Sign and date a PDF on iPhone or Mac
Apple's own apps can sign and date a PDF with nothing extra to install: Files and Markup on the iPhone, Preview on the Mac. Neither has a date button, so the date goes in as text you type. Here are the steps for both, the snags people hit, and how the editor on this page does the same job in Safari.
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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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On iPhone, in the Files app
These follow Apple's iPhone User Guide, which gives the same steps for iOS 18, iOS 26 and iOS 27.
1
Open the PDF in Files
Tap the attachment or the downloaded file. If you're prompted to open it in the Files app, do so, then tap Save.
2
Type into the date box
Tap the Markup button, tap the empty Date field and type. No field there? Tap + and choose Add Text Form Box.
3
Sign and share
Tap + again, choose Add Signature, sign with your finger and drag it onto the line. Then export, print or share the file.
Updated 28 September 2026 · Written by Joe Farwick, who runs this site
Neither app has a date button
Apple's Markup tools add text, shapes and signatures, but no command inserts today's date. You type it, so type it the way the form wants it. If the box shows a pattern such as MM/DD/YYYY, copy it exactly, leading zeros included. If there's no pattern, write the month as a word so nobody in another country reads 03/04 the wrong way round. On the iPhone keyboard, the 123 key brings up the digits and the slash.
Don't expect AutoFill to help with this box. Apple describes it as completing names, addresses and similar details from Contacts on forms that support it; the day you sign is yours to type.
Getting the date onto a tiny box
Date boxes are small on a phone screen. Spread two fingers to zoom in before you place the text, then zoom out to check the date sits on the line rather than floating above it. Turning the phone sideways gives you more room, which Apple also suggests when you draw your signature.
If tapping the box doesn't bring up the keyboard, it isn't a field at all; it's printed on the page. Add a text box with Add Text Form Box and set it over the printed box instead. The same applies on the Mac: if clicking does nothing, switch to the Text tool.
Your signature, next time
Markup on the iPhone keeps each signature you create for next time, and you can store more than one, such as a full signature and your initials, with a label to tell them apart. On the Mac, Apple says your Preview signatures are available on your other Macs when iCloud Drive is turned on, and deleting one removes it from every app that uses Markup on that Mac.
Sending a copy that can't be rearranged
Preview saves your signature and date as annotations when you use File > Save or Export, so whoever opens the file next can still drag them around or delete them. To bake them into the page before sending a signed form, Apple's route is File > Print and then Save as PDF. Keep the editable version too, in case you need to fix something.
In Safari, with the SignDatePDF editor
If you'd rather pick the date from a calendar, or not leave movable annotations behind, open this page in Safari on the iPhone or Mac. The browser opens the PDF itself; nothing is uploaded. Draw your signature with a finger or the trackpad, tap Add Date and choose the day you're signing in the phone's own date picker, then position both and download. The date is written with the month spelled out, and both items become part of the page in the new file.
On iPhone, Apple says files downloaded from the internet land in the Downloads folder of the Files app: open Files and tap Downloads. Right after a download, Safari's Downloads button next to the search field lists the file too.
iPhone and Mac: questions
How do I add the date to a PDF in Preview?+
Show the Markup toolbar, click the Text tool, type the date and drag the text box onto the date line. If the date box is a fillable field, just click it and type.
Can my iPhone put in today's date automatically?+
Not in Markup, which has no date command, so you type it. In the editor on this page, Add Date lets you pick the day in the phone's own date picker instead.
Why can't I type into the date box on my iPhone?+
The box is printed rather than fillable. Tap +, choose Add Text Form Box and place the new box over the printed one.
Is signing on an iPhone or Mac with SignDatePDF free?+
Opening the PDF in Safari, signing it and adding the date is free, so you can check how it looks on the small screen first. Saving the finished file takes a plan, either €2.99 for a month or €24.99 for a year. Cancelling only stops the next renewal; the time you've paid for stays usable.
On a Mac, in Preview
1. Open it in Preview
Double-click the PDF. If another app opens it, Control-click the file, choose Open With, then Preview.
2. Show the Markup toolbar
Click the Markup button. Its Sign and Text tools are all you need for a signature and a date.
3. Create a signature once
Sign on the trackpad, hold a signature on white paper up to the camera, or sign on a nearby iPhone or iPad.
4. Type the date
Click a fillable Date field and type. On a flat form, click the Text tool, type the date and drag the box onto the line.
5. Line everything up
Drag the signature into place and resize it with its handles. Text Style changes the date's font to match the form.
6. Save or reply
Choose File > Save. For a PDF opened from Mail, Save also offers Reply to the sender with the file attached.
Sign and date in Safari
Open your PDF in the editor above; it works the same on an iPhone as on a Mac.
Choose a PDF