TUTORIAL ARTICLEBeginner3 min

Fill and sign PDF forms

Learn how to fill out PDF forms, sign them, and send a copy to others.

What you'll need

Open a PDF and the Fill & Sign tool

Download the fill-and-sign-forms.pdf practice file and open it in Adobe Acrobat, or open your own fillable PDF form.

In the right-hand pane, select the Fill & Sign tool.

Fill in fields using auto-fill content

Click in a text field and start typing your response. The Acrobat PDF form filler presents content suggestions based on previously entered data and stored profile information. If a suggestion is correct, use your cursor to highlight it, then click to auto-fill the field with the saved data. Any new responses will be saved as new auto-fill options.

Add a checkmark

To add a checkmark, hover over the correct location in the document and click once. Acrobat will automatically add and resize the checkbox.

Add dots

To place some dots on the car diagram (or any other symbol), click once on the icon in the top toolbar, then click again wherever you want to place the symbol. Use the bounding box to resize or reposition the symbol.

Add a custom signature

To add your signature to a form without printing and signing in pen, click the Sign icon in the top toolbar.

In the sub menu, click Add Signature.

Acrobat gives three options for adding a signature.

Type your name and choose from Acrobat’s signature styles
Draw your own signature using your mouse
Upload an image of your own signature

When you’ve found the signature style that works best, click Apply.

Move your mouse to the correct location and click once to place your signature. To reposition the signature, click and drag the left-edge of the bounding box.

To change the size of the signature, click and drag the handle on the bottom-right of the bounding box, or click one of the A icons in the blue context menu.

Note: When you save a form with a signature or initials, you will no longer be able to edit the existing form fields.

Send a copy of your form

Acrobat also lets you send PDF forms to others for efficiency and to go green with less or no printing of paper forms. Click Send a Copy at the upper right of the tool to send to others a non-editable copy of your completed and signed form to prevent any future modifications. When Acrobat prompts you to save the PDF file, click Save.

Then click Create Link in the coachmark that appears. Once the link is created, click Copy Link to copy and paste the link into an email to send to others. Learn more aboutfilling and signing PDF forms in Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.