawing by dragging is awkward, insert a photographed or scanned signature instead.

Insert a signature image

In a desktop browser, choose Insert > Image. Select Upload from computer, Drive & Photos, Camera, or By URL, depending on where your signature image is stored. Supply the image, then click Insert or Open, as applicable. A photograph, scan, or signature image created in another application uses this same route.

You can also drag an existing signature image from your computer or a webpage into the document. To copy it instead, right-click the image, choose Copy, then use Paste in Docs. Browser clipboard permissions can affect pasting, so use Insert > Image if pasting fails.

Add a signature on Android or iPhone

On an Android phone or tablet, open your document in the Google Docs app. Tap Insert > Image, choose the image source, then tap your signature photo.

On an iPhone or iPad, open the document in the Google Docs app and tap Insert > Image. Choose the image source and tap your signature photo. The Scribble instructions above apply to a desktop browser.

On Android, you can also use markups to handwrite your signature directly on the document. On a phone, tap Insert > Add markups; on a large screen, tap the Markups toggle. Select Pen and write your signature.

Tap Close when you finish writing. Complete the markup step with the Checkmark on handheld devices or the Markups toggle on large screens.

Type your name in a handwriting font

In Google Docs on desktop web, type and select your name. Use Font in the toolbar to choose a handwriting-style font. This creates styled text and does not start a signature-request workflow.

For additional fonts, press Alt + / on Windows or ChromeOS, or Option + / on Mac. Enter more fonts and press Enter. Search for script fonts, select the desired font, and confirm with OK.

Send and complete a Google eSignature request

Google’s native eSignature request workflow works on desktop web with Workspace Individual and eligible managed Workspace editions when enabled. It produces a signing PDF. Start in your document by choosing Tools > eSignature.

Under Insert fields for, choose the signer, then drag Signature into the document. Click Request signature, enter the PDF title and signer email addresses, then submit the request. If Google presents a terms acceptance prompt, review and accept the terms to continue.

To complete a request sent to you, open the emailed signing link, or open the request PDF in Drive and click Sign. Select your assigned signature field. Choose Type and enter your name, or choose Draw and handwrite your signature with a mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen.

Click Adopt and sign, then complete the remaining required fields. Select Mark Complete, review the terms, and click Agree & Continue.

Fix eSignature access on a managed account

If you cannot access eSignature on an eligible managed account, ask your administrator to check its setting. Google lists Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Enterprise Essentials and Essentials Plus, and Education Plus in its administration instructions. Google says eSignature is enabled by default and setting changes can take 24 hours.

If you are an administrator with Drive & Docs privileges, open the Admin console. Choose Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > eSignature, optionally select an organizational unit, then select On. Click Save, or Override for an organizational unit.

Use a signature add-on

To install a signature add-on in desktop Docs, choose Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons and find the vendor’s add-on. Click Install, then Continue, review the requested access, click Allow, and finish with Done. If you are editing an Office-format document, it may need conversion to Google Docs before add-ons are available.

For Signeasy, you can also open the Signeasy installation page. Click Install, then Continue, choose your Google account, and click Allow. You need a Signeasy account for its signing workflow.

Once installed, select Signeasy in the right sidebar, select Request Permission, then select Allow. Select SIGN to open a PDF copy for your own signature, or select Send for Signature to ask another person to sign. Final signing takes place in a separate Signeasy tab.

For Docusign, install its Google Workspace integration through its Marketplace listing by selecting Install. Open your document and select the Docusign icon in the right sidebar, then sign in or create a Docusign account. The integration provides signing and sending workflows, and Docusign says completed agreements are saved to Drive.

For Dropbox Sign, formerly HelloSign, select Install on its Marketplace listing, then open the installed add-on in desktop Docs. Select Just Me, draw your signature, and position it. For additional signers, choose Me and Others or Just Others, enter their email addresses, and position the signature fields.

For Formesign, select Install on its Marketplace listing. In desktop Docs, choose Extensions > Formesign - Signature for Google Docs > Request signature. Click Proceed, review the detected fields, then click Proceed again.

Select I'll sign it, then click Continue. Complete the fields, draw your signature, and click Submit document. Formesign produces a signed PDF and is a paid service with a trial.

Reuse a signature with SignClub

In desktop Chrome, install SignClub from the developer’s Chrome Web Store listing. Click its extension icon, draw a signature, and save it with a name.

Open your Google Doc and right-click where the signature belongs. Choose SignClub, then select the saved signature.

Download a PDF and sign the copy

To create a separate PDF for signing, save and download your Google document using File > Download and select PDF format. The signed PDF is separate from your editable source document. Adding a signature to the exported copy does not add it to the source document.

In Chrome, you can also export through File > Print. Under Destination, select Save as PDF, then click Save.

Open the exported PDF in desktop Chrome and select Draw > Pen. Choose the pen size and color, then draw your signature with your mouse or touchpad. Select Done, then choose Download > With your changes to save the signed copy.

On a Mac, open the exported PDF in Preview, click Show Markup Toolbar, then click Sign. Reuse a saved signature, or capture one with Trackpad, Camera, or Select Device for a nearby iPhone or iPad. Nearby device capture requires compatible Continuity devices, and iPad capture can use Apple Pencil.

For trackpad capture, write with your finger, press any key, and click Done. For camera capture, show your paper signature and click Done. Select the signature, then position and resize it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you refresh a signature inserted from Google Drawings?

A drawing inserted through From Drive stays linked to its original. Click Update to refresh the inserted drawing. To disconnect it from the original, select Unlink.

Can you start a Google eSignature request from an existing PDF?

Yes, with an eligible requester account on desktop web, open the PDF in Google Drive’s viewer and choose Menu > eSignature. Prepare the signer fields and send the request through the native eSignature workflow.

Can you sign the exported PDF online with Adobe?

Yes, open Adobe’s online PDF signing tool in a supported desktop or mobile browser, without installing software. Click Select a file, upload the PDF, and sign in with an Adobe account. Use the Sign panel to create and position a typed, drawn, or image-based signature. Click Next, then download the signed PDF or obtain a sharing link.

Can you open a document in Signeasy directly from Google Drive?

Yes, in Chrome with the Signeasy Drive integration and an active Signeasy account, right-click the document in Drive and choose Open With > Signeasy. Alternatively, open a Drive preview and choose SignEasy from its top dropdown. The document opens in Signeasy for signing.