Add a date to a PDF without Acrobat

Whether the PDF has a Date box you can click into or just a printed line, you can put a date on it for free with tools you probably already have. Here's how to tell which kind of PDF you've got, which tool to use, and what to do when the date won't go in.

Fillable and flat PDFsFree options firstFixes for stubborn fields

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Sign your PDF, then put the date beside the signature or in the form's Date box: pick the day from a calendar or type it in the format the form asks for.

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First, find out what kind of PDF it is

The right method depends on one thing: can you type into the date box?

1

Click into the date box

If a text cursor appears and you can type, it's a fillable field. Type the date and save.

2

No cursor? It's a flat form

Printed lines and boxes can't be typed into. Put a text box on top of them instead.

3

Save and reopen

Save or download the file, then open it again to check the date is still there.

Updated 28 September 2026 · Written by Joe Farwick, who runs this site

Fillable or flat: why it matters

Adobe's own help puts it plainly: not all forms are fillable. Some creators never turn their PDF into an interactive form, and some deliberately design a form to be completed by hand or with the Fill & Sign tools. Adobe calls these flat forms. On an interactive form, a date field is a box you click and type into; on a flat form, the box is just part of the page's printed design.

That's why the same method works on one PDF and fails on another. Typing works only where a field exists. Everywhere else you add the date as a separate piece of text placed over the printed box, which every tool listed above can do.

When the PDF opens in your browser

Many forms open straight into a browser tab when you click them on a website. Browser viewers generally let you type into real form fields, but what they offer for flat forms varies from browser to browser and version to version. Adobe's advice for a flat form in the browser is to save it to your computer and open it directly in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, where the Fill & Sign tools work. Microsoft documents that Edge's viewer can add new text itself, through Add notes.

When the date box rejects what you type

Form authors can format a field as a date. In Acrobat's form editor, the pattern, such as mm/dd/yyyy, is chosen on the field's Format tab. If the field complains or turns your entry into a different day, retype it in exactly that pattern, with leading zeros and a four-digit year. If the box shows a greyed-out example, copy its order and separators.

Don't fight a field with a strict format by pasting in something else or placing a text box on top of it. Form software reads the value stored in the field, and a text box laid over an empty field leaves the field itself blank.

When you can't add anything at all

A few PDFs resist every tool. A scanned document is one big picture, so there's nothing to type into, but you can still place a text box on top. A PDF protected against changes needs the password or an unprotected copy from whoever sent it; don't try to strip the protection. A document already signed with a digital certificate will show as modified after any addition, so ask the sender whether the date should be added before they sign.

Making the date stay put

Text added with an annotation tool usually stays editable: anyone opening the file can drag it away or delete it. Apple's Preview, for example, saves annotations as editable with File > Save, and flattens them only if you choose File > Print and then Save as PDF. Flattening makes the date part of the page.

The SignDatePDF editor writes the date and your signature directly into the page content of the new PDF, so there's no loose text box left over to move.

Sources

Adding a date: questions

How do I add today's date to a PDF for free?+

If the date box is fillable, click it and type. If not, use Edge's Add notes, Reader's Fill & Sign, Preview's Text Box tool or Add Text Form Box on an iPhone to place the date over the box, then save.

Why can't I type the date next to “Sign here”?+

On many forms the signature and date area is printed, not a field, so there's nothing to type into. Place a text box there instead, or use Add Date in the editor above.

Will the date change when someone else opens the file?+

A date you type or place stays exactly as written. Only fields with a script behind them update themselves, and that's rarely what you want on a signed form.

Is adding a date free on SignDatePDF?+

Placing a date or text in the editor and checking the result is free. Saving the dated PDF comes with a plan (€2.99 per month or €24.99 per year); cancelling stops the renewal, and the plan runs to the end of the time already paid. The date stamp tool is free, download included.

Free ways to put a date on a PDF

Microsoft Edge

Open the PDF in Edge, choose Edit to type into blank fields, and use Add notes to place new text anywhere. Then Save.

Adobe Acrobat Reader

The free Reader's Fill & Sign tools add text anywhere on a flat form. Save a form you opened in the browser and open it in Reader first.

Preview on a Mac

Click a field and type. If it won't take text, open the Form Filling toolbar and use the Text Box tool.

iPhone and iPad

Open the PDF in Files, tap Markup, then tap a blank field to type, or tap + and Add Text Form Box to place a date anywhere.

The SignDatePDF editor

Add Date picks the day from a calendar; Add Text types it in any pattern. Signing in the same pass is optional.

The free date stamp

For a RECEIVED, APPROVED or PAID mark with the date on chosen pages, use the stamp tool: free, no account.

Related guides

Put the date on your PDF

Open the file in the editor at the top of the page and use Add Date or Add Text.

Choose a PDF