Guide
FreeSign Adobe Trust Setup
A 30-second local setup for people who regularly receive FreeSign PDFs. It adds the FreeSign Signing CA to Adobe Reader or Acrobat on this device, so Adobe can build the certificate chain for FreeSign document signatures.
What this is, and what it is not
This is a local Adobe trust setting for your Adobe profile on your device. It is useful for B2B recipients, finance teams, legal teams, and power users who expect FreeSign-signed PDFs.
It does not make FreeSign an Adobe Approved Trust List (AATL) provider, it is not a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), and it is not a global trust change for everyone who opens the file. It only tells your Adobe install that you trust FreeSign's CA for document-signature validation.
30-second setup
- Download the setup file. Download freesign-trust.fdf.
- Open it in Adobe Reader or Acrobat. Double-click the file, or use File > Open. Adobe should show a trusted identity / certificate import screen.
- Confirm the identity. The contact or certificate should say FreeSign Signing CA. If you want to compare fingerprints, use the manual files below.
- Set certificate trust. Open Set Contact Trust or Trust Settings, enable Use this certificate as a trusted root, and enable trust for signed documents / certified documents.
- Leave risky extras off. Do not enable trust for JavaScript, dynamic content, embedded files, or privileged system operations. FreeSign only needs document-signing trust.
- Reopen the FreeSign PDF. Open Adobe's Signature Panel and validate the signature. Adobe should now be able to build the chain to your local trusted root.
Manual verification files
If your organization prefers manual import or central deployment, use these public trust-anchor files:
For managed desktops, ask IT to distribute the CA through Adobe's enterprise trusted-certificate policy instead of asking each recipient to click through manually.
Removing the trust later
In Adobe Reader or Acrobat, open Preferences > Signatures > Identities & Trusted Certificates, find FreeSign Signing CA, and remove or edit the trust settings. The signed PDFs still contain their cryptographic signatures; this only removes your local Adobe trust anchor.
When to use this
Use FreeSign Adobe Trust Setup when you regularly receive FreeSign PDFs and want Adobe's Signature Panel to validate the FreeSign chain locally. If you only need one-off verification, the vendor-independent guide with openssl, pyHanko, and OpenTimestamps is a better fit.