How to quickly insert an electronic signature in Word

Firstly, you need your signature in digital form, preferably using a tablet PC with pen input. If you don’t have such a device to hand, sign on a white sheet of paper and take a photo of your signature using a scanner app.

Microsoft’s OneDrive app, which not only provides access to the manufacturer’s cloud storage, but also has a good scanner function integrated, is an uncomplicated help here. Start the OneDrive app on your smartphone and tap the camera icon under “Start” in the bottom right-hand corner.

A camera app will open in which you can select “Document” at the bottom before taking a photo. This will automatically lighten shadows on the white paper. After taking the photo, you can use “Crop” to remove unnecessary edges and “Done” to save the file to OneDrive.

If the quality of the photo is not yet satisfactory, you can improve it in any image-editing program using “Contrast” and “Brightness.”

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In Word, insert the photo of your signature into the document at the desired location using Insert > Picture > This device. After inserting, the image can be reduced in size using the frame corners. To speed things up in future, create a “quick block.”

In Word, select the inserted signature and any additional text such as “Yours sincerely.” Press the Alt-F3 key combination or select Insert > Quick blocks > Save selection in quick block catalog.

Enter a short description under “Name.” You can insert the quick block by entering the name in Word and then pressing the F3 key. There must be no space between the name and the cursor when you press F3.

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Important: An electronic signature is actually “only” a photo of your signature that you insert into a digital document. It therefore does not have the same legal effect as a digital signature.

A legally valid digital signature is an asymmetric encryption system that has been regulated by the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act in 2000. This distinguishes between simple, advanced and qualified electronic signatures. Information on digital signatures can be found here.

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This article was translated from German to English and originally appeared on pcwelt.de.