Knowledge Base

How to sign a PDF document in Bluebeam Revu

Updated on September 26, 2026

Overview

By following this article, you will add a secure digital signature to a Portable Document Format (PDF) document in Bluebeam Revu. You will use your Digital ID, which is the signing certificate stored on your hardware token. The article covers the prerequisites, the steps to create a signature field and sign the document, how to verify the signature, and how to fix common problems. A digital signature confirms who signed the document and shows whether anyone changed it after signing.

Prerequisites

Before you sign a Portable Document Format (PDF) document in Bluebeam Revu, make sure you have:

Bluebeam Revu installed on your computer.
A hardware token that holds a valid Digital ID (signing certificate).
The password for your hardware token.
A free Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on your computer.

Steps to sign a PDF document in Bluebeam Revu

Step 1 — Connect your hardware token

Plug your hardware token into a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on your computer. Bluebeam Revu uses the Digital ID on the token to sign the document.

Step 2 — Open the PDF document

Start Bluebeam Revu, and open the Portable Document Format (PDF) document that you want to sign.

Step 3 — Open the Sign Document tool

In Bluebeam Revu, select Tools > Signature > Sign Document.

Figure 1: Bluebeam Revu Tools menu with Signature and Sign Document selected

Step 4 — Draw the signature field

Click and drag on the PDF page to draw a box where your signature will appear. The Sign dialog box opens.

Step 5 — Choose your Digital ID and signature settings

In the Sign dialog box in Bluebeam Revu:

In Digital ID, select the Digital ID from your hardware token.
In Signature Type, select Digital Signature.
Optional: in Options, enter a Reason, Location, or Contact Info.
Optional: in Appearance, change how your signature looks.
Click OK.

Figure 2: Bluebeam Revu Sign dialog box showing Digital ID, Signature Type, Options, and Appearance settings

Step 6 — Save the signed PDF document

When Bluebeam Revu asks where to save the signed Portable Document Format (PDF) document, enter a file name, choose a location, and then click Save.

Figure 3: Windows Save As dialog box for saving the signed PDF document

Step 7 — Enter your hardware token password

When prompted, enter the password for your hardware token. Bluebeam Revu then uses the Digital ID on the token to apply the signature.

How to verify success

To confirm that you signed the Portable Document Format (PDF) document in Bluebeam Revu:

Check that your signature appears in the signature field on the PDF page.
Open the Signatures panel, and confirm that it shows Signature is valid.

Figure 4: Bluebeam Revu Signatures panel showing a valid signature and the signature on the PDF page

Troubleshooting

Issue: Your Digital ID does not appear in the Digital ID list in Bluebeam Revu.

Cause: The hardware token is not connected, or your computer does not detect it.

Solution: Disconnect the hardware token, reconnect it to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, and then open the Sign dialog box again.

Issue: Bluebeam Revu does not apply the signature after you enter the password.

Cause: The hardware token password is incorrect.

Solution: Enter the password again carefully. Many tokens lock after too many wrong attempts, so if you are not sure of the password, contact your token administrator.