How to Remove Digital Signature from PDF: A Complete Guide

In particular, business and government workflows rely on electronic signatures to verify the authenticity and integrity of documents. In India, e-tendering and electronic filing are some of the activities where electronic signatures are widely used. Eklavya's eChaap is suitable for digital signing needs of businesses and organizations that need to digitally sign electronic documents with a defined workflow.

Can You Remove a Digital Signature from a PDF?

Yes, but only if certain conditions are met.

If you are the person that digitally signed the PDF, and the document has not been locked against further changes, you may be able to remove your digital signature from a PDF.

Adobe's current guidance indicates that if you are the only signer, you can usually right-click on your signature and choose Clear Signature. If someone else signed the document, however, you will generally need to get an unsigned copy or have the signer remove his or her signature.

There is a good reason for this restriction. Electronic signatures are meant to help prevent unauthorized modification of signed documents.

How to Remove Your Digital Signature from a PDF

If you are the only person who signed the document, follow these steps in Adobe Acrobat:

Step 1: Launch Your PDF

Open the digitally signed PDF in Adobe Acrobat.

Ensure you are working on the correct file. It is recommended that you make a backup copy before attempting to remove the signature.

Step 2: Find the Digital Signature

Go to the page with the digital signature.

A digital signature may be a visible signature box, certificate information, or another signature appearance.

Step 3: Choose the Signature

Right-click on the signature box.

You should see an option such as Clear Signature if you want to remove the signature, provided the document allows it.

Step 4: Choose "Clear Signature"

Click Clear Signature.

The signature will be cleared so you can make allowed changes to the PDF, and then sign it again.

If you are the only signer, Adobe recommends clearing your own signature to edit the document.

Step 5: Make the Changes You Want

After the signature is cleared, correct the PDF as necessary.

After making all changes, you can re-sign the document with your digital ID or digital signature certificate.

What If "Clear Signature" Is Not Available?

One of the biggest problems users have is that the Clear Signature option does not show up.

There are several reasons for this.

1. The PDF Is Signed by a Different Person

Most of the time, you are not free to simply erase another person's signature from a digitally signed document. Adobe recommends that you either get the original unsigned document or ask the signer to clear their signature.

2. The Document Is Locked Once Signed

You are able to create a PDF that cannot be modified after it is signed. You may not be able to clear the signature if the signer locked the document, which may put restrictions on editing.

In these cases, the best thing to do is usually to obtain the original unsigned PDF and make your changes there.

3. The Document Is Signed by Several Parties

Decertifying or removing a signature from a multi-signature document may affect the signature history and validity of the document.

So instead of trying to get around these protections, try to get an editable unsigned copy from the owner or the applicable signers.

4. The Digital Signature Is Part of the Formal Process

Some documents are created by particular signing systems, government portals, enterprise applications or digital-signature solutions. The correct procedure will depend on how you signed the document.

For instance, Eklavya's eChaap is a digital signing solution capable of working with multiple types of signing dongles. The stand-alone version can digitally sign documents, support multiple documents and multiple signatures, and keep signer logs.

So if a signed PDF was created as part of an enterprise signing workflow, it may be better to go back to the original application or workflow to manipulate the signed PDF, rather than do it manually.

Best Practices Before Removing a Digital Signature

Here are some things to consider before deleting a signature:

Save a copy of the signed PDF file.

Make sure you have the right to delete the signature.

Check whether you are the signer.

Never alter public records without permission.

Use the original unsigned document where possible.

If a digital signature is required, re-sign the corrected document.

Sign and validate the new signature.

Keep adequate records of the corrected and superseded versions.

Adobe also advises keeping an unsigned original copy before signing, particularly if you will need to edit the document later or get other signatures.

If your organization has complex signing and document management needs, you may also want to consider custom software solutions built around your own business processes, workflows and operational needs.

Final Thoughts

There are times when you might want to remove a digital signature from a PDF. This can be when you need to fix a signed document, or when you need to prepare the document to be signed again.

But electronic signatures are specifically meant to guarantee the integrity of the document and so cannot be taken out as easily as a normal image or text element.

If you are the only signer and the PDF is changeable, Clear Signature in Adobe Acrobat is usually the easiest way to go. Getting the original unsigned document is usually the safer and more reliable solution if the PDF has multiple signatures, is owned by someone else, or is locked.

Dedicated digital signature solutions can also simplify workflows for signing, tracking and document management for companies dealing with large numbers of digitally signed documents. For instance, Eklavya's eChaap facilitates digital signing workflows and maintains a record of the signed documents and timestamps.