Overview
After a client signs an E-Signature Agreement, a confirmation email is sent to the client with a copy of the signed PDF document.
By default, the PDF is not password protected, meaning anyone with access to the file can open it. Enabling password protection adds an extra layer of security for sensitive merchant information (for example, Federal Tax IDs or SSNs).
In this article, you’ll learn how to secure both the signed PDF and the E-Signature signing page with a password.
Prerequisites
- Access to Merchant Central with permission to manage E-Signature applications
- An existing E-Signature PDF uploaded under Manage → E-Signature → Import PDFs
- A secure text field available on the Lead (e.g., Federal Tax ID, SSN)
How Does E-Signature Password Protection Work?
E-Signature password protection allows you to control access at different stages of the signing process and after the document has been completed.
What gets protected
Depending on your settings, you can:
- Protect the E-Signature signing page (the link the signer opens in their browser)
- Protect the completed/signed PDF that is emailed to the client and saved to the Lead
How documents are created
E-Signature documents can be created in several ways, including:
- Generating the document from the lead page (E-Sign tab)
- Generating the document from a Merchant Central Web Form (either via a public URL or a unique lead-generated URL)
- Generating the document via the Merchant Central Open API
Enabling Password Protection on E-Sign Documents
Follow the steps below to configure password protection for your E-Sign application.
- Navigate to Manage → E-Signature → Import PDFs.
- Locate the application you want to secure and click Edit.
- In the application settings popup, select a Lead field to use as the password.
- After you select the password field, three additional options appear.
- Select the appropriate password option and save your changes.
ℹ️ The Password Field dropdown only displays secure text fields (for example, Federal Tax ID, SSN), not all text fields.
ℹ️ You can select Secure E-sign page and PDF or Secure E-sign page only, but not both.
Password options
Here is what the password options do:
- Allow Sending If No Password: Allows sales reps to send documents as unsecured PDFs (for example, when the password field is empty because the client’s SSN isn’t available yet). If you want all PDFs secured, leave this unchecked.
- Secure E-sign page and PDF: Adds password protection to both the E-Signature signing page and the signed PDF document.
- Secure E-sign page only: Adds password protection to the E-Signature signing page, but not the signed PDF document.
How find the password
The password for opening secured PDF files is the last 4 characters of the value saved in the selected password field on the lead where the E-Sign originates.
For example, if you selected the Federal Tax ID field as the password field and the lead’s tax ID is 123456789, then the PDF password is 6789.
How to send an unsecured PDF (if allowed)
If Allow Sending If No Password is enabled and the password field is blank (or has fewer than 4 characters), a confirmation popup appears when sending a new E-Sign application:
Click Okay to send the application as an unsecured PDF, or click Cancel to update the Lead field first.
How to update the E-Signature email template
After enabling password protection, update your E-Signature confirmation email template so the client knows how to open the PDF.
For example, if you selected Federal Tax ID as the password field, instruct the client to open the attached PDF by entering the last four digits of their Federal Tax ID.
How to open the E-Signature page
If the E-Signature page is password protected, the recipient must enter the password before they can view and sign the document. The E-Signature document is automatically canceled if a signer enters an incorrect password in 5 consecutive attempts.
How to open a secure PDF from the Lead
After the client signs the agreement, a secured copy of the PDF is also saved on the lead.
Secured files on the E-Sign tab and the Attachments tab display a lock icon. To view the password for opening the PDF file, hover your mouse over the lock icon.
To preview a secured file on the Lead, you must enter the document password first:
The password is also required if the PDF is downloaded and opened in Adobe (or other PDF software):
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why don’t I see all Lead fields in the password dropdown? Only secure text fields (for example, Federal Tax ID, SSN) are available for password selection.
- How is the password calculated? The password is the last 4 characters of the value saved in the selected secure Lead field.
- What happens if the password field is blank or too short? If Allow Sending If No Password is enabled, a confirmation prompt appears and you can choose to send the application unsecured. If it’s not enabled, populate the field to ensure the PDF is secured.
- What happens if I enter the incorrect password on the signing page? The E-Signature document is automatically canceled after 5 consecutive incorrect attempts.