However, it’s simpler and often more secure to put your signatures on documents if they are done digitally. Microsoft Office files like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint allow you to add digital signatures easily. Let’s see how it’s done.
What Is a Digital Signature, and Why Add One?
A digital signature is a type of electronic signature that is used to validate the authenticity and integrity of digital information like emails, credit card transactions, and documents. Microsoft Word and Excel files can be digitally signed, and there are many ways you can sign PDF files too.
If you’re digitally signing a document, it will confirm that the information in the document has originated from you and has not been altered since you signed it. So it’s like a virtual fingerprint or an electronic representation of your handwritten signature.
Though there are many apps for signing documents online, Microsoft Office enables you to create digital signatures in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. You don’t need to take a printout of a document, sign with a pen, and then scan and send it. You can just create a digital signature in an Office file and email it.
Adding a digital signature helps to make the document authentic and official. It also assures non-repudiation, which means that it proves to all parties the origin of the signed content.
Moreover, according to Microsoft, signatures in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft PowerPoint files, which are time-stamped by a secure time-stamp server, under certain circumstances, have the validity of a notarization.
How to Make a Digital Signature Official
You need to have a digital signing certificate to confirm your identity and make it official. When you send a digitally signed Microsoft Office file, the digital certificate is included in it along with a public key.
Digital certificates are issued by a certification authority (CA). A certificate is usually valid for a year, after which the signer must renew or get a new signing certificate to establish identity.
If you do not want to purchase a certificate, or need to sign the document immediately, you can also create your certificate. In Windows, the process for creating your certificate depends on which Windows version you’re using—Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, or XP.
To know more about digital certificate services or instructions on creating your certificate, visit this Microsoft support page.
How to Add a Digital Signature to a Microsoft Office File
You can add digital signatures to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. To add a digital signature, you need to have an open document file of Word or an Excel sheet. The process for Word and Excel is similar, so let’s explore how to add a digital signature on a Word file.
In the open Word file, for example, at the end where you’re signing a document, place the pointer where you want to create a digital signature. Click on the Insert tab. The Signature Line list will be in the Text Group on the top right. Click Microsoft Office Signature Line. A signature setup tab opens up for you to fill in with a few fields. Add relevant information in the Signature Setup dialog box: Suggested Signer: (this would be your name), Signer’s Title: (your designation), and Signer’s Email address: (your email address if you want to give it). Under instructions to the signer, there will be a default instruction: Before signing this document, verify that the content you are signing is correct. This instruction can be changed and below there will be two options that you can set by ticking the checkboxes: Allow the signer to add comments in the Sign dialog box, and Show Sign date in the signature line. After filling in your details, click OK. You will now be able to see a signature line with your name and title below it.
Now let’s see how to add a signature on the signature line.
Right-click the signature line in the file. Then select Sign from the menu. You can add your signature in the following three ways: If you want to add a printed sign of yours, simply type your name near the X symbol. If you have an image of your signature, click on the Select Signature Image tab and click Select Image—the File Explorer will open, and you can add the image of your signature by browsing through your computer. Thirdly, if you have a tablet PC, you can also add a handwritten signature by signing next to X on the signature line. You can also add details about the signer (which would be you), like your role and the address of the production place, by clicking the Details button. Then at the end, click on Sign at the bottom. You will get a signature confirmation prompt. Then your signature will appear on the signature line in your document. Now you can send your digitally signed document.
How to Remove a Digital Signature
Removing a digital signature is a matter of a couple of clicks.
Open the Microsoft Word or Excel file with a digital signature. Right-click on the Signature line. Click Remove Signature. A prompt will pop up asking you to confirm the signature deletion.
Your digital signature will be removed from the document. Editing the document will also remove the signatures from it.
How to Add or Remove an Invisible Digital Signature
Unlike a visible signature, an invisible digital signature doesn’t add any marks or text within the document. Rather, an invisible signature adds only metadata to the document file to ensure the document’s authenticity without altering its content.
You can add an invisible digital signature to a Microsoft Office File with the following steps:
Open the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document and click File. The Info section will open up. Select Protect Document. Then, from the drop-down menu, select Add a Digital Signature. The digital signature box will open up. Type the purpose for signing the document in the dialog box. Then click Sign. The Info section will then show that the document has been signed and marked as final.
Once a file is digitally signed, it will become a read-only document to prevent any further changes.
It’s also easy to remove an invisible digital signature.
Open the file with the invisible digital signature. You will see two messages on top—one that the document is marked as final, and the second that says that the document contains valid signatures. On the second Signatures message line, click on View Signatures. The Signatures pane will open up on the right side of the document. Click the arrow next to the signature name. Then click Remove Signature from the drop-down menu. Finally, click Yes on the prompt that appears. And your invisible digital signature will be removed.
Give Your Office Documents Authenticity and Security With Your Digital Signature
Digital signatures add a layer of trust and authenticity to your documents. It instills confidence in your collaborators and the receivers of your documents.
Moreover, you have the peace of mind that your documents are secure and cannot be tampered with. So make your official and personal transactions easier and secure by adding digital signatures to your Microsoft Office files.
