Digitally sign an XPS document
A digital signature can help people verify who created an XPS document and make sure that the document was not changed after it was signed. Digital signatures are typically used by companies to help protect confidential information and to help manage document reviews. The creator of an XPS document, for example, might require each person who reviews the document to sign it as a way to indicate that they have finished reviewing it and approve of its contents.
To digitally sign a document, you must first obtain a digital certificate. If your computer is connected to a network at work and you don't have a digital certificate, contact a network administrator to obtain one. If your computer is not connected to a network or if it is connected to a home network, you can request a digital certificate from a certification authority. For more information, see Certificates: frequently asked questions
and Request or renew a certificate.
To digitally sign an XPS document
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Open Documents by clicking the Start button
, and then clicking Documents.
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Locate the XPS document that you want to sign, and then double-click the file to open it. The document opens in the XPS viewer in Internet Explorer.
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On the XPS viewer toolbar, click the Digital Signatures button, and then click Sign this document.
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Follow the prompts on the screen to finish signing the document.
Notes
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To digitally sign the current copy of the document, click Sign and Save after you select the signature that you want to use. To create a copy of the document and digitally sign the copy only (not the original), click Sign and Save As and then, in the Save As dialog box, type a new file name and select the location where you want to save the digitally signed copy of the XPS document.
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If you did not create the XPS document, you might not have permission to sign it. For more information about XPS documents and permissions, see Why can't I make changes to an XPS document?