How to sign documents on your Mac with your iPhone or iPad

This fall, macOS Catalina, iOS 13, and iPadOS 13 will offer greater interoperability between Mac, iPhone, and iPad than ever before, with new features like Sidecar allowing your iPad to serve as a second screen for your Mac. And while Sidecar as a whole seems limited to newer Macs, some features will be available to a larger range of them.

For instance, you will now be able to sign documents on your Mac using your iPhone or iPad. Using the macOS markup features in Quick Look or Preview, you'll be able to add a signature directly from your iPhone or iPad. This is great, especially if you have an iPad from 2018 or later, as they all work with some version of the Apple Pencil, allowing you to create a completely accurate signature for use on your Mac.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

How to sign a document on Mac with your iPhone or iPad in Quick Look

  1. Open a Finder window on your Mac by clicking the Finder icon.

  2. Find and click once on the file you want to sign.

    Open Finder, click on file

  3. Press the space bar on your keyboard. Your document will come up in Quick Look
  4. Click the Markup button.

  5. Click the signature button.

    Click Markup, click signature

  6. Click iPhone or iPad.

  7. Click Select Device.

    Click iPhone or iPad, click Select Device

  8. Click on your chosen iPhone or iPad from the device list.

  9. Sign your name on your iPhone or iPad.

    Click on a device, sign your name

  10. Tap Done on your iPhone or iPad.

  11. Click the signature that now appears in the signature menu on your Mac.

    Tap Done, click the signature

  12. Move your signature to where it needs to be in the document.

  13. Click Done.

    Move signature into place, click Done

And you're done. If you're happy with the signature you've created, you just have to the next document you have to sign.

How to sign a document on Mac with your iPhone or iPad in Preview

  1. Open Preview on your Mac.

  2. Open the document you want to sign.

    Open Preview, open document

  3. Click View.

  4. Click Show Markup Toolbar.

    Click View, click Show Markup Toolbar

  5. Click the signature button.

  6. Click iPhone or iPad.

    Click signature button, click iPhone or iPad

  7. Click Select Device.

  8. Click on your chosen iPhone or iPad from the device list.

    Click Select Devie, click iPhone or iPad

  9. Sign your name on your iPhone or iPad.

  10. Tap Done on your iPhone or iPad.

    Sign document, tap Done

  11. Click the signature that now appears in the signature menu on your Mac.

  12. Move your signature to where it needs to be in the document.

    Click signature, move signature

  13. Save your document.

    Save document

Great accessories for your Macs, iPhones, and iPads

Apple Pencil (first generation) ($94 at Amazon)

If you using this feature with a 2018 iPad, or 2019 iPad Air 3 or iPad mini 5, then your device will work with this Pencil, which is a great tool for, among other things, signing your name.

Apple Pencil (second generation) ($130 at Amazon)

If you want to sign documents with a 2018 iPad Pro, your device will work with the excellent second-generation Apple Pencil, which magnetically attaches to the side of your device and charges at that point, as well.

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