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“At least one signature has problems” Error in Adobe Reader
Digital signatures can be used to protect and validate PDF documents
3 min. read
Updated onOctober 28, 2024
updated onOctober 28, 2024
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‘At least one signature has problems’ – You may have encountered this error while opening a signed document on Adobe Acrobat Reader.
It’s even more common if you’re trying to open and read documents digitally signed throughelectronic signature softwareand services like DocuSign.
But what does this error actually mean and what can you do to fix it? In the following guide, we’ll explore what causes error messages in Adobe Acrobat Reader and how you can quickly fix them.
How do I get rid of “At least one signature is invalid”?
Adobe at least one signature has problems
Since Adobe Acrobat Reader does not come with trusted identity data out of the box, it has to download it.
This error arises because the authentication data to validate the signature on the document isn’t available on your system.
In layman terms, Adobe cannot automatically verify signatures that were made using a self-generated certificate through third-party applications such as DocuSign.
These types of certificates are known as self-signed certificates.
However, this warning or error message (“At least one signature has problems”) does not indicate that the signatures on the document are corrupt or invalid. It simply informs the user that the certificates connected to the signatures may not be trusted by Adobe.
The latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader tries to download the certificate data automatically upon opening a document with digital signatures. The “At least one signature has problems” in Adobe may occur and disruptthe process.
The easiest way to fix this is by manually validating the certificates and signatures.
Remove at least one signature that has problems
Alternatively, you can click on theValidate Allbutton. This may be an issue for larger documents with multiple signatures.
If you’re just viewing a document, verifying the certificates attached to a signature is unnecessary.
It’s also important to only manually verify certificates that you trust. Verifying the wrong certificates can pose a security threat.
Nevertheless, this issue isn’t unique to Adobe Acrobat Reader. A lot ofother PDF readerssuffer from the same issues but they can be handled almost as easily.
You can actually use this as a test to see how secure a PDF reader is.
If it doesn’t scan for untrusted certificates, then it’s not very secure. So it’s less an issue and more a security feature.
This isn’t the only problem you can encounter, and we wrote aboutWindows Cryptographic Service Provider reported an errorin our other guide, so feel free to check it out.
Did the solutions in this guide work for you? Do not hesitate to leave a comment down below.
More about the topics:Adobe Acrobat Reader
Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Passionate about technology,Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, with a complete expertise in touch-based devices, he is constantly keeping an eye out for the latest and greatest!
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Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.
Reviewed byAlex Serban
