How to Insert Signature in Word

Many documents that are created with the standard text editor - Microsoft Word requires a signature. This ranges from cover letters, newsletters, contracts ...etc. Electronic signatures, especially handwritten ones are great to personalize your content.

However, you cannot create a signature directly from Microsoft Word. Instead, here are a few ways to insert a signature in Word documents.

How to Insert Signature in Word - from Scanned Files

To insert a handwritten signature to your Word document, follow the steps below:

• Scan your signature with a scanner and export it to your computer.

• You can then easily drag and drop the image file into your Word document, or click Insert > Pictures > Picture from File... to locate and insert signature in Word.

• Pro Tip: If you need to resize or crop the scanned signature that had been inserted into your Word document, use your local image reader to crop it. Cropping is a universal functionality that all image viewing software, such as Preview on Mac or Photo Viewer on Windows.

How to Insert Signature Line in Word

If you are old school and would like to print out the document, with a line for the recipient to know where to sign, rather than to place an electronic signature in word, follow the steps below to create a signature line:

• Have the Word doc opened, of course.

• Click Insert > Signature Line > Microsoft Office Signature Line.

• On the pop-up, type in the signer's name and title, so they know where to sign.

How to Insert Signature in Word - via PDF

You should never share a document to be signed in Word, as the content of your document could be easily altered and tampered with. This is not only detrimental to the security of you, as the user, but also the signee.

The best way to sign digital documents is actually to sign a PDF file. There are many tools to electronically sign PDF documents, and ensure that your content is secured; from being copied, analyzed and altered.

Smallpdf has a method to create or import your own signature via our online platform and signs your document! Here are the instructions:

• Save your Word file as a PDF by clicking 'Save As' (you can always change the file back to Word) or use the free Word to PDF converter on our site.

• Access our eSign tool. If you had used the Smallpdf Word to PDF tool, you can simply hit 'to eSign' on the result page.

• Click 'Place Signature' to either create your own signature or import your scanned signature via the 'Upload' option.

• Click 'Place Signature' again afterward and drag the signature onto where it needs to be signed. You can also change the color and size of the signature, as you wish.

• If you are requesting a signature, click 'Ask Others to Sign' to send the file to them. Otherwise, click 'Apply' to insert signature to Word (in PDF format).

• Download your file.

The Most Popular Online PDF Software

If you wish to share this document with another party, we'd suggest for you to keep it in PDF format, for obvious reasons (the text and electronic signature in your files cannot be edited). To convert it back to Word, use our PDF to Word tool. Otherwise, here are a few other functions to manipulate or secure your document for sharing.

• Protect - encrypt the signed file with a password.

• Delete Pages - remove needless pages.

• Compress - get the signed document to email-ready size.

• Reader - to view your file offline.

• Converter - save PDF back to Word, or even convert to PPT, Excel or JPG.

And many more!

Regardless of the format, you have your document on, the process to create, insert and sign documents should be as seamless and effective as possible, in this day and age. We hope this guide could be of help to simplify your workflow and enhance your productivity, in and out of the office!