How to sign a PDF for free on Windows.

Sign a PDF in four steps

1. Open the PDF in No Bloat PDF. Don't have it? It is a free 4.6 MB reader for Windows 10 and 11: download it here. Installing takes seconds and needs no admin rights.
2. Click the signature tool in the toolbar. You can draw your signature with the mouse or trackpad, type it, or place a saved image of it.
3. Place and size it. Click where the signature belongs, then drag the corners until it sits right, like any annotation.
4. Save. Save the signed copy and send it wherever it needs to go. At no point did the document touch anyone's server.

That last point is the whole reason this guide exists. No Bloat PDF makes zero network calls, so it literally cannot upload your contract. The signature happens on your machine because everything happens on your machine.

Signature image vs digital signature: the real difference

Two different things share the word "signature," and most pages hide that:

In the US, the E-SIGN Act and UETA give electronic signatures legal effect for most everyday agreements, and a placed signature with intent to sign generally qualifies. But when a counterparty requires a certified digital signature or a full audit trail (some legal, financial, and government workflows do), use a dedicated e-sign service for that document, then come back to the fast lane. Pretending one tool covers both would be exactly the kind of dishonesty this site was built to avoid.