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michelef97060383
michelef97060383
Participant
January 28, 2016
Question

Why is my signature suddenly gone?

  • January 28, 2016
  • 9 replies
  • 43215 views

I had a saved signature in Adobe that whenever I needed to sign a doc, I clicked "place signature" and an image of my signature was available to drag onto the doc. Now, when I try, it's saying "To begin signing, choose the 'Drag New Signature Rectangle' button, and then drag out the area where you would like your signature to appear." I don't understand where my signature went. I have been using it for years. I can still place my initials. What is going on?

    9 replies

    JR Boulay
    Community Expert
    JR BoulayCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 9, 2025

    [MOVED TO THE ACROBAT DISCUSSIONS]

    Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
    Y
    yex33501009
    Participant
    August 19, 2024

    Hey, I think I found the fix for the missing signature and stamp. 

     

    1. Go to edit > Preferences and go to language.
    2. From here change it from Same as OS to English (US) (or your preferred language)
    3. restart the application fully and boom, Fill and sign signature and stamp reappeared. 
      T
      talia30828428ditp
      Participating Frequently
      August 20, 2024

      Whoa! It worked, with a twist. My "replaced" signature (meaning the image I pasted after it lost my original hand drawn signature) was gone again when I went in to test your idea. So I went to Preferences and saw that I was already on English. So I figured I would try switching to Same as OS. Restarted, and still gone. So then I switched BACK to English, Restarted, and voila, my replaced image signature was there again. I don't know what bug is in Adobe to cause this, but you may truly have found the trick to solve it. MANY THANKS! Only wish your discovery had happened sooner 😛

        P
        Potlako5EFB
        Participant
        July 19, 2024

        Same issue on my end. Very frustrating.

          T
          talia30828428ditp
          Participating Frequently
          July 1, 2023

          I typically just click the signature pen to get my saved signatures, but one day, they were gone. I verified I was signed in. It was just gone. I ended up making a snipping tool png copy from one of my other signed documents and used that as my signature. Then, next time I needed to sign, my original signature reappeared.  Now it is gone again.  This is a real hassel. It is extremely difficult to create a signature that looks real.

            D
            default7xprwvwplsg7
            Participant
            September 10, 2021

            Same thing happened to me today; I've tried everything... no luck.  I used it just yesterday and today... its gone.  

            This has cost me too much time; easier to print, sign and scan, albeit not as convenient. Might as well quit using Adobe and save the $.

             

            C

              paulk58016313
              paulk58016313
              Participant
              July 20, 2018

              I had the same problem, turned out when the software updated it signed me out and didn't sign me back in. I just had to find a sign in button and my signatures re-appeared.

                I
                IsakTen-RwIoo2
                Inspiring
                January 29, 2016

                It looks like you're using "Fill&Sign" tool in Acrobat XI with e-signature (typed,  drawn, image). Is this correct?

                If this is the case then you at some point, perhaps unintentionally, selected 'Use a certificate'. Acrobat remembers the last signature style you used and starts with it the next time you want to sign. That's why you get "To begin signing, choose the 'Drag New Signature Rectangle' button..." alert. To go back to using e-signature, click on the small rectangle to the right of the "Place Signature" label and select "Change Saved Signature". You'll get a dialog which allows you to select signature style and create it. You may need to recreate your signature, though.

                  Bernd Alheit
                  Community Expert
                  Bernd AlheitCommunity Expert
                  Community Expert
                  January 29, 2016

                  Do you use the tool "Fill & Sign" ?

                  A
                  Anonymous
                  January 29, 2016

                  Hi ,

                  If your have signed a document before your signatures would be saved but you would need choose a location where you want to place it and it would automatically be placed there.

                  Regards

                  Sukrit Dhingra

                  michelef97060383
                  michelef97060383Author
                  Participant
                  January 29, 2016

                  No, that is false, because when I place the box to sign, i get another screen that says "Add or create a digital ID to sign and encrypt documents. The certificate that comes with your digital ID is sent to others so that they can verify your signatures." Then it asks me to either create a new digital ID or use an existing one with 1) a file 2) a roaming digital ID accessed via a server 3) a device connected to this computer. I've tried all three of the options and they don't work.

                  I never had to do this crap before. My signature was saved and I just dragged it into my documents. Why is this happening?I just want to sign documents without all this hassle!! I want it to go back to the way it was before!!

                    A
                    Anonymous
                    January 29, 2016

                    Hi ,

                    What happens when you choose the the option "use an existing one"?

                    Regards

                    Sukrit Dhingra

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