How to sign a Word document
In this guide, we’ll show you how to sign a Word document and give its recipients the peace of mind that it’s the genuine article.
By signing a Word document, we don’t just mean writing your name at the end: That both looks amateurish and leaves open the possibility of forgery. By following these steps and using the dedicated signature feature in Word, you can add a professional touch while backing your signature with a certificate of authenticity.
These digital certificates act as confirmation to the document’s reader that the included signature is genuine. For maximum assurance that you really signed a certain document yourself, you can buy digital certificates from trusted Microsoft partners — but these are expensive, and take time to process. In this guide, we’ll instead show you how to create a digital certificate on your own Windows PC.
This might not offer enterprise-level assurance that your signature is the real deal, but it’s free, and can at least confirm to recipients that your signed documents are coming from the same source. So, here’s how to create a digital certificate, and how to sign a Word document using it.
How to sign a Word document
1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Officeroot, or C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficerootOffice16 if you’ve installed the 64-bit version of Microsoft Office.
