Sign up for a free Docusign account to fill and sign PDFs.

Some PDF forms are fillable — and some aren’t. If the file creator doesn’t convert the PDF to an interactive, fillable form or if they intentionally build the form so that you can only fill it in manually or with the Adobe Fill & Sign tool, then you have a “flat” form. Flat forms are non-interactive forms that require extra effort and extra steps to be completed.

An interactive form contains fields that you can select or fill in, eliminating the need to print the form and complete it by hand.

Either way, you can use Docusign eSignature to add fields to your flat or interactive PDFs, fill out the information in the fields, sign the PDF, and return it to the person who requested it.

You can sign up for a free account if you just want to fill out, sign, and return PDF forms. Or if you want to send PDFs for other people to fill out and sign, you should sign up for a Docusign free trial 

Filling out a PDF form and signing it online can be done by following the steps below:

1. Sign up for a free Docusign account to fill and sign PDFs

2. Upload the fillable PDF form from your computer, email, or file-sharing site (like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive) to your Docusign library.

3. In the Docusign library, highlight the form and then choose Sign and Send.

4. At the Apply Form Fields prompt, choose Apply, which allows you to edit the fields in the PDF.

5. Use the arrows to navigate between the form fields, and fill out and sign the form.

6. When you’re done, choose Finish and Email to send the signed document. Add your recipient(s), and then choose Send.
   

If you want to send PDFs for other people to fill out and sign, you should sign up for a Docusign free trial or buy a Docusign eSignature plan.

You can use multiple types of signatures in PDFs. 

Electronic signatures and digital signatures can both be used to sign PDFs, but they are different types of signatures. 

Electronic signatures are generally quick to generate and the least formal, while digital signatures are more secure but require more steps to create. Digital signatures are often used in situations where additional security and verification are required. Specific industries or regional regulations may require a digital signature that includes assurance of a signer’s identity.

Docusign offers Docusign eSignature for electronic signatures and Docusign Standards-Based Signature for digital signatures. 

Learn more about digital signatures vs. electronic signatures. 

You can use Docusign eSignature to quickly scroll through an interactive, fillable PDF and to fill in all necessary fields. Docusign eSignature automatically detects the fields and lets you tab or arrow from field to field. This eliminates the time-consuming and wasteful steps of printing the file, using a pen to fill out and sign the form, and scanning and re-uploading the file for return sending. Instead, use Docusign eSignature to complete, sign, send and store your PDF forms.

• Docusign eSignature makes it easy to fill out interactive forms online.

• Fill out and sign interactive PDFs from almost anywhere, on most devices.

• Trust that your PDF form is backed by the most stringent U.S., EU, and global security standards.

• Eliminate printing and delivery costs.

• Save time and effort by turning your form filling into a digital process.

Docusign eSignature is the leader in electronic signatures. 84% of signers are more likely to continue doing business with a company that uses Docusign. 

Docusign eSignature offers security you can count on, with highly secure encryption standards, 99.9% platform availability and complete digital audit trails. Plus you can get near-real-time alerts and activity tracking to monitor signing activity. You can also easily connect your signatures to other tools you use with 900+ pre-built integrations, and eSignature is part of the full Intelligent Agreement Management platform if you want to create, send, sign and manage your agreements all in one place.

Learn more about Docusign vs. alternatives.

Register for a 30-day free trial and sign in or download the mobile app on your favorite device. 

Need to automate your forms and make them easy for users to fill out and sign? Check out Docusign Web Forms. Docusign Web Forms help you capture data and dynamically populate content into agreements for signature in one easy-to-use interactive experience.

By creating fillable forms with Web Forms, you can streamline data collection and accelerate signing. Your recipients will be able to easily fill out forms, and you don’t need to know any code to set up your fillable forms.

This can help you eliminate document preparation time, easily pull the data you collect into existing applications, and get your documents ready to be easily signed with Docusign eSignature.