Sign troubleshooting: dimmed buttons, encrypted PDFs, monthly limits, and passkey prompts

Fixes for the most common problems when signing a PDF at /app/sign. The tool runs entirely in your browser, so issues usually come down to the file itself, a missing step, or this browser's local state.

A banner says “This PDF is encrypted” and every button is dimmed

Cause: the PDF has an open password, so the signing engine can't read it. Sign disables Download, Send, Save draft, and the rest of the action row together — the banner explains why the whole cluster is dimmed.

Fix:

1. If you know the password, remove it with Unlock — that also runs on your device — then drop the unlocked copy back into Sign.
2. If you don't, decrypt it in the tool it came from (macOS Preview or Adobe Acrobat: open it with the password, then export or save a copy without one) and re-drop it.

PDFs that are only permissions-locked (they open fine but restrict editing) are handled automatically — Sign unlocks them on your device when you drop them and shows a short confirmation.

“Download signed PDF” stays greyed out

Cause: a required step is missing. The button's hover text tells you which one.

Fix:

1. “Place at least one field first” — nothing has been placed yet. Click anywhere on the PDF to add your signature, initials, a text box, or a date.
2. “Create your signature first” — you've placed text or date fields, but no signature exists yet. Build one in the Your signature panel (Draw or Type tab).
3. “Reading prior edit history — won't take long” — the file carries a verifiable edit-history chain and Sign is reading it; the button enables itself within a few seconds.
4. “Loading PDF…” — the page is still parsing the file; give it a moment.

“You've hit the free monthly limit”

Cause: the free plan includes 15 signed PDFs per month; the counter under the heading shows how many you've used.

Fix:

1. During the private beta, sign in — signing is unlimited and free for signed-in users, no card needed.
2. Otherwise the count resets at the start of next month, or a paid plan lifts the cap once paid plans are open.

The drop is rejected: “AttachKit caps drops at 100 MB”

Cause: the whole file is processed in your browser's memory, so drops are capped at 100 MB.

Fix:

1. Split the PDF with Pages and sign just the part that needs the signature.
2. If it's large because of scanned images, shrink it first with Compress.

The passkey options won't turn on, or the passkey prompt fails

Cause: “Sign with passkey” requires the Append audit-trail page option (the proof lives on that page) and a passkey registered on this device. “Track edit history”, Counsel Mode, long-term archival, and notary mode additionally require passkey signing — the toggles unlock in that order.

Fix:

1. Tick Append audit-trail page, then Sign with passkey.
2. Register a passkey at /account/signing-keys if you haven't.
3. If you cancel the Touch ID / security-key prompt during download, the sign is aborted on purpose — Sign never ships a proof-less PDF that claims a proof. Click Download signed PDF again and approve the prompt.
4. Notary mode also needs a notary profile at /account/notary-profile and a second passkey that differs from your primary signing key.

These are Max-plan features; during the private beta, signing in unlocks them for free.

“Draft couldn't be decrypted (key may have been reset)”

Cause: drafts are encrypted with a key that lives only in this browser. Clearing site data, switching browsers or profiles, or using a private window resets that key, so older drafts can no longer be decrypted.

Fix: there is no recovery — the encryption is the point. Delete the dead draft and re-drop the original PDF. For work you must keep, download the signed PDF rather than relying on a draft.

Warning: prior edit history will show as “self-asserted”

Cause: the PDF carries a verifiable edit-history chain, but the passkey that authored it is no longer registered on this device — common after deleting or rotating that key, or when re-signing on a different device. (When the original key is still on this device, Sign reuses it automatically and no warning appears.)

Fix: if the passkey that authored the chain still exists on its original device, sign there to keep the chain fully bound. Otherwise you can continue: the file stays valid and verifiable, but Verify will label the older history “self-asserted” rather than bound to your signature. That's an honest label, not an error.

My placements disappeared after a refresh

Cause: placed fields aren't autosaved (nothing is sent to a server that could save them). The tab warns before closing, but a forced refresh or crash skips the warning.

Fix: click Save draft as you work — it encrypts the PDF, signature, and placements into this browser, and the Resume a draft list on the Sign home screen restores them later.

Still stuck?

If none of this fixes it, contact support. Include what the banner or button tooltip said and roughly what kind of PDF it is. Because your document stays on your device, support can never see the file itself — the exact on-screen message is the most useful detail you can share.