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Where does Preview store hand-written signatures?

I love the feature in Preview, to be able to sign documents. But my issue is with signature capture; I need to give Preview a signature which I already have in a PNG format (instead of via the three current options : holding the signature in front of the camera, signing on the trackpad or the iPhone screen). I am trying to find out where Preview stores the signatures in the Library so may be I can put my PNG signature there which will then show up as an option in the Preview > signing options list. Does anyone know?!

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 13.2

Posted on Apr 9, 2023 4:37 PM

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6 replies

Apr 9, 2023 5:09 PM in response to marconey

I don't think you can add signatures directly.


It is my understanding that Preview stores hand-written signatures as a digital certificate in the macOS Keychain. When you create a new signature in Preview, it will be saved as a digital certificate in your login keychain by default.


To try to locate the signature, you would use the Keychain Access app, as follows:

1. Open Keychain Access by searching for it in Spotlight or by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.

2. In the Keychain Access window, select the "login" keychain from the list on the left side of the window.

3. In the search field in the upper-right corner of the window, type "preview" and press enter.

4. Look for entries with a name like: Signature Annotation Privacy, with a Kind of: application password

Apr 9, 2023 5:24 PM in response to marconey

marconey wrote:

Thanks, while this quenched my immediate curiosity (yes, I found what you mentioned), it doesn't provide a solution to my quandary :o). I really wish Apple had added the option to import a graphic image.

Apple is about making technology easy to use. Sometimes that requires eliminating options that may be difficult to use for many people, difficult to maintain for Apple, and used by very few people.


Apple considers these signatures sensitive personal information. They are encrypted and stored in the keychain.

Where does Preview store hand-written signatures?

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