How to add a digital signature in a Microsoft Word document on a PC or Mac

Fed up of printing out forms, signing, scanning and sending back? Did you know that you can add a digital signature in a Microsoft Word document on a PC or Mac?

It not only saves a heap of time but also add a nice personal touch and on forms, the ability to also complete them digitally looks more professional and reduces the risk of the data being misread.

Don’t even try to use your mouse or trackpad to get your signature in your computer. It never looks right. Below are some tips on how to insert and store your own personal handwritten signature. To create your electronic signature, use a black ink pen, sign a white piece of paper and then do the following:
 
 
 

Adding a digital signature in a PDF on a Mac

  1.  Open the document you want to sign in Preview
  2. Now, click on the Markup icon (alternatively navigate to Tools > Annotate > Signature)
  3. Next, click the Signature button and select Create Signature
  4. Toggle to Camera and hold your signature on the paper up to the camera on your computer
  5. Save it and you will be able to add it to future PDF documents.

 

Adding a digital signature in a PDF on a Windows PC

  1. DownloadAdobe Reader DC(if you haven’t already) – it’s FREE
  2.  Now, click on the Fill & Sign icon
  3. Next, click Sign Yourself and select Add Signature
  4. On your phone, take a photo of your signature, crop it and then send to your computer and upload.
  5. Save it and you will be able to add it to future PDF documents.
The steps for adding a signature in a Microsoft Word document (and storing for future ease of use) are slightly different. Here goes:

 

Adding a signature in Word on a Windows PC & Mac

  1. Take a photo of your signature and crop it using your phone Photos editing tools. Airdrop or email it to your computer and save it.
  2.  In the Insert tab on the ribbon at the top of the screen, click Pictures.
  3. Choose Picture from File from the dropdown menu that appears
  4. Once the picture appears in the document, click on it to bring up the Picture Format tab in the ribbon.
  5. In that tab, click Crop, then crop and adjust the image to your liking.
  6.  Right-click the image and click Save as Picture to save it to Word as a file you can use again on other documents.

 

Creating a signature Auto-Text block for future use (on a Mac)

This is where things get really cool… You are able to save your signature as an Auto-Text block so you can quickly and easily add it into any Word document in the future. The added benefit is you can also add your job title u

nderneath and save the handwritten signature and typed text as a block. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Type the text you want to see with your name in the line underneath the picture.
  2. Using your cursor, highlight both the text and the image.
  3. On the toolbar at the top of your screen, click Insert.
  4. In the dropdown menu, click AutoText > New to open the Create New AutoText box.
  5. Give a name to this signature block so you can find it again later, then click OK.
  6. The next time you want to use this signature, first place your cursor in the spot where you want it.
  7. Go to Insert > AutoText again, and choose AutoText when prompted.
  8. Click the name you gave your signature block to insert it into your document.

 

Creating a signature Auto-Text block for future use (on a Windows PC)

  1.  Type the text that you want to appear every time you use this signature under the picture of your signature that you just inserted.
  2. Use your cursor to highlight both the text and the image.
  3. Go to the Insert tab in the toolbar and select Quick Parts. If you don’t see that label, the icon will be located in the Text section of the tab, near the WordArt tool.
  4. Click Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. This will open a window labeled Create New Building Block.
  5. Where it says Name, type out a label for the signature block, so you can easily find it to use later.
  6. In the Gallery box of the New Building Block window, choose AutoText, then click OK. This will save the signature and the text you selected along with it as a reusable signature.
  7. Whenever you want to use this signature, first place the cursor where you want it to go.
  8. Go to Insert>Quick Parts>AutoText and select the name of the signature you just created, and it will appear.

 

 

By on January 25, 2023

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