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Request E-signatures

Last updated on Oct 7, 2024

Before you begin

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Overview

You can get documents signed by others using the Fill and Sign tool, which relies on cloud services provided by Adobe Acrobat Sign. It lets signers quickly sign agreements from anywhere using a web browser or mobile device. Signers are not required to purchase any Adobe product to sign the agreements.

Supported file types for signing

Besides PDF, you can send Microsoft Office files, various image files, HTML files, and text files for signing. Supported file types are: DOC, DOCX, RTF, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, TXT, CSV, HTML, HTM, TIFF, TIF, BMP, GIF, JPG, JPEG, and PNG.

Request signatures

You must complete an agreement before sending it for e-signature. A signed agreement is certified by Adobe Acrobat Sign and any edits to the signed agreement lose the certification.

When you send an agreement for signature, the signers receive an email notification to sign the agreement. Once signed, both you and your signers receive the signed PDF by email. You can track the entire signing process in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader application.

Open the PDF form in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. From the global bar in the upper left, select All tools. Then select Request e-signatures.
In the dialog that appears, add the email address of one or more recipients you want to add as signers.
(Optional) Modify the agreement name and message if desired.
To access and specify advanced settings, select More Options in the Add recipients to e-sign this document dialog box. Once done select Next.
Select Specify where to sign.
On the page that opens, select a recipient from the Recipients drop-down and then drag-n-drop the signature fields where required for that recipient. Similarly, add signature fields for each recipient.
Once done, select Send. It sends the agreement to the recipients and displays a confirmation message.

Advanced options in Request e-signatures

To access and specify advanced settings, select More Options in the Add recipients to e-sign this document dialog box.

Set advanced options for agreeement signing.

You can select More Options to access the advanced options, as listed below:

By default, the Complete in Order setting is turned on. The numbers by the email addresses reflect the participation order. If you do not want to follow any particular order for signing, toggle the switch to Complete In Any Order.
(Optional) Click Add Me, if you want to be included as a signer of the document.
Specify authentication type like Email, Password, Knowledge-Based Authentication, or Phone.
Password Protect the PDF file.
Set a Completion Deadline.
Set Reminder for the recipients to take action.
Specify the Recipient's Language in the email sent. (Available only with enterprise tier service.)

Note:

Add Files: If you add multiple documents, the documents are converted into PDFs and combined into a single file. The combined file is opened for you to add appropriate fields.

Signer's experience

A signer receives an email with a link to sign the agreement. Also, if the signer uses Acrobat or Acrobat Reader desktop application, the signer sees a notification that an agreement has been shared for signing. For more information, see Sign an agreement.

Note:

Signers are not required to sign up or purchase any Adobe product to sign agreements. They can sign agreements using a web browser, mobile device, or Acrobat / Acrobat Reader desktop application.

Track all agreements

You can track agreements that are out for signature, signed, or waiting for your signature.

For individual and team users: Go to the Acrobat Home page, and then under Agreements, select All Agreements.

For enterprise users: Go to the Acrobat Home page, and then under Agreements, select Adobe Acrobat Sign. This will open the Acrobat Sign Manage page in a new browser window.

Agreement status

You can check your agreement status. From the Home view, under Agreements, select any of the following:

In progress: Shows agreements you've sent for signature but haven't yet been signed by the recipient.

Waiting for You: Shows agreements signed by others and awaiting your signature.

Completed: Shows agreements that have been signed by all parties and finalized.

Templates: Provides access to various templates for creating new agreements.

Canceled: Includes agreements you've canceled.

Expired: Displays agreements that have expired. Agreements expire if the signing deadline crosses.

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