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Adding Recipients to Your Document

Recipients are the people who will receive, view, or sign your document. Documenso provides flexible recipient management with different roles and signing options.
1

Open Document Editor

After uploading your document, click Edit or open the document to enter the editor.
2

Add Recipients

In the document editor, you’ll see a recipients section. Click Add Recipient or the + button.
3

Enter Recipient Details

For each recipient, provide:
  • Email Address: The recipient’s email (required)
  • Name: The recipient’s full name (optional but recommended)
  • Role: Select the appropriate recipient role
4

Configure Recipient Settings

Optionally configure:
  • Signing Order: For sequential signing workflows
  • Authentication: Additional security requirements
  • Expiration: When the recipient’s access expires

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Recipient Roles

Documenso supports multiple recipient roles:

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Signer

The primary role for recipients who need to sign the document.
  • Can view and sign the document
  • Required to complete their fields before document completion
  • Receives email notifications about the document

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Viewer

Recipients who need to view the document but not sign it.
  • Can view the document
  • Cannot add signatures or fill fields
  • Receives a copy when the document is completed

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Approver

Recipients who must approve the document.
  • Can approve or reject the document
  • Must approve before the document can proceed
  • Can provide rejection reasons

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CC (Carbon Copy)

Recipients who receive a copy for information only.
  • Receives notifications about document status
  • Cannot sign or modify the document
  • Useful for keeping stakeholders informed

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Assistant

A special role that allows someone to sign on behalf of other recipients.
  • Can complete fields for multiple signers
  • Useful for in-person signing scenarios
  • Requires special permissions
Not all recipient roles may be available depending on your plan and organization settings.

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Signing Order

Documenso supports two signing workflows:

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Parallel Signing (Default)

All recipients can sign simultaneously:
  • Recipients receive the document at the same time
  • Can sign in any order
  • Faster completion time
  • Best for most use cases

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Sequential Signing

Recipients must sign in a specific order:
  1. Set the signing order to Sequential in document settings
  2. Assign a signing order number to each recipient (1, 2, 3, etc.)
  3. Each recipient can only sign after previous recipients complete their signing
1

Enable Sequential Signing

In the document editor, go to document settings and select Sequential signing order.
2

Assign Order Numbers

For each recipient, assign a number indicating their position in the signing sequence.
3

Verify Order

Review the recipient list to ensure the order is correct before sending.
With sequential signing, later recipients must wait for earlier recipients to complete their signing. This can delay document completion.

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Recipient Authentication

Add security requirements for recipient access:

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Account Authentication

Require recipients to sign in with a Documenso account:
  • Recipient must have (or create) an account
  • Email address must match their account email
  • Provides audit trail of authenticated user

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Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Require 2FA for document access:
  • Recipient must verify via SMS, email, or authenticator app
  • Additional security for sensitive documents
  • Can be combined with account authentication
Authentication requirements are set per document or per recipient based on your organization’s security policies.

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Recipient Expiration

Set when recipient access should expire:
  • Document Expiration: Applies to all recipients
  • Recipient-Specific Expiration: Different expiration for each recipient
  • Expiration Notifications: Recipients are notified before expiration

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Setting Expiration

  1. In document settings, configure the expiration period
  2. Options include: 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, or custom
  3. Recipients who don’t sign before expiration lose access

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Managing Recipients

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Edit Recipients

After adding recipients, you can:
  • Edit email address or name (before sending)
  • Change recipient role
  • Update signing order
  • Remove recipients
Once a document is sent, you cannot modify recipient details. You’ll need to cancel and recreate the document.

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Resend Notifications

If a recipient didn’t receive the email:
  1. Go to the document details page
  2. Click Resend next to the recipient’s name
  3. They’ll receive a new email with the signing link

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Recipient Status

Track recipient progress:
  • Not Sent: Document hasn’t been sent yet
  • Sent: Email has been sent to recipient
  • Opened: Recipient has viewed the document
  • Signed: Recipient has completed signing
  • Rejected: Recipient has rejected the document (Approver role)
  • Expired: Recipient’s access has expired

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Best Practices

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Email Addresses

  • Double-check email addresses for accuracy
  • Use business email addresses when possible
  • Avoid temporary or disposable email addresses

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Recipient Names

  • Use full legal names for formal documents
  • Include names to personalize the signing experience
  • Names appear in audit logs and certificates

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Signing Order

  • Use sequential signing only when necessary
  • Consider dependencies (e.g., employee signs before manager)
  • Communicate the signing order to recipients

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Testing

  • Use your own email address to test the signing flow
  • Verify all recipient roles work as expected
  • Test authentication requirements before sending to actual recipients

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Next Steps

After adding recipients:

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