Fix: Your Signature Could Not Be Added to the Excel Document Error

Many users encounter the Your signature could not be added to the document issue when attempting to sign documents in Excel, particularly after updating Microsoft Office to its latest version. This article provides various solutions to resolve this error.

Resolving the ‘Your signature could not be added to the document’ Error in Excel

Here are several methods to troubleshoot the error indicating that your signature could not be added to an Excel document.

1. Update Your Office Installation
2. Disable Any Add-ins
3. Revert the Recent Office Update
4. Test Signature Functionality on Other Documents
5. Install the Smart Card Reader Driver in Compatibility Mode
6. Restart the Smart Card Service
7. Repair Your Office Installation
8. Uninstall and Reinstall Office Suite

1] Update Your Office Installation

Initially, ensure that your Office is fully updated. Such errors might result from minor glitches that updates can resolve. Manually check for and install any available updates.

2] Disable Any Add-ins

It’s possible that some add-ins could be triggering this error. To identify whether add-ins are the culprits, you should disable them entirely. Here’s how to proceed:

• Open Microsoft Excel and navigate to File > Options.
• On the left-hand side, select Add-Ins, then choose COM add-ins from the drop-down menu on the right.
• Click Go.
• Deselect all highlighted add-ins to disable them and confirm by clicking OK.

After making these adjustments, check if you can now add signatures to the document. If the issue has been resolved, you can identify the faulty add-in by re-enabling them one at a time and trying to add a signature with each one enabled.

3] Revert the Recent Office Update

If the error began after an Office update, consider reverting back to the previous version. This option is available only for Click-to-Run Office applications. First, note the current version of Office positioned on your device by referring to the Account > About section in any Office app.

Then, download and install the Microsoft Office Deployment Tool. Upon executing the. exe file, specify a directory on your drive for its installation, and keep note of this location.

Next, head over to the Office Update History page and copy the version number of the Office version that’s older than what you currently have installed. Create a new text file in Notepad and paste in the following command:

<Configuration>
<Updates Enabled="TRUE"TargetVersion="16.0.aaaaa.bbbbb"/>
</Configuration>

In this command, replace aaaaa.bbbbb with the desired Office version number, for example:

<Configuration>
<Updates Enabled="TRUE"TargetVersion="16.0.18025.20096"/>
</Configuration>

Save this file as config.xml in the same directory as the Office Deployment Tool.

Launch Command Prompt as an Administrator, navigate to the location of your config.xml file, and execute the following command:

setup.exe /configure config.xml

Upon successful execution, go back to any Office application and choose Account > Update Options > Update Now to install the version specified in your configuration. If desired, you can pause automatic updates in Office to prevent any future updates from occurring until you are ready.

4] Test Signature Functionality on Other Documents

Verify if you can sign into different documents. If signing works elsewhere, the problem may reside in formatting issues in the current document. To address this, copy and transfer the content of the problematic Excel file to a new one without retaining the formatting.

5] Install the Smart Card Reader Driver in Compatibility Mode

If your signature relies on a Smart Card, there could be issues with its corresponding reader driver. Check for driver problems in the Device Manager. To resolve this, uninstall the driver and restart your system. Next, install the driver using compatibility mode.

Follow these instructions to install in compatibility mode:

• Right-click the driver installer file and select Properties.
• Switch to the Compatibility tab, check the box for “Run this program in compatibility mode for,”and select Windows 8 from the drop-down.
• Click Apply, then OK.

Now, execute the installer to set up the driver. If necessary, reinstall the certificate relevant to the Smart Card.

6] Restart the Smart Card Service

If your signature requires a Smart Card, restarting its service may be beneficial. To do this, follow these steps:

• Open the Windows Services Manager.
• Locate the Smart Card service.
• Right-click the service and select either Start or Restart.

7] Repair Your Office Installation

If the issue continues, consider repairing your Office installation.

8] Uninstall and Reinstall Office Suite

If all else fails, the final solution may be to uninstall and then reinstall Microsoft Office. Consider using the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool for a comprehensive uninstallation process.

Before proceeding with the uninstallation, ensure that you have the product activation key, as it will be necessary for reactivation upon reinstalling. If you acquired Office through the official website, the key should already be linked to your Microsoft account for easy access during download and installation.

How to Add a Signature in Excel?

You can insert a signature into an Excel spreadsheet by utilizing electronic signature software or the Insert menu. Open the spreadsheet, then navigate to Insert > Add a Signature Line. Additionally, you can embed a signature image directly into your Excel document.

How to Insert a Signature into an Excel Document without a Background?

To embed a signature image into an Excel document, it’s essential that the signature is transparent. If it is not, it may not display correctly. To achieve transparency, you can remove the background using an AI tool or the Windows Paint application to edit the image.