Understanding Document Settings

Learn how document settings control visibility, privacy, signing rules, ownership, and expiration to ensure secure and accurate document workflows.

June 17, 2026

Table of contents

1. Visibility & Privacy Rules
   • Standard visibility
   • Private document mode
   • Template behavior
2. Signature Transfer Rules
   • When signature transfer is enabled
   • When signature transfer is disabled
   • Use cases
3. Start & End Date Logic
   • Start date
   • End date
   • How start/end dates behave
4. Expiration Logic
   • What expiration does
   • Behavior while active
   • Behavior after expiration
   • Recipient extension requests
   • Best practices
5. Document Ownership Basics
   • What the owner controls
   • How ownership behaves
   • When to change ownership
6. Setting Up Document Details in the Create Flow
   • Choose how to start
   • Set up document details
   • Add recipients

Document settings control how a document behaves before and during the signing process. These settings define visibility, privacy, ownership, signature rules, scheduling logic, and expiration. With the redesigned create flow, much of this setup now happens upfront in a guided, step-by-step process so your document is almost ready to send by the time you reach the editor. This article explains each concept so you understand how document settings affect collaboration, access, and signing.

1. Visibility & Privacy Rules

Document visibility determines who can view the document and under what conditions.

Standard visibility

• Any assigned recipient can open and view the document using their secure access link.
• Additional stakeholders may be identified if viewer identification is enabled.
• Access is tied to the link and recipient identity.

Private document mode

• Only the assigned recipients can view the document.
• Forwarded links will not open for non-assigned viewers.
• Identification prompts do not grant access to unassigned viewers.
• Use private mode when documents contain sensitive or controlled information.

Template behavior

• Visibility rules apply each time the template is used.
• Switching a document to private mode affects only that specific send-out.

2. Signature Transfer Rules

Signature transfer controls whether a signer can hand over signing rights to someone else.

When signature transfer is enabled

• Recipients can forward the document and reassign their signing responsibility to a different person.
• The new signer becomes the authorized party for that role.
• Sender visibility includes both the forwarder and the new signer in the audit trail.

When signature transfer is disabled

• Only the assigned signer can complete their signing step.
• Forwarded links cannot be used to sign.
• This is recommended when signing authority must be strictly controlled.

Use cases

• Enabled: sales proposals, multi-stakeholder evaluations, low-risk approvals
• Disabled: legal agreements, compliance-sensitive contracts, financial documents

3. Start & End Date Logic

Some documents include contract or agreement date fields that are managed in the document settings.

Start date

• Represents when the agreement becomes effective.
• Purely informational and does not affect when a recipient can sign.
• Common for subscription, service, or contract templates.

End date

• Indicates when the agreement or contract period finishes.
• Also informational, not a restriction on document access.
• Useful for renewals, contract lifecycle tracking, and reporting.

How start/end dates behave

• They do not restrict signature timing.
• They do not automatically trigger expiration.
• They appear on the final signed document and certificate when included.

4. Expiration Logic

Expiration controls how long a document can be opened, viewed, or signed.

What expiration does

• Prevents access after the expiration date passes.
• Blocks recipients from signing once expired.
• Does not change the status of the document. The document keeps the status it already had (such as Sent or Reviewed); expiration is determined by the expiration date alone, not by a separate status.

Behavior while active

• Recipients can view and sign until the exact date and time set.
• Senders can update the expiration on drafts and active documents if changes are allowed.

Behavior after expiration

• Recipients cannot open or sign the document.
• The sender can choose to update the expiration to reopen it.
• Signing certificates and audit logs reflect the updated expiration if extended.

Recipient extension requests

Recipients can request extensions to documents before or after they have expired. When a recipient requests an extension, you will receive a notification and can choose to extend the expiration date or ignore the request.

Best practices

• Use expiration to create urgency and protect outdated proposals.
• Update expiration when needed to keep stalled deals active.
• For long-term contracts, use start/end dates + a longer expiration window.

5. Document Ownership Basics

The document owner is the user responsible for managing, sending, and updating the document.

What the owner controls

• Sending and resending
• Editing content and recipients
• Modifying settings
• Managing engagement features and communication templates
• Viewing analytics and audit logs

How ownership behaves

• Ownership can be reassigned to another user before or after sending.
• Only one owner exists per document.
• Changing ownership does not affect the document's recipients or signing flow.
• Ownership is used in reporting and engagement tracking.

When to change ownership

• Team member shift (handover between reps)
• Vacation or absence
• When a different seller or account manager should handle the document
• When reassigning deals within a pipeline

6. Setting Up Document Details in the Create Flow

The redesigned create flow guides you through document setup before you enter the editor, so most of the settings above are configured upfront. Instead of a single, crowded create modal, you choose one of three clear starting paths and follow a guided, step-by-step flow.

Choose how to start

• From a template: build on existing content and settings
• Start from scratch: create a new document with no preset content
• From a PDF: upload an existing file as the document base

Set up document details

After choosing a starting path, you set up the document's key details, including the document name, company name, and signing settings. Doing this work upfront means visibility, signature transfer, and expiration logic are in place before you start editing.

Add recipients

Recipients are added in a dedicated step before you reach the editor. This makes it easier to confirm the right people are assigned to the document and reduces rework later in the signing flow.

Pro-tip: Doing more of the setup upfront means you spend less time editing and reworking documents later. By the time you land in the editor, you're almost ready to send.

Summary

Document settings define how a document behaves from creation to completion. Visibility rules control who can view the document; privacy mode restricts access to assigned recipients; signature transfer determines whether signers can reassign their role; start and end dates describe contract timing; expiration controls document access; and ownership defines who manages the document. The redesigned create flow guides you through choosing a starting path, setting up document details, and adding recipients before you enter the editor, so these settings are configured upfront. Together, these settings ensure secure, accurate, and controlled document workflows.