How to send a document for signature by email

Send it in five steps

Each send is an envelope: one or more documents going to one or more signers. The steps below match the five tabs across the top of a new envelope.

1. 1

   Document

   Click New envelope and add the PDF, several PDFs, or a photo of a paper page. Start from a template if you send this document often.

2. 2

   Recipients & order

   Add each person's name and email, and choose whether they sign In order or All at once. Add yourself with Add me. Pick the language each person's emails and signing page should use.

3. 3

   Fields

   For each signer, place a signature, a date signed and anything else they must fill in. Alana's Auto-place signature fields button is a quick start on documents with signature lines.

4. 4

   Message & settings

   Write a short note, set an optional sign-by date, choose reminders (Daily, Every 3 days or Weekly) and when the links expire, if ever. Add a private note or an access code for one signer if needed.

5. 5

   Review & send

   Check the summary and click Send for signature. Each signer gets their own email, in their turn if you chose an order.

What the signer gets

The email carries the title Please sign: followed by your document's name, your company's name, your note and a button. The button opens the document in their browser, on a phone or a computer, with nothing to install and no password. They agree to sign electronically, fill in their fields, and sign by drawing, typing, uploading a picture or taking a photo of their signature.

• They can ask before they sign. Comments go straight to you, pinned to a page or a field.
• They can stop and come back. Save and finish later keeps what they've filled in until they open the same link again.
• They can ask for changes instead of signing, which closes this copy and tells you exactly what to fix.

Write an email people act on

A signing email from a name they don't recognize gets ignored or flagged. Keep the note short and specific, and say who you are, what it is and when you need it: "Hi Dana, here's the service agreement for the kitchen remodel we discussed Tuesday. Please sign by Friday so we can order cabinets." Then tell them by phone or text that it's on its way.

If the email doesn't arrive

• Check the envelope's activity. It shows when the email was delivered, when it bounced, and when the signer opened the document.
• A bounce means a bad address. Use Correct to fix the email; the signer gets a fresh link. When delivery failed, Resend request tries again.
• Delivered but not seen: it's probably in spam or a promotions tab. Ask them to search for your company name.
• Still nothing: click Copy link on their line and send it yourself by text or chat.

Once the last person signs, everyone gets an email titled Signed: with the document's name and the signed PDF attached, including its certificate of completion. You get your own notice listing who signed and when.