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How to remove digital signatures from a PDF
Digital signatures verify document integrity and execute agreements. Learn how to remove digital signatures from a PDF for revisions or redaction.
As organizations digitize contracts, approvals and internal documentation, digital signatures have become a standard part of enterprise document workflows. These signatures help verify document integrity and confirm the identity of the signer.
Organizations can use authenticated digital signatures -- those certified by a certificate authority (CA) -- or nonauthenticated signatures to create legally binding agreements. However, users might sometimes need to remove or redact a signature, for example when a document requires revision, when a signature was added in error or when sensitive information must be removed before sharing a file externally.
The exact process for removing a digital signature depends on the PDF software used and whether the document has been locked or certified.
How to remove digital signatures using Adobe
Adobe software offers users a relatively straightforward way to remove digital signatures from PDFs. However, the process only works under the following conditions:
- The person deleting the signature is the only signer.
- The signer didn't lock the file when saving it.
If these conditions apply, users can take the following steps to remove their signatures:
- Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
- Navigate to the Edit tab.
- Select the signature with Control-Click on Windows or Command-Click on macOS.
- Select Delete or Clear Signature from the context menu.
This process does not invalidate digital certificates -- which CAs issue to verify a digital signature's integrity -- because Acrobat only places these certificates into documents after users sign and save them in a noneditable format.
If users need to remove a digital signature after Adobe embedded a digital certificate in the document, they must go to the original, unsigned source document and restart the signing process. Digital certificates prove that nobody altered a document after someone signed it, so if someone removes a signature afterward, the certificate becomes invalid.
You can remove a digital signature from a PDF if:
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You are the original signer.
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The document has not been locked after signing.
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The file does not contain multiple signatures or a finalized certificate.
How to remove digital signatures using Preview on macOS
Preview is a PDF viewer and editor from Apple that comes with macOS. How users delete a signature in Preview depends on how they originally signed the document.
If users signed a document in Preview, they can take the following steps:
- Open the PDF file in Preview.
- Open the Markup toolbar, and choose the Rectangular Selection box.
![A screenshot from Preview on macOS that shows how users can select a signature]()
Preview users must select a signature before they can delete it. - Click on the signature.
- If users signed the file outside of Preview, they might need to select Tools > Redact to redact the signature from the document.
If the user added a signature within Preview, the signature should appear highlighted. Click the Delete key on the keyboard to remove the signature.
Preview does not include functionality for signature authentication, so if users remove the signature watermark or redact it, only the appearance of the document changes. Users cannot invalidate a digital certificate in Preview.
How to remove digital signatures on a mobile device
Mobile users can also remove digital signatures using PDF editing apps such as Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android and iOS. For instance, they can open Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android or iOS and take the following steps:
- Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Tap on the three dots at the top-right corner, and click Edit PDF.
![A screenshot from Adobe Reader on a mobile device that shows how to edit a PDF]()
Adobe Reader lets users remove digital signatures on Android and iOS devices. - Tap on the signature, and then click Delete.
![A screenshot from Adobe Reader for mobile devices that shows how to delete a signature]()
In Adobe Reader for mobile devices, tap on a signature to select it for deletion. - Click Done to close the editing process and save the edited file.
Common questions about removing digital signatures
As document editing tools offer different ways to remove digital signatures from PDFs, people often ask the following questions.
Can I redact my signature instead of removing it?
Yes. In Adobe Acrobat, users can select the Redaction tool under the Protection tab. In Preview on macOS, users can select Tools > Redaction.
Can I convert my PDF to a Word document and remove the signature that way?
Yes, but experts do not recommend this practice. Conversion to Word might change the formatting of the original PDF because Word does not support all PDF features.
Does removing the digital signature affect the validity of the document?
Yes. After users remove a digital signature or change a document, any authentication artifacts, such as digital certificates or digital IDs, embedded in the document become invalid. When users open the modified document, they see a note that someone altered it after people signed it. However, Preview on macOS does not have digital certificate functionality, so the program does not indicate that someone modified a PDF after users signed it.
The way users remove digital signatures from PDFs depends on the software and OS they use and the security level applied to the PDFs. If users' software has authentication capabilities and it matters for their use cases, they might need to restart the signing process and reauthenticate their PDFs after parties re-sign them.
Can someone remove another person's digital signature?
In most cases, no. Digital signatures are designed to protect document integrity. If a document has multiple signers or has been locked after signing, users cannot remove another person's signature without invalidating the document and restarting the signing process.
Why am I not allowed to remove my signature?
The way users remove digital signatures from PDFs depends on the software and operating system they use, as well as the security controls applied to the document. Because digital signatures verify document integrity, removing them can invalidate authentication artifacts such as digital certificates. Organizations might need to restart the signing process to restore document trust and maintain accurate records.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2023. It was updated to reflect changes in best practices for digital signatures.
Jordan Jones is a writer versed in enterprise content management, component content management, web content management and video-on-demand technologies.
