FlexFiles Documentation
Product guides, tutorials, and operational reference
E-Signature
All users9 min read

Signature Requests Overview

A signature request turns a PDF into a trackable signing workflow: place fields, assign them to signers, choose how signers are notified, and get back a certified, locked PDF once everyone has signed.

Core signature request flow

  1. 1

    Upload a PDF, or pick one already stored in a workspace folder.

  2. 2

    Add signature, initials, date, and text fields anywhere on the document.

  3. 3

    Assign each field to a specific signer.

  4. 4

    Choose sequential signing (each signer is notified only after the prior one signs) or parallel signing (everyone is notified at once).

  5. 5

    Send. Each signer gets a secure, single-use emailed link - no FlexFiles account, download, or install required.

Sequential versus parallel signing

  • Use sequential signing when signing order matters, such as an employee signing before a manager countersigns.
  • Use parallel signing when signers are independent and speed matters more than order, such as several stakeholders acknowledging the same policy.
  • Sequential signing naturally slows down if one signer is unresponsive, since later signers are not notified until their turn arrives.

Before you send

Fields are locked once a draft request exists with signers assigned, but the signer list and field placement remain editable until you actually send the request. Use this window to double-check field-to-signer assignment, especially on documents with several lookalike signature blocks.

  • Confirm every required field has a signer assigned - unassigned fields will block completion.
  • Double-check signer email addresses; a request cannot be redirected to a different inbox after sending.
  • Decide sequential or parallel order before sending, since the order affects when later signers are notified.

What a signer experiences

  • A secure, single-use emailed link - no account, download, or install needed.
  • A guided view showing only the fields assigned to them.
  • The ability to decline, with a reason, instead of signing.

If a signer declines

If any signer declines, the request stops immediately. Every signer is notified, and the owner can see who declined and why before deciding whether to edit the document and resend.

Completion and certification

Once every signer has signed, FlexFiles stamps a certification page recording every signer, timestamp, and IP address, in signing order, and locks the final PDF so it cannot be silently altered afterward.

  • Free plan: the final PDF is password-locked, and the password is emailed to the document owner and all signers.
  • Paid plans: the final PDF carries a cryptographic PAdES signature instead of a password lock, which is independently verifiable in standard PDF readers.
  • A full audit trail - notified, viewed, signed, or declined, with actor and timestamp - is available per request.

Plan limits

Signature requests are plan-gated. Free plans have monthly request caps and per-document signer limits; paid plans raise those limits and unlock PAdES signing instead of password-locked output.

Related page
Plans, Access, and Usage

Check signature request and signer limits for your plan.

Signature request questions

Do signers need a FlexFiles account?

No. Each signer receives a secure, single-use emailed link and never needs to create an account, install anything, or download software.

Can I sign a Word document directly?

No. Signature requests only work on PDFs. Convert a Word document, scanned image, or other format to PDF first, then create the signature request.

What happens if I need to change a signer's email after sending?

A sent request cannot be redirected to a different inbox. If a signer's email was wrong, cancel or let the request fail, correct the signer list, and send a new request.

Is the final signed PDF tamper-proof?

On paid plans, the final PDF carries a cryptographic PAdES signature that readers can independently verify. On the free plan, the final PDF is password-locked instead, which deters casual edits but is not cryptographically verifiable the way PAdES is.