In SignNow, you can upload from your desktop, Google Drive/OneDrive/Dropbox, or the mobile app (camera → scan to PDF), then combine files, place fields, and send. We’ll outline supported formats and where to see your live size/page limits in the uploader, plus practical tips—compress large PDFs, split oversized documents, flatten scans/images, and avoid password-protected files—to keep uploads fast and reliable.
📝 SignNow allows you to import files of different formats, which include ‘pdf’; ‘doc’; ‘docx’; ‘odt’; ‘rtf’; ‘png’; ‘jpg’; ‘jpeg’; ‘gif’; ‘bmp’; ‘xml’; ‘xls’; ‘xlsx’; ‘ppt’; ‘pptx’.
The uploaded document size should be no more than 50 MB on the desktop SignNow and 50 MB on the iOS/Android SignNow app.
Document Upload (web/desktop)
Upload a supported document (e.g., Word), prepare it in the editor, and send to multiple recipients for e-signature.
Click Create > Invite to Sign to upload a document and then choose the document/-s you’d like to upload from your device.
Upload — Drag and drop or choose a file from your computer (PDF, Word, images, etc.). It lands in the folder you have open and opens in the editor so you can add fields and send.
Import from Cloud Storage — Connect Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Box and pull a copy without downloading locally. Great for teams working from shared drives.
Import via URL — Paste a direct file link to import a copy into SignNow. Use public or accessible links; password-protected or permission-restricted URLs may fail.
Add from Forms Library — Pick a saved form or template from your organization’s library. It creates a fresh, ready-to-send copy with fields and roles preconfigured.
📝 If you select and upload multiple forms from your device, they will be merged upon upload. Ensure that you upload your files one after another if you want to keep the forms separate in SignNow.
The form uploads to whichever folder is currently open in SignNow—even if you’ve just switched folders.
Template Upload (web/desktop)
In SignNow, a template is a reusable blueprint: you set fields, roles, and (optionally) signing order once, then use it to generate many sends (single invite, Bulk Invite, invite link/kiosk). A document is a one-off instance created from an upload or a template—it's what you actually send, sign, and archive. Editing a template affects only future documents; it never changes documents already created. Unlike templates, documents carry the completed data, certificate, and history.
Click Create > Template to upload a template and then choose the form/-s you’d like to upload from your device.
Upload — Start a template from a new file (PDF, Word, image). Add fields, roles, and signing order once, then reuse it for single sends, Bulk Invite, or invite links.
Select from Existing Documents — Convert a previously uploaded document into a template to avoid rebuilding fields. Past data is stripped; only the layout/fields remain reusable.
Migrate from DocuSign — Export templates from DocuSign as a ZIP and import them into SignNow. This preserves structure and speeds go-live without recreating your forms.
PDF Flattening & Compatibility Checklist
Flatten first. Flatten interactive elements (form fields, comments, layers, transparencies) before upload to preserve appearance and prevent shifting. “Print to PDF” or an optimizer works well.
Flatten using one of these methods:
Print to PDF (quick & reliable):
Windows: Print → Microsoft Print to PDF.
macOS/Chrome: File/Print → Save as PDF.Adobe Acrobat Pro (precise):
File → Save as Other → Optimized PDF (enable “Flatten form fields” / discard annotations), or
Tools → Print Production → Preflight → Fixups → Flatten annotations and form fields.Other editors: Export with a “flatten annotations/form fields” option. If unsure, fall back to Print to PDF.*}
Unsupported types. Password-protected/encrypted PDFs, PDF/A, dynamic XFA/LiveCycle forms, portfolios (multi-file PDFs), and embedded attachments aren’t supported—remove protection/convert to static first.
Fonts & rendering. Rare/unembedded fonts can reflow, embed, or flatten to avoid substitutions. Complex vector art and layers may render slowly—flatten to speed things up.
Some native form fields from third-party tools may not behave as expected in SignNow; treat the PDF as a background and add SignNow fields to ensure validation/required logic works.
Page size/length. Extremely long or oversized pages can impact performance; split blueprints/long statements into smaller parts.
Links/JS. PDF JavaScript and some interactive links are stripped on import; provide additional instructions in the invite email if needed.
Security check. Every uploaded file is antivirus-scanned; infected files are blocked from processing.