For people who work in the business world, there are many potential pitfalls and difficulties when it comes to working with documents. Some of these are things such as security and identity theft, but there are other things to consider such as contracts and laws.
Fortunately, there are many tools and resources available to help businesses navigate these challenges. Smallpdf.com is one such tool, which offers a range of features for working with PDF documents, including security and encryption, e-signatures, and collaboration tools.
How To Edit a Signed PDF In 2023
With all this in mind, it is no wonder that such attention is paid to security and verification when it comes to documents such as invoices and contracts. One of the most common document types that will be done over the internet is the PDF.
PDFs are common across almost all platforms and are very useful but there are blocks sometimes. Sometimes you might wish to edit a PDF that is not readable or has a password.
Another potential issue is when you need to edit a PDF that has already been signed. While this can be done, it is not as simple as clicking the edit tool.
Why might you need to edit a signed PDF?
There are innumerable reasons as to why you might need or want to edit a signed PDF. Although a signed PDF is considered a “finished document” in a sense, there might be times when some changes are needed.
For example, you might see some typos that need correcting or some additional comments that need to be made to the document.
While it is not so likely that you might need to overhaul the document post-signing it, it can still happen and in this instance, you will need to have a way to sign the aforementioned PDF file.
A signed PDF can be edited but firstly, some steps need to be taken, but why? And what are signed PDFs exactly anyway?
What are signed PDFs?
A signed PDF is a PDF that bears an electronic signature from one or more users. This can be used as a legal document if it bears the electronic signature since it shows legal intent.
This is important since many people are working and operating and doing business remotely and it is not always possible to sign documents in person, but an e-signature can be just as useful.
To sign a PDF, you will need an online PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat which has an e-sign tool that allows you to add your own signature to a document. This makes a signed PDF an official document, but sometimes even after signing a PDF, we will need to still edit it.
How to Edit a Signed PDF?
The answer to this question is easy to answer but also a bit complicated to explain. Technically you cannot edit a signed PDF, but really you can.
To simplify, you need to remove the signature from the PDF in order to edit it. You can remove your signature from a PDF but not that of another user, they will need to do this if it is needed.
If you have signed the PDF, you can use an online PDF editor to remove the signature from the document, then you will be able to freely work with the file and do as you like with it.
How to Edit a Signed PDF with Google Docs
If for some reason you do not have access to an online PDF editor, you will still have the option to use Google Docs to open and work with your PDF. You can use Google Docs to edit a signed PDF but there is a catch.
You can’t simply remove the PDF signature, edit the document then add a new signature. Google Docs does not have this functionality. Instead, it will create a new PDF that you can work with.
This means you are likely still better off using an online PDF editor that has additional tools. Google Docs is a great tool and platform, but it does have limitations in regard to working with PDFs.
What About PDFs That Are Locked for Editing?
Sometimes we might be in a situation where we have to edit or work on a PDF that is locked. In this situation, you are not completely without hope, but the options are indeed limited. The easiest thing to do in this scenario would be to copy the PDF and create a new file using the PDF.
This wouldn’t unlock the PDF per se but it would accomplish the same thing since you would have access to the PDF in the PDF editor without having to unlock it.
This is one way but the easiest way to unlock a PDF is by knowing the password. If you forgot the password this is an option that is available to you.
How to Edit a PDF with Multiple Signatures
There will be occasions when you will need to edit a document that has had many people sign it. This is common when you are working with business documents where many people were involved in the project. To do this, there are ways but it can be tricky.
The best way would be to copy as stated in the previous paragraph but in addition to this, you could also try using Google Docs, which while not perfect would allow you to edit a document that has been signed already. Just be careful about any potential distortions.
Edit Signed PDF Documents with a PDF editor
The easiest way to work with any PDF is with a PDF editor, With a PDF editor, you can do more than just edit the PDF. You can use all the tools that the PDF editor has in order to improve the document before or after signing it such as the merge PDF tool.
There are many great online PDF editors out there such as PDFelement, SmallPDF, Lumin PDF, and Adobe Acrobat. All of these come with their own tools but they can all be used to edit a PDF that has been signed.
Just remember when working with signed PDFs, always make sure you have the permission of the signature(s) when working on documents. This will go a long way to making sure there is no trouble.