How To Easily Sign Documents In Gmail

If you are looking for an easy way to sign documents online and especially when using the Chrome browser, then Eversign has the answer. As the eSignature service which already offers a number of solutions for different platforms also now has a dedicated Chrome extension available from the Chrome Web Store. Resulting in one of the easiest and quickest ways to eSign documents when using Chrome. Even better still, the Chrome extension comes with a number of Google-related tweaks making the procedure even faster and easier than ever. For example, with the plugin installed users can actually sign a document received through Gmail without ever having to actually leave Gmail or transfer the document elsewhere first. The same goes for Google Drive and the Chrome browser itself. Though, for the purpose of this how-to, we’ll show you how easy it is to eSign a document in Gmail with Eversign.

To get started you will need to download and install the Chrome extension from the Google Web Store. This is a free to download solution and while Eversign does offer paid-for tiers (for those looking for unlimited eSignature support and more advanced features), there is no requirement to pay for the service as the free access tier offers a set number of eSignatures each month. Therefore, if you are someone who only ever needs to sign one or two documents a month (most likely, most average users) the free version will be perfect, while those looking for a more robust or small business-focused solution will want to check out the different premium options. Download the plugin through the link below.

Once downloaded there is a small form you have to fill out (basically setting up an account) as this is what is used to make the service so accessible. Users provide their email address and aspects like their name – the software needs these details to generate the eSignature. Once everything is all set up and running (takes less than one minute), you are good to go and this is where the process becomes a breeze. Once you receive an email through Gmail with a document that needs to be signed, it will show up like any other document you receive in Gmail.

However, when you now hover over the document you’ll notice a small Eversign logo is present offering you the option to eSign the document before you have even opened it.

Clicking this icon will immediately launch the service (within the same window but as an overlay) while also showing a preview of the document. This lets the user navigate straight to the points where a signature is needed and from here it’s just a matter of adding a saved signature.

If there are other additions needed to the document, this is where you can add them to. These includes adding just initials where needed, the date if needed, and even a checkbox (and checking it). Again, all of this occurs with Gmail still open in the background.

Once the document has been signed as much as you need it to be, all the user has to do is click the “Finish” button and the plugin will not only save the file complete with eSignatures, but as this has all technically occurred within your Gmail it populates the newly signed version in a reply email with the recipient (original sender) already filled in. So now all you have to do is hit the “Send” button and the signed document is already on its way back to the original sender. It’s that easy.

For those times when maybe a more thorough signing is needed, Eversign has you covered here as well. Take for instance when multiple people need to sign the same document, the same software will let you deal with this in a similar way. When clicking on the Eversign icon, the first part of the process involves deciding whether it’s just you or more than one person who needs to sign the document. If the ‘more than one’ option is clicked the software lets you fill out your parts and then share the document with others who need to sign it, and through a number of different share options including directly by email.

So there you go. With the Eversign Chrome browser plugin installed, signing documents could not be any easier. It’s just a matter of clicking the logo, added your signature and re-sending the document back. No messy downloads and uploads needed, no need to head to other sites, or anything else for that matter. Everything happens all within a preview of the email in Gmail, and the process works much the same way for Google Drive and the Chrome browser in general. In need of additional language support? Eversign’s Chrome plugin currently offers supports for more than ten different languages.