How to cancel a contract you sent for signature
Wrong price, wrong customer, a deal that fell through: sometimes a contract you've sent needs to come back before anyone signs it. Canceling it properly matters, because a signing link left open can still be signed. What you can do depends on where the contract is: still a draft, out for signature, or already signed by everyone.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 2 min read
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First, check whether you need to cancel at all
| Situation | Best move |
|---|---|
| A typo in an email address, a missing field, the wrong sign-by date | Correct the envelope; nothing is canceled |
| The wrong person is set to sign | Replace signer, or correct the recipients |
| The document itself is wrong (price, terms, the wrong file) | Void, then duplicate as a draft and fix it |
| The deal is off | Void, with a reason |
| It was never sent | Delete draft |
Correcting keeps everything already signed and only changes what hasn't been. Files can't change after sending, though, so a wrong price in the PDF itself means voiding. See how to fix a mistake after sending.
Void an envelope that's out for signature
Each send in SignMaster is an envelope: one or more documents going to one or more signers. Voiding cancels the whole envelope for everyone.
- 1
Open the envelope
Find it under Waiting on others on the Envelopes page and open it.
- 2
Click Void
The Void button sits with the envelope's actions while it's still out for signature.
- 3
Add a reason
Type a short reason, like Pricing changed; we'll send an updated copy today. It goes into the email the signers receive, so write it for them.
- 4
Confirm
Click Void envelope. Signing links stop working right away, and you can't undo it.
Signers who already had a link get an email saying the document was canceled and there's nothing for them to sign, with your reason. An old link can't be used to sign. The activity records who voided it and when, and on Crew and Company an envelope.voided webhook tells your other systems.
Send a corrected version
- 1
Duplicate as draft
On the voided envelope, click Duplicate as draft. The files, signers, fields and message come with it. Shared access codes don't, so set a new one if you used one.
- 2
Fix it
Swap the file, change a signer, or adjust fields, then check it with Preview as signer.
- 3
Send
Send it as a new envelope. Mention in the note that it replaces the one you canceled, so nobody goes looking for the old link.
When everyone has already signed
A completed envelope can't be voided, because the signatures are a finished record. At that point you're not canceling a signing request; you're ending or changing a contract, and the contract's own terms decide how:
- Read its termination or cancellation clause. It usually says how much notice is needed and how it must be given.
- Agree a change in writing. Send an amendment or a mutual termination agreement for both sides to sign, as its own envelope.
- Check cooling-off rights. Some consumer sales made at the customer's home can be canceled by the buyer within three business days under the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule. See the three-day right to cancel.
Questions? Answers.
Can a signer still sign after I void the envelope?
No. Voiding stops every signing link immediately, so nobody can sign that copy.
Do signers find out it was canceled?
Yes. Signers who had received a link get an email saying it was canceled, including your reason if you gave one.
Can I undo voiding an envelope?
No. Duplicate it as a draft instead, which copies the files, signers, fields and message, and send it again.
How do I cancel a contract that's already signed?
You can't void a completed envelope. Follow the contract's termination terms, or have both sides sign a mutual termination or amendment.
Sources
- FTC, Buyer's Remorse: The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule May Help (16 CFR Part 429) · consumer.ftc.gov