Guide · Updated · By Buğra Sözeri
How to Sign a PDF in Google Drive
Google Drive stores PDFs well but, on a free Google account, it cannot sign them. Google has an eSignature feature for PDFs and Docs, but only on certain paid Workspace plans. Everyone else downloads the file and signs it with another tool. Here are the three routes, which one we would pick, and what each leaves out.
Step by step
- Check whether you have Google eSignature. Open the PDF from Drive in the viewer and open the More menu (three dots) at the top right. If you see eSignature, your plan has it and your admin has switched it on. If not, skip to step 4.
- Add fields. In eSignature, add signature, initials, name, text and date-signed fields where each signer should fill them in. To sign it yourself, add a signature field for yourself and complete it.
- Request signatures. Select Request signature, enter each signer's email address and an optional message, and send. Signers get an email with a link. When everyone has signed, Google saves the completed PDF, with an audit trail, to your Drive.
- No eSignature option? Download the PDF. Right-click the file in Drive and choose Download. Then sign it with a tool on your device, or in the browser with our free Sign PDF tool, which processes the file on your device.
- Need others to sign? Send it with an e-signature service. Upload the downloaded PDF to eSignSimple, drag fields onto it, add signers' emails and choose the signing order. Upload the signed PDF and certificate back to Drive if that is where you keep records.
Which Google plans include eSignature?
According to Google's eSignature help page, the feature is available on Workspace Individual and, when the administrator enables it, on Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus, Enterprise Essentials and Essentials Plus, and Education Plus. Personal @gmail.com accounts and Business Starter do not include it. Admins can switch it on or off per organizational unit, so if you are on an eligible plan and do not see it, ask your admin.
It works on Google Docs and on PDFs stored in Drive. Google lists up to 10 signers per request and up to 200 fields per document, with field types for signature, initials, name, text and date signed. Optional reminders go out 3 days after the request. Plans and limits change, so check the help page before you rely on a specific number.
Is Google eSignature good enough?
For a Workspace user sending the occasional agreement, yes. It is included in a plan you already pay for, the completed file lands in Drive, and there is an audit trail. We would use it for a simple two-party contract without hesitation.
Where it falls short is everything around the signature: templates you reuse, a public signing link for waivers, sending one document to hundreds of people, or an API. Those are the jobs dedicated tools are built for. If you work in Docs rather than PDFs, our guide on how to sign a document in Google Docs covers that side.
How do I sign a Drive PDF without Workspace?
Download it and sign it locally. On a Mac, Preview works; on Windows, Acrobat Reader; on a Chromebook, the Gallery app (see how to sign a PDF on a Chromebook). In any browser, our Sign PDF tool lets you draw or type a signature, add the date and download the signed file without uploading it.
Drive used to offer third-party "Open with" apps for PDFs, and some e-signature tools still connect there. We do not have a native Drive integration, so with eSignSimple you download the file and upload it to us. It takes seconds, and we prefer being honest about that to pretending it is one click.
Sending a Drive PDF for signature with eSignSimple
Upload the PDF (or a Word file), drag signature, initials, date and text fields onto it and assign each to a signer. Choose whether people sign one after another or all at once; our guide on sending a document to multiple signers explains the difference. Signers get an email link and need no account. Automatic reminders go out if someone forgets.
When the last person signs, everyone gets the final PDF, and you get an audit trail and a certificate of completion with a SHA-256 fingerprint of the document. Save both into the Drive folder where the original lived. The Free plan includes 5 documents a month; Personal at $4.99 a month is unlimited. For a broader overview see how to send a document for signature.
What about Word files and Google Docs in Drive?
Google eSignature also works on Word files once they are opened in Google Docs. eSignSimple accepts Word files directly and converts them to PDF when you upload, so you do not need to export first. For recurring documents, save them as templates so you place fields only once.
Our take
If your company already pays for an eligible Workspace plan, try Google eSignature first; for a couple of agreements a month it is hard to beat free and built in. If you are on a personal Google account, do not go hunting for Drive add-ons: download the PDF, sign it yourself in the browser, or send it with an e-signature tool. And if you find yourself sending the same document again and again, a dedicated tool with templates, reminders and bulk send will save you real time.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign a PDF in Google Drive for free?
Not inside Drive on a free Google account; Google's eSignature needs an eligible Workspace plan. You can download the PDF and sign it free with a browser tool such as our Sign PDF tool.
Why don't I see eSignature in Google Drive?
Either your plan does not include it (for example a personal Gmail account or Business Starter) or your Workspace admin has not switched it on for your account.
How many people can sign with Google eSignature?
Google's help page lists up to 10 signers per request. Check the current page, since limits can change.
Do signers need a Google account?
Google sends signers an email link; check Google's help page for current requirements. With eSignSimple, signers never need an account of any kind.
Does eSignSimple integrate with Google Drive?
No, we have no native Drive integration. Download the PDF from Drive, upload it to eSignSimple, and save the signed PDF and certificate back to Drive.
Get your next document signed today.
Start with 5 free documents a month. No card needed.