Sign a PDF without sending it anywhere.
Countersign is a free PDF editor and signer that runs entirely in your browser. Add text, dates, check marks and your signature, remove pages you don’t need, and download the finished file. Your PDF is never uploaded.
No account or sign-up. It opens with a sample document so you can try it first.
Everything you need to fill in and sign a form.
Open a PDF, pick a tool, and click where it goes on the page. Everything you place can be moved, resized or deleted until you download.
- Sign
- Draw your signature with a mouse or finger, type your name in one of three handwriting styles, or upload a photo of your signature. Countersign removes the white background for you.
- Text
- Click anywhere and type. Change the size, and choose black or blue ink.
- Date
- Drop today’s date onto the page in one click, then edit it if you need a different one.
- Check and cross
- Tick boxes or mark items with an X. Click once for each mark.
- Whiteout
- Cover a mistake or a line that doesn’t apply. Whatever is underneath is removed from the downloaded file, not just hidden.
- Remove pages
- Drop pages you don’t want to send. Changed your mind? Bring a page back before you download.
When you’re done, Download PDF saves a new copy ending in “-signed.pdf”. Your original file isn’t changed. Your signature is remembered on this device, so next time it’s one click.
Your PDF never leaves your device.
Most online PDF signers upload your document to their servers. Countersign doesn’t have a server to upload to. The page loads once, then all of the work happens inside your browser.
You can check this yourself.
Open Countersign, then turn off Wi-Fi or switch on airplane mode. Open, sign and download a PDF. It all still works, because nothing needs the internet.
- You choose a PDFYour browser reads it from your device. It isn’t sent anywhere.
- You edit and signText, marks and signatures are drawn on your screen, in your browser’s memory.
- You downloadThe signed PDF is built on your device and saved straight to your downloads.
- Nothing is keptClose the tab and the document is gone. Only your saved signatures stay, in this browser, until you remove them.
Keep a copy that works without internet.
Download Countersign as a single file. Open it in your browser any time, even with no connection, and it works the same as this site.
Questions
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, Countersign doesn’t need a connection to open, edit or download a PDF. After your first visit, your browser can usually open the site again without a connection too.
For a copy you control, download the offline version: one file you can open from your computer at any time.
Is it free?
Yes. There’s no account, no sign-up and no watermark.
Is an e-signature legally binding?
Often, yes. In the United States, the federal ESIGN Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), adopted by most states, generally give electronic signatures the same standing as signatures on paper. Many other countries have similar laws.
There are exceptions. Some documents, such as wills, certain court and family-law papers, and some notices, may need a handwritten signature, a witness or a notary. The other party or the organization asking for your signature may also have its own requirements.
This is general information, not legal advice. If it matters, check with the person you’re signing for or a lawyer.
Which devices does it work on?
Any recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad and Android. On a phone you can sign with your finger. A bigger screen makes it easier to place things precisely.
On a phone or tablet you can also add it to your home screen so it opens like an app.
Is whiteout permanent?
Yes. When you download, anything under a whiteout box is removed from the file, not just covered. To make sure of that, a page with whiteout may be saved as an image, so its text can no longer be selected or searched. Countersign tells you when this happens.
Your original file isn’t changed. Only the new “-signed” copy has the whiteout.
Can it fill in fillable forms?
Not as form fields. Countersign places your text on top of the page, which works on any PDF, including scans and forms that have no fields. It doesn’t type into a PDF’s built-in form fields, so if you open the result in another program, those fields will still be empty underneath your text.