If you could sign an important document from your browser, right there on your couch, would you rather grab a coat, lock your doors, then walk three blocks to print and sign the same document?
Chances are you wouldn’t, and —because you can actually sign documents online— you shouldn’t have to either. In this article, you’ll learn how to sign your documents online using electronic signatures (also called online signatures).
Electronic signatures are an easy way to legally sign documents without printing them. You use a third-party tool that registers your intent to sign —thus creating a legally valid document—, and the tool tracks any changes made to the document to prevent tampering.
Because you can sign them from anywhere, electronic signatures significantly cut turnaround time (by up to 40% according to our internal research). And if you have a beautiful signature that you’re proud of, you can create a digital version that looks just like your handwritten signature online with the right tool too. Read on to find out how.
What an online contract signing flow looks like
The typical workflow:
There is a better way…
This shorter workflow happens when someone requests your signature on a document from an online signing tool (like SignWell). You wouldn’t need to sign up for the tool to sign in this case. You’ll also receive a signed copy of the document via email, so no need to download the doc if you don’t want to.
Let’s look at how to sign a document online from your device.
How to sign documents on your phone
To sign documents on your phone, you’ll need to upload the document to your preferred signing tool then sign in the right space for your signature. Here’s how to do it with SignWell:
On your web browser, go to www.signwell.com and sign up using either a Google account or your email address and a password.
Make sure you have a copy of the document you want to sign available on your phone’s storage for this next step.
Click “Uploadocument” to add your document to SignWell and wait a few seconds.
***SignWell lets you fill out and sign PDFs as well as Word files, Excel files, images, and many different formats too.
Once your document uploads successfully, check the “I’m the only person signing” box if you alone need to sign the document, otherwise click “Continue”.
Next, fill in the necessary details and click “Prepare”.
Then, drag and drop fields like “Signature”, “Text”, or “Date” to create entry lines for them in the document as needed.
Finally, sign your document and either save it or send it to other signers; to complete the process.
How to sign documents on your computer
Besides the actual device, there isn’t much difference between signing on a phone and a computer. To sign documents on your computer, you’ll need to upload the document to your preferred signing tool then sign in the right space for your signature. Here’s how to do it with SignWell:
On your web browser, go to the SignWell Homepage and sign up using either a Google account or your email address and a password.
Make sure you have a copy of the document you want to sign available on your computer for this next step. Click “Upload document” to add your document to SignWell and wait a few seconds.
***SignWell lets you fill out and sign PDFs as well as Word files, Excel files, images and many different formats too.
Once your document uploads successfully, click “Continue”.
Next, fill in the necessary details and click “Prepare”.
Select appropriate fields from the sidebar, then click on a specific place in the document to add the selected field there.
Finally, sign your document and either save it or send it to other signers; to complete the process.
How to request signatures
Sometimes, you need other signatories to sign a document as well as yourself. Or maybe you only need one signature on the document and that signature isn’t yours. In cases like that, you can send a signature request to the person (or people) you’d like to sign your document.
Here’s how to request signatures with SignWell.
Follow the steps we’ve outlined in the previous sections until you get to the below page.
Instead of entering your name here, you’ll enter the name and email address of the person you want to sign if it’s for a single signature. If you and another party need to sign, enter both your names using the “Add another person“ option.
Create a signature line for each person who needs to sign then click send.
The requested signer will receive an email with a free, no-sign-in link to SignWell to sign their signature.
FAQs about signing documents online
Answers to your pressing questions around signing documents online.
Is there an app for electronic signatures?
Yes, some electronic signature software like PandaDoc and DocuSign have apps you can download. SignWell, however, doesn’t have an app and relies on your regular browser instead. We do this because we’ve found that most people prefer not to download anything. Whether a software requires download may be something to consider, especially when you request signatures; some e-signature apps strongly encourage (and even force) people to download the app just to sign received documents.
Can electronic signatures be typed?
Yes! In fact, one of the most popular forms of electronic signature is the typed form. A signatory types out their name instead of drawing or embedding a signed image.
Do you have to have a DocuSign account to sign a document?
No, you don’t specifically need a DocuSign account to sign a document. You can choose whatever signing platform you prefer. Just remember to look out for legal compliance with US and international e-signature laws with whatever signature software you choose (SignWell is legally compliant! 🏆) If someone requests your signature from an electronic signature software, you don’t need an account at all to sign the document.
Do you need to convert, combine, fill, sign, and send files for signature?
It depends. If the document you intend to sign is split, you definitely need to combine it. However, you can skip individual processes for the rest of the steps with the right signature signing tool. With SignWell for example, you can fill PDFs, sign them, and send them to another signatory all in the same window.
Sign with a team that knows what you need.
Putting a signature on a document shouldn’t be hard. The SignWell mission? Simplify how documents get signed for millions of people and businesses.
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