Trackpad signature impossible to achieve in Preview

beall208 wrote:

When I "click here to begin" the cursor starts midway or too far to the right in the box. If you even once raise your finger, you have no idea where the cursor is going to land. It makes signing almost impossible.

The input is captured based on where your finger is on the trackpad. In other words, you know where the cursor will start by where you put your finger on the trackpad. For example, I created a new signature, clicked once in the box, then drew numbers in each corner then wrote a short message in the middle. The key is as you sign, look at the trackpad not the screen.

Back in 2012, when using an iMac and builtin camera, with I think, was macOS 10.13 High Sierra

I used the below method

To this day in 2025, on M4 MBA also with Sequoia 15.6

The Signature has carried through.

Though the signature ( penmanship ) from 2025 is not quit a steady as the signature from 2012 - age factor

Create a signature using your computer's built-in camera: Click Camera. Hold your signature (on white paper) facing the camera so that your signature is level with the blue line in the window. When your signature appears in the window, click Done. If you don't like the results, click Clear, then try again.

Owl-53 wrote:

Though the signature ( penmanship ) from 2025 is not quit a steady as the signature from 2012 - age factor

My digital signature is even older – I scanned it in 2003 to paste into Word docs, then when I started using Preview to electronically sign documents (a decade ago, give or take), I printed that scan and used the Camera to capture it.

Worth noting that once you have a signature in Preview, if you use Migration assistant to set up a new Mac the stored signature is transferred.

Thank you for the additional insights 👍

This is most helpful

In my setup from 2012 iMac and Preview

The Signature was and still is part of my iCloud setup

When setting up numerous newer machines over the years.

That same Signature from 2012 magically 😀 reappears in each new version Preview and OS

Even to today, on the M4 Mac Mini and M4 MBA

We " old war horses " reminiscing, though do hope some of this may help OP 🤞

beall208 wrote:

When I "click here to begin" the cursor starts midway or too far to the right in the box. If you even once raise your finger, you have no idea where the cursor is going to land. It makes signing almost impossible. I know I can use the camera and snap a photo of the signature...

...don't instruct us to use a feature that doesn't work...

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 15.5

There are other ways besides the trackpad... I would use what works best for you.

A trackpad signature is _never_ going to be as elegant as a scan. Full stop.

Create a signature using your computer’s built-in camera: Click Camera. Hold your signature (on white paper) facing the camera so that your signature is level with the blue line in the window. When your signature appears in the window, click Done. If you don’t like the results, click Clear, then try again.

ref: Fill out and sign PDF forms in Preview on Mac - Apple Support

You can submit your Apple Feedback here for your issue/complaint/proclamations: Product Feedback - Apple

The current stable release of Sequoia including bug fixes, security updates is macOS 15.6

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Owl-53 wrote: … Though the signature ( penmanship ) from 2025 is not quit a steady as the signature from 2012 - age factor

I looked up my signature file-- the file date is 1998, but I bet it's from earlier than that--it's pretty legible…

Richard.Taylor wrote:

I looked up my signature file-- the file date is 1998, but I bet it's from earlier than that--it's pretty legible…

My signature hasn't be legible since about then. That's around when I got a job were I had to sign and initial dozens of times a day.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Richard.Taylor wrote:

I looked up my signature file-- the file date is 1998, but I bet it's from earlier than that--it's pretty legible…

My signature hasn't be legible since about then. That's around when I got a job were I had to sign and initial dozens of times a day.

Not be out done 🤞

Not used for Official Signed Documents

That signature is way more complicated

Mine would be way easier to forge.

I once had a boss whose signature look like one of those v-shaped lines kids draw to represent birds in the sky with a dot over one side. Everyone in the agency could copy it. That was in the days before electronic signatures.

Now, I have my boss's signature and his boss's as well. It saves a lot of time if they can just tell me to add it to something. Please don't tell the Office of the General Counsel.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Mine would be way easier to forge.

I once had a boss whose signature look like one of those v-shaped lines kids draw to represent birds in the sky with a dot over one side. Everyone in the agency could copy it. That was in the days before electronic signatures.

Now, I have my boss's signature and his boss's as well. It saves a lot of time if they can just tell me to add it to something. Please don't tell the Office of the General Counsel.

Never , on the pains of death

Sorry for the later reply

We, the ASC forums, seem to have issues with " Our " My Subscriptions since yesterdays Site Update

This is best left to Water Cooler, speak

beall208 wrote:

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd appreciate it.

Back on topic, if you have an iPad and an Apple Pencil, you can use that as an input device (thanks to Sidecar) to generate a more realistic signature in Preview.

Meg SVP

here https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256121129?answerId=261532331022&sortBy=oldest_first#261532331022

Thanks to fellow contributor @ neuroanatomist for bringing us back to the topic at hand 👍

If one has a iPhone, your can Import or Scan an image of your signature into Preview in macOS

👍

Ah, well before BC times, Before Covid