Preparing a signing request

A signing request is one document sent to one or more people for signature. Start from a document open in the editor, or from Signing → New signing request, which opens the editor ready to choose signers once you open a file.

1. Open the Request signatures tab (or File → Request signatures…). The first time, the Signers dialog opens.

2. Add people.

   • Find a colleague searches your Microsoft 365 directory (needs a Microsoft sign-in; otherwise add people by email).
   • Add person adds an empty row for a name and email. Add me adds you.
   • For each person choose Signs or Gets a copy. People who get a copy don’t sign; they’re told about the request and receive the signed document at the end.
   • Each person can be added only once, and every request needs at least one signer.

3. Choose the order. Turn on Sign in order to invite signers one after another. Give each signer a number: signers with the same number are invited at the same time, and the next number is invited once everyone before has signed. With the switch off, all signers are invited at once and can sign in any order.

4. Place fields. Choose Place fields. In the ribbon, pick the signer under Fields for…, pick a field type, and click on the page where it should go. Each signer’s fields have their own color. Move and resize fields like any other item; in the properties panel you can reassign a field to another signer, change its type, set a label and make it required or optional.

5. Send. Choose Send for signature and fill in:

   • Document name (defaults to the file name)
   • Message (optional), included in the invitation email
   • Expires after: 7, 14, 30 (default), 60 or 90 days
   • Automatic reminders: None, Every 2 days, Every 3 days (default) or Every week

   Check the summary of signers and fields, then choose Send. You’re taken to the request’s page.

Field types

Field	What happens
Signature	The signer adopts a signature (draw, type or image). Required by default.
Initials	Like a signature, adopted separately. Required by default.
Date signed	Filled in automatically with the date of signing (UTC, YYYY-MM-DD). The signer can't edit it.
Full name	Pre-filled with the signer's name as you entered it; the signer can change it.
Text	Free text up to 500 characters. Give it a label (e.g. “Job title”) so the signer knows what to enter.
Checkbox	Not required by default. A required checkbox must be ticked. Give it a label.

Every signer needs at least one Signature or Initials field; Send stays disabled until they have one.

Before you send

Sending uses one signing request

Each document you send uses one signing request from your organization’s allowance, however many signers it has. Canceled, declined and expired requests still count. See Billing and plans.

• What’s sent is the document as it looks in the editor, with your edits applied. The editor’s password protection isn’t applied to it, and the service doesn’t accept encrypted PDFs for signature.
• Size. The PDF can be up to the server’s upload limit (25 MB unless the operator changed it).
• Up to 50 recipients and 500 fields per request.
• Where invitations come from. If you’re signed in with Microsoft (always the case inside Teams), the invitation is sent from your own Microsoft 365 mailbox and appears in your Sent Items. Otherwise it’s sent by the service on your behalf, with replies going to you. See Emails.
• After sending, the field placeholders are removed from the document in the editor.