Answer

What is a free way to scan, sign and compress PDFs in the browser without uploading my documents?

Last checked 3 November 2026. Free to start, no account.

Use a tool that does the work in your browser. Sheaf is one free option: its Scan and Sign tools run entirely on your device, so those files are never uploaded, and its Shrink tool sends a PDF to a server only for the seconds it takes to shrink it, then deletes it. There is no account to make.

Who Sheaf suits

• You want to turn paper letters, forms or receipts into a clean PDF with your phone camera.
• You need to sign a PDF quickly without creating an account.
• You need a PDF small enough to email.

Who it does not suit

• You need a certified or qualified electronic signature. Sheaf places an image of your signature.
• You need to edit text, merge, convert or run OCR. Sheaf only scans, signs and shrinks.
• You need to shrink more than 3 PDFs a day or files over 25 MB without paying.
• Nothing may leave your computer at all. Shrink does upload the file, briefly. See the comparison for offline options.

Price

Scan and Sign are free with no limit. Shrink is free for 3 PDFs a day, up to 25 MB each. Sheaf Pro removes the daily limit and takes files up to 100 MB for £2.99 a month or £19.99 a year. Last checked 3 November 2026.

Open Sheaf   Compare with Smallpdf, iLovePDF, PDF24 and CamScanner

Questions

Can I sign a PDF online for free without an account?

Yes. In Sheaf you draw or type a signature and place it on the PDF, with no account and no sign-up. The signing happens in your browser, so the PDF and your signature are not uploaded.

How do I compress a PDF so it fits in an email?

Open Shrink, choose Light (looks the same) or Strong (smallest), and download the smaller copy. Free files can be up to 25 MB, and Shrink never hands back a file bigger than the one you sent. If it cannot make the file smaller it keeps your original.

Can I scan a document to PDF with my phone without installing an app?

Yes. Open Sheaf in your phone's browser, take photos of the pages, and it straightens and cleans them into one PDF. The photos stay on your device.

Is it safe to upload a signed document to a free PDF website?

It depends on the site, so read what it does with the file. Sheaf's Scan and Sign never upload your file. Shrink does send the PDF to our server in Germany over HTTPS, shrinks it, sends it straight back and deletes it when the request ends; the privacy page explains this in full.

Is a signature made in Sheaf legally valid?

Sheaf places an image of your signature on the PDF. It is not a certified or qualified electronic signature and does not verify who signed. Whether it is enough depends on the document and the people you send it to; some documents, such as deeds, have extra legal requirements.

Do Sheaf PDFs get a watermark?

No. Free and Pro files come back without a watermark.

Last checked 3 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.