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This article explains how to create digital signatures in Microsoft Office Word 2007, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, you can learn about getting digital certificates from Microsoft Partners, and read definitions that pertain to digital signatures, certificate authorities, and so on.

• Create a digital signature in Word and Excel

• Create a digital signature in PowerPoint

• Get a digital signature from a Microsoft partner

• What is a digital signature?

Create a digital signature in Word and Excel

You can use the following instructions to create a digital signature in Office Word 2007 and Office Excel 2007.

 Note   To learn about digital signatures in Office Access 2007 go to Help secure an Access 2007 database. For information about digital signatures in e-mail in Office Outlook 2007 see Get a digital ID.

1. In Excel or Word, click the Insert tab.
2. In the Text group, double-click Signature Line. The Signature Setup dialog appears.
3. Type the needed information and select the options that you want. Click OK.
4. The Signature box appears.
5. To sign the document or spreadsheet, double-click the Signature box.

 Note   You may be prompted to save the file. Save the file.

6. The Sign dialog appears.
7. You can type your signature or click Select Image to insert a signature image file.

 Note   You may need a digital certificate for your signature. You can go to the Microsoft Office Marketplace and purchase a digital certificate.

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Create a digital signature in PowerPoint

Use the following instructions to create a digital signature for your Office PowerPoint 2007 presentations.

1. Click the Microsoft Office button.
2. Click Prepare, and then select Add a Digital Signature.

 Note   A Microsoft Office PowerPoint dialog box may appear. Click OK.

3. The Signature Setup dialog appears.
4. Type the needed information and select the options that you want. Click OK.
5. The Signature box appears.
6. You can type your signature or click Select Image to insert a signature image file.

 Note   You may need a digital certificate for your signature. You can go to the Microsoft Office Marketplace and purchase a digital certificate.

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Get a digital certificate from a Microsoft partner

If you select the option Get a digital ID from a Microsoft partner in the Get a Digital ID dialog box, you are redirected to the Microsoft Office Marketplace, where you can purchase a digital certificate from one of the third-party certificate authorities (CAs) with an Office Marketplace listing.

If you plan to exchange digitally signed documents with other people, and you want the recipients of your documents to be able to verify the authenticity of your digital signature, it is a good idea to obtain a digital certificate from a reputable third-party certificate authority (CA).

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What is a digital signature?

A digital signature or ID is more commonly known as a digital certificate (certificate: A digital means of proving identity and authenticity. Certificates are issued by a certification authority, and like a driver's license, can expire or be revoked.). To digitally sign an Office document, you must have a current (not expired) digital certificate. Digital certificates are typically issued by a certificate authority (CA) (certificate authority (CA): A commercial organization that issues digital certificates, keeps track of who is assigned to a certificate, signs certificates to verify their validity, and tracks which certificates are revoked or expired.), which is a trusted (trust: Indicates whether you trust the individual or group to whom the certificate is issued. The default setting is Inherit Trust from Issuer, which means that the certificate is trusted because the issuer, usually a certificate authority, is trusted.) third-party entity that issues digital certificates for use by other parties. There are many commercial third-party certificate authorities from which you can either purchase a digital certificate or obtain a free digital certificate. Many institutions, governments, and corporations can also issue their own certificates.

A digital certificate is necessary for a digital signature because it provides the public key (public key: The nonsecret half of a cryptographic key pair that is used with a public key algorithm. Public keys are typically used when verifying a digital signature or when encrypting data that can be decrypted with the corresponding private key.) that can be used to validate the private key (private key: The secret half of a cryptographic key pair that is used with a public key algorithm. Private keys are typically used when digitally signing data or decrypting data that has been encrypted with the corresponding public key.) that is associated with a digital signature. Digital certificates make it possible for digital signatures to be used as a way to authenticate (authenticate: The process of verifying that people and products are who and what they claim to be. For example, confirming the source and integrity of a software publisher's code by verifying the digital signature used to sign the code.) digital information.

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