This guide explains how to quickly insert your signature into any Microsoft Word document regardless of the device or platform you use. 

How to Insert a Signature in Word

You can add your handwritten signature to a Word document to give it a personal touch.  However, suppose you need to send a digital copy of the document via email or other electronic means. In that case, you can scan your signature, save it as an image and then insert the signature in the document. Here’s how.  

Use Quick Parts and AutoText to Insert a Signature in Word 

Word provides built-in tools like Quick Parts and AutoText to help create a complete signature, which could include your handwritten signature, email address, job title, phone number, etc.  Here’s how to use these tools to insert a signature in Word. 

Insert a Digital Signature in Word

There’s a difference between an electronic and digital signature: 

An electronic signature is an image of your signature that’s overlaid on top of a Word document, which is what you’ve inserted in the previous section. 

A digital signature is an electronic but encrypted form of authentication on a document that verifies that you have seen and authorized the document. 

You can insert a digital signature in Word to authenticate your identity. If the document already has a signature line, you don’t have to add one, but if there’s no signature line, you can add one quickly using these steps. Doing this allows you to provide a purpose for signing and add the date the document was signed. Note: Select Yes to save the file in a supported format, and select Edit Anyway if the file opens in Protected view. If you’re opening a file you received, make sure you trust the document is from a reliable source.

Remove a Digital Signature from Word

If you accidentally added the wrong signature and want to remove it, open the document that contains the signature and right-click the signature line. Select Remove Signature > Yes. Alternatively, select the arrow next to the signature in the Signature Pane and then select Remove Signature. Note: A signed Word document will have the Signatures button at the bottom of the document, and the file will become Read-only to prevent further modifications. 

Insert an Invisible Digital Signature in Word

An invisible digital signature works just like a visible digital signature and protects the authenticity of your document’s content. You can add an invisible digital signature using the following steps.

Use a Third-Party App to Insert a Signature in Word

If the functionality in Word doesn’t offer enough options for you to insert a signature, you can use a third-party app like DocuSign to quickly sign and send your documents. Here’s how to use DocuSign to sign a Word document.

Sign Word Documents Faster

Electronic signatures have made it convenient to sign documents like contracts or sale agreements. This saves time and resources that would otherwise have been spent trying to print, scan and send back the signed paperwork. If you’re using a Mac, check out our guide on how to sign a PDF on Mac. Leave a comment and let us know if this guide helped you insert a signature in Microsoft Word.

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