WPS Certificate Signature is a PDF signing feature in WPS PDF that uses digital certificates to sign documents; this guide covers 3 core tasks, with 0 available without membership and 3 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core tasks | 3 | Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index |
| Available without membership | 0 | Matches the number of Free rows in the How-to Index |
| Membership-related items | 3 | Matches the number of membership-related rows in the How-to Index |
About This Feature
Overview
Certificate Signature in WPS PDF lets you sign PDF documents with a digital certificate. It is designed to help verify the signer’s identity and help show whether the document content has changed after signing.
Core capabilities include:
- Sign a PDF with a certificate from the Protect tab.
- Create a new signature before placing it in the document.
- Reuse a recently used signature for repeated signing tasks.
This feature is suitable for contracts, approval files, archived records, and other formal PDF documents that require a signed result.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating system | A Windows device that can run WPS Office normally |
| App version | It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office with PDF components available |
| Network | No mandatory network connection is required for local signing; internet access is needed for sign-in, download, or subscription |
| Other | A valid digital certificate is required, and you need the certificate password during signing; PDF editing access is membership-related |
Download & Installation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official download | WPS Office Free Download |
| Verify after installation | Open WPS Office, open a PDF file, and confirm that the Protect tab and Certificate Signature entry are available |
Source: WPS Office Download Center
Compare with Alternatives
| Dimension | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Summary | WPS PDF provides a Certificate Signature entry under the Protect tab, supports creating a new signature, reusing a recent signature, placing the signature in the PDF, and verifying with a certificate password. | Microsoft 365 supports digital signatures in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to help confirm authenticity and integrity, and signed files become read-only. | Google Workspace provides eSignature for Google Docs and Drive, including signature requests, status tracking, and audit trail support. | Notion official help content covers email signature settings in Notion Mail, but it does not provide an official PDF certificate-signing workflow. | Adobe Acrobat supports adding digital signatures to PDFs with a digital ID, selecting a certificate, drawing the signing area, and optionally locking the document after signing. |
| Official Source | — | Add or remove a digital signature for Microsoft 365 files | Electronic Signature for Online Documents | Notion Mail settings | Add digital signatures to PDFs in Acrobat |
Advantage: Focused PDF certificate-signing workflow inside WPS PDF.; Supports both new-signature creation and recent-signature reuse in one entry path.
Overall Conclusion
WPS Certificate Signature is a practical choice for Windows users who already handle PDF reading and editing in WPS PDF and want to complete certificate signing in the same workflow. If your work centers on Office file signatures, cloud-based signature requests, or broader PDF certificate administration, Microsoft, Google Workspace, and Adobe each provide official alternatives for those scenarios.
Source: Microsoft Support; Google Workspace; Notion Help Center; Adobe Help Center
Use Cases
| No. | Scenario | Suitable for | Main issue | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contract signing | Legal, sales, procurement | A PDF contract needs signer verification | Use Certificate Signature and enter the certificate password |
| 2 | Approval file archiving | Admin, finance, project teams | Archived files need a signed result | Sign the final PDF before saving it |
| 3 | Repeated signing of similar files | Users who process standard documents often | Repeating setup steps takes time | Reuse a recent signature |
| 4 | First-time certificate setup | Users with a new digital certificate | A signature must be created before use | Use Create Signature to configure it |
| 5 | Sending formal external files | Employees, consultants, partners | A file needs a more formal signed state before sending | Add a certificate signature before sharing |
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
| Capability | Free | WPS Premium |
|---|---|---|
| PDF editing | Limited | Available |
| Certificate-signature-related PDF editing workflow | Membership required | Available |
| Basic PDF reading | Available | Available |
| Cloud storage | 1GB | 20GB |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
| Usage scenario | Recommended plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Only viewing PDFs or occasional light document work | Free | Suitable for basic reading and light use |
| Editing PDFs and completing certificate signing | WPS Premium | The feature notes indicate that PDF editing requires membership |
| Frequent handling of formal signed files | WPS Premium | Better suited for repeated edit-sign-save workflows |
How to Subscribe
- WPS membership center: Subscribe to WPS Premium
Source: WPS Office pricing page