Before we proceed further, let’s clarify that Electronic signatures and Digital signatures have different meanings, even though they are used interchangeably. An electronic signature verifies a digital document, but it is not validated by any trusted certificate authorities. A digital signature, on the other hand, is cryptographically secure and authorized by trusted certificate authorities. In simple words, an electronic signature is just an image of your handwritten signature placed on a document, whereas a digital signature consists of encrypted data that proves that the document comes from you. Hence, a digital signature is more authentic and temper-evident as compared to an electronic signature. However, since electronic signatures are less complicated and easy to use, they are widely preferred to sign business documents, such as contracts and legal agreements.
How to Electronically Sign a Document in Windows 11/10
This article will take you through some ways to e-Sign documents in Windows 11/10.
1] Electronically Sign Documents using Microsoft Edge
Edge is Microsoft’s modern-age browser that comes pre-installed on Windows 11/10 PCs. It allows reading and annotating PDF documents. That means you can open a PDF document in Edge and add your electronic signature to it, using the annotation tool. Here’s how to do it quickly: Here’s a detailed article on how to electronically sign PDF using Microsoft Edge. Read: How to enable and validate Digital Signature for PDF in Microsoft Edge
2] Electronically Sign Documents using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is a free, trusted software for reading PDF files. It allows adding electronic signatures to the PDF documents with its unique ‘Fill & Sign’ feature. Here’s how to use this feature to quickly e-Sign documents in Windows 11/10: TIP: These posts will show you how to add a digital signature in Word in Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
3] Electronically Sign Documents using Light PDF
Light PDF is a third-party software that provides a ‘sign’ feature to add electronic or digital signatures to PDF documents. It is available free of cost for Windows 11/10 PCs. Just like Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Light PDF provides 3 different ways of e-Signing documents. However, it offers to protect the signature using a password, to ensure that the signature won’t be misused by any unauthorized person. Here’s how you can electronically sign documents using Light PDF: If you are in a hurry to e-Sign a PDF, you can use Edge, as it comes pre-installed on Windows 11/10 PCs. However, it does not provide the option to save a signature. So, each time you use Edge, you will have to create a signature from scratch, which could be quite laborious. Acrobat Reader provides a good solution to this by allowing its users to save signatures. Light PDF moves one step ahead and offers to protect the signature with a custom password. However, the resize signature feature is better in Acrobat than in Light PDF. Light PDF fails to maintain the quality of the signature when it is being expanded. Also, it slightly cuts the signature from the left and top while adding it to the document. Read: How to sign a PDF using free software or online tools
4] DocuSign app
DocuSign is an electronic signature service that facilitates electronic exchanges of signed documents and contracts. It lets you sign documents electronically from anywhere, anytime. The DocuSign app for Windows 11/10 is available for download in the Windows Store. DocuSign for Windows is a perfectly safe and legal way to sign digital documents electronically. You can sign any kind of documents anywhere, anytime on any device, may it be employment forms, NDAs, lease or rental agreements, invoices, bills, contracts, work orders, or anything else.
How do I sign a document in Windows 11?
You can electronically sign a PDF document in Windows 11 using the Microsoft Edge browser that comes pre-installed with all Windows 11 PCs. Launch the browser and open the document in a new browser tab. Once the document opens up, a toolbar will appear on top. The toolbar shows various tools to edit the document, including an annotation tool. Use the tool to create your sign in the specified area of the document.
How do I electronically sign a document on my computer?
Various third-party tools such as Adobe’s Acrobat Reader and Light PDF allow adding electronic signatures to PDF documents. You can use these tools to create your signature and add them to the PDF. These tools also offer to add a scanned copy of your handwritten signature to the document. Apart from these, you can use the ‘annotation’ feature of Microsoft’s built-in Edge browser to electronically sign documents.
