Complete Guide to the Signing Process

Welcome to your comprehensive guide to the SignNow signing process. Whether you’re new to electronic signatures or looking to streamline your workflow, this page will walk you through every step of signing documents with SignNow. From understanding supported devices and platforms to navigating document fields, saving drafts, and handling payments, you’ll find everything you need to confidently complete your signing session. Let’s get started on making your digital signing experience smooth, secure, and efficient.

Understanding the SignNow Signing Process

SignNow is designed to make electronic signing accessible and straightforward for everyone. As a signer, you can complete documents on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device—no account registration or paid plan is required unless specified by the sender. The process is flexible, allowing you to sign at your convenience, choose your preferred language, and even save your progress as a draft. Whether you’re filling out a job application, contract, or any other form, SignNow’s intuitive interface ensures you won’t miss a step. SignNow supports both guided and free-form signing experiences. In guided signing, the sender places fields for you to complete, while free-form signing lets you add your own fields. This flexibility means you can adapt the signing process to your needs, ensuring a seamless experience every time.

Supported Devices and Platforms for Signing

SignNow empowers you to sign documents wherever you are, using the device that suits you best. Supported platforms include:

• Desktop web browsers (Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and more)
• Mobile web browsers (Safari, Chrome, etc.)
• SignNow mobile app for iOS and Android (phones and tablets)

You don’t need to create a SignNow account or subscribe to a paid plan to sign documents—unless the sender’s settings require it. The SignNow mobile app is free to install and only requires a subscription if you want to manage documents or send invites yourself. If you open a signing invite on your mobile device and have the app installed, you’ll be redirected to the app for a smoother experience. Otherwise, you’ll continue in your device’s browser. Note: Free-form invites cannot be signed on the mobile web. Use the desktop web or the SignNow mobile app for these invites.

Starting a Signing Session

When you receive a document for signing, simply open the invite link on your chosen device. Depending on the sender’s organization settings, you’ll see one of two welcome screens:

• If Electronic Consent is disabled, you’ll see a generic welcome pop-up where you can select your preferred language and review the Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.
• If Electronic Consent is enabled, you’ll be prompted to provide explicit consent to sign electronically. You can withdraw or grant this consent at any time.

After confirming your language and consent, click Get Started to begin the signing session. You’ll be guided through the document, ensuring you don’t miss any required fields.

Electronic Consent and Terms of Service

Electronic consent is a crucial part of the digital signing process. If the sender’s organization requires it, you’ll need to agree to sign documents electronically before proceeding. This consent ensures your signature is legally binding and compliant with e-signature regulations. You can always review the Terms of Service and Privacy Notice directly from the welcome pop-up. If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent and return later to complete the signing process. This step is designed to protect your rights and provide transparency, so you always know what you’re agreeing to before you sign.

Navigating and Completing Document Fields

SignNow’s intuitive interface makes it easy to fill out and sign documents. You can use your keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen to enter information and draw your signature. The Guide Me feature is especially helpful—it leads you step-by-step through all required fields, ensuring nothing is missed. Navigation is straightforward:

• Use the Tab key on desktop or arrow keys on mobile to move between fields.
• Follow the Guide Me prompts to jump to the next required field.
• Optional fields are lighter in color, so you can easily distinguish them from required ones.

If you miss a field, simply click the orange arrow to restart the guide. You can also adjust the Guide Me settings to include optional fields if you want a more thorough review. Once all required fields are completed, click Finish at the top right to submit your signed document.

Language Selection for Signing Sessions

SignNow supports a wide range of languages, making it easy for signers around the world to complete documents in their preferred language. You can change the signing session language in several ways:

• Manually select your language on the welcome or consent pop-up.
• Change the language anytime via Settings >> Language.
• Let SignNow automatically detect your language based on your browser (desktop) or device (mobile) settings.

Supported languages include English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Swedish, Greek, Croatian, Thai, Hungarian, Indonesian, and Turkish. This ensures a comfortable and accessible signing experience for users worldwide.

Saving and Managing Drafts

Life gets busy, and sometimes you can’t finish signing a document in one sitting. SignNow lets you save your progress as a draft and return later to complete the process. This feature is available for all invites sent via email, including Invite to Sign, Document Group invites, and Bulk Invites. Note: Draft saving is not available for signing links. You can save drafts on any platform—desktop web, mobile web, or the SignNow mobile app. Simply reopen the same signing link when you’re ready to continue. This flexibility ensures you never lose your progress, even if you need to pause and come back later. This feature is especially useful for lengthy or complex forms, giving you the freedom to complete them at your own pace.

Declining to Sign a Document

If you decide not to sign a document, SignNow makes it easy to decline. Simply click the Decline button at the top right of the signing interface. You’ll be prompted to provide a reason for declining, which is shared with the sender for transparency. Declining to sign is a straightforward process, and your feedback helps document senders understand your decision. Remember, once you decline, any changes you made during the session will be lost.

Requesting and Handling Payments After Signing

Some documents may include a payment request after you’ve completed the signing process. If payment is required, you’ll see a Save and Pay button at the top right. Payment is always optional—your document is considered signed and complete regardless of whether you pay immediately or choose to pay later. You can always return to the document invite to complete payment at a later time if needed. This flexibility ensures you can complete your signing session without unnecessary interruptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related articles