How to Sign a Document in Adobe Acrobat?

Digital signatures have become vital to secure document workflows, whether for contracts, compliance records, or business approvals. Adobe Acrobat makes it easy to digitally sign PDFs using trusted Document Signing Certificates from DigiCert.

Here is how to digitally sign a document in Adobe Acrobat, create a Digital ID, and add a trusted timestamp to ensure long-term validity.

Prerequisites

Before you begin the digital signing process in Adobe Acrobat, it’s important to ensure you are prepared with the right tools and credentials.

Preparation with the right tools will help you avoid signing mistakes and ensure that your digital signature will be accepted and trusted, as well as compliant and verifiable.

A Verifiable Document Signing Certificate

A verifiable document signing certificate is the primary requirement, which allows for a valid and legal digital signing in Adobe Acrobat.

The document signing certificate is your validated digital identity; it tells recipients that the document was either created by you or your organization and that it is unchanged after being signed.

Document signing certificates follow worldwide standards, including Adobe’s Approved Trust List (AATL). This means that when you sign a document with a document signing certificate, your signed document will be trusted automatically across Adobe products.

A Hardware Token or USB Device with your certificate if using a Legacy Setup

In a traditional signing setup, document signing certificates are held on a hardware token or USB device. The hardware token or USB device contains your private key to make your digital signature.

Each time you sign a document, you have to plug the token into your computer and use your token password (PIN) to sign the document.

The legacy method, while secure, may not be the most convenient method for work these days, especially if you sign documents remotely or automatically. That is one of the reasons organizations are shifting to cloud-based key management systems.

Obtaining Adobe Acrobat (Standard or Pro Version)

To digitally sign documents, you must install Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro on your computer. These applications have a built-in “Use a certificate” signing tool to select, create, or import digital IDs.

Always upgrade your Adobe Acrobat software to the latest version in order to keep up with current certificate standards and timestamping services.

If you are using Acrobat Reader, other than possibly integrating with a trusted certificate supplier or cloud signing service, your ability to sign documents will be somewhat limited.

Steps to Digitally Sign a Document in Adobe Acrobat

You may use the following steps to add your digital signature to a PDF:

Step 1. Open Your Document

You must open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat. From the left navigation, go to: All Tools → View more → Use a certificate → Digitally sign

This initiates a digital signing mode.

Step 2: Sketch the Signature Area

Click and drag the mouse in the area where you want your signature to be displayed. A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to select, create, or import your Digital ID.

If your certificate is installed on the system, Acrobat will automatically detect it. If that’s not the case, choose “Configure New Digital ID” to import a certificate.

Step 3: Pick or Create Your Digital ID

You have the following options:

• eToken Certificate(s) (using a hardware signing token)
• Cloud or PFX-based Certificate(s) (using an ID that is stored or managed locally)

Follow the directions provided on the application. If prompted, enter your token password (your private key PIN) if you have one to authorize signing the document.

Step 4: Change Your Signature’s Appearance (Optional)

Before you submit your signature, you can:

• Change how your signature appears (name, logo, timestamp, etc.)
• Create new appearances using or saving a preset
• Lock the document after you have signed it so that it is not changed after signing it.

When you’re ready, select Sign.

Step 5: Save and Timestamp Signed Document

Once completed, Acrobat will instruct you to pick a location to save the signed document. It is best practice to add a trusted timestamp to maintain long-term validity (LTV):

• Choose Use a certificate →  Timestamp
• Add a new timestamp server. For example: http://timestamp.digicert.com
• Set as default, if applicable; resign the document

Timestamping automatically keeps your signature valid if your certificate were to ever expire – great practice for legal and compliance work.

Step 6: Verify Your Signature

After you save, your document will contain a ribbon icon or signature badge at the top.

Click on “View Signatures” or “This document has signatures” to see signer information, timestamps, and certificate trust levels.

End Words

Use Document Signing Certificates from Certera to digitally sign and encrypt your confidential documents. This will give you at least a certain assurance that your documents will remain authentic, tamper-free, and legally defensible in Adobe Acrobat and any other software.

Elevate your digital trust even further by getting Email Signing Certificates from Certera as well. This will safeguard your email communications from spoofing and add to your credibility with each communication.