The Fastest Way to Sign Documents on Mac Is a Secret Feature Hidden in Plain Sight

Discover the Hidden Document-Signing Trick on macOS

macOS is heavily packed with helpful productivity tools, but because there are so many features buried right inside the operating system, some of the most useful ones often get completely overlooked by everyday users. When you are sent a digital document that requires a quick signature, your default reaction is likely to hunt for third-party software or cumbersome online tools. However, the fastest and safest way to sign a document is actually using Preview — the built-in app you probably open every single day.

While most people only use Preview to view images or skim through PDFs, it packs a surprisingly robust set of tools hidden right under the hood.

The Easy Way to Sign PDFs on Your Mac

Signing any PDF on your Mac takes just a few clicks once you know where to look. You don't even need to open a full application window to get started. Simply click once on your target PDF file in Finder or right on your desktop, then press the spacebar on your keyboard to launch Quick Look. From here, click the small pen icon located in the top toolbar, followed by the Signature icon, which looks like a small scribbled line.

Now, you can easily draw a new signature using your trackpad, an iPhone or iPad screen linked to your account, or simply by holding a signed piece of paper up to your Mac's built-in camera. Once your signature is successfully captured, click Done to save it to your personal dropdown list. Simply click your saved signature to drop it onto the page, drag it into place, and resize it as needed. Save the document, and you are completely done.

If you ever want to remove a saved signature later, you can simply open the signature menu again and click the small X next to it to clear it out.