Is an eSigned document legally binding?

Yes, eSignatures are legally binding in the USA, more than thirty countries of Europe, and many other regions worldwide. airSlate SignNow allows you to create a unique electronic signature and safely apply it to documents in one click without the hassles of printing, scanning, or mailing.

How do I send documents for signing?

Upload a document to airSlate SignNow and open it in the editor. Select Signature Field in the left-hand sidebar and click anywhere on the document to place a signature field. Then, click Invite to Sign in the top right corner of the screen, enter the recipient’s email address, and hit Send Invite .

Can I send my document for signing to multiple signers at the same time?

airSlate SignNow allows you to send your signature to multiple people. Open your document in the editor and select Edit Signers on the left. In the open window, add as many signers as you need.

How do I create a signature in airSlate SignNow?

Open your document in the airSlate SignNow editor and find the Edit & Sign section on the left. Select My Signature and click anywhere on the document. You can add your existing and saved signature or create a new one by drawing, typing, or uploading its image.

How long does it take to sign my document using airSlate SignNow?

Recipients can sign and submit your documents in seconds. All they need is an internet-connected device.

How many signers can I add when sending a document with airSlate SignNow?

Add as many signers as you need. Also, try using Bulk Invite to speed up sending documents to lots of people at one time.

How do I forward a document to another signer?

Click Invite to Sign and prepare your document for signing: add fillable fields, create and assign signing roles, and set up a signing order. Save your changes and click Advanced Options . Check the Allow Forwarding box and send your invite.

Can I share a document with multiple people and authorize them to assign signers?

Sure you can. Use airSlate SignNow’s PowerForms to allow other people to assign document signers. With PowerForms, you can speed up the signing process with multiple parties involved.

How do I use PowerForms in airSlate SignNow?

First, you have to create signing roles and then set up the signing order for all roles. You will be the last signer, so check Signer is Sender in the dropdown of the last email field. Add fillable fields to the document and save all changes. Then, convert your document to a template and generate a signing link to it. That’s it, now share the link with authorized recipients and they can assign signers for each unfixed signing role.

How do I send a freeform invite to a signer?

Upload your document to airSlate SignNow, click on it, and select Freeform Invite in the right-hand sidebar. Then, add the recipient’s email address and hit Send Invite .

Is an eSigned document legally binding?

Yes, eSignatures are legally binding in the USA, more than thirty countries of Europe, and many other regions worldwide. airSlate SignNow allows you to create a unique electronic signature and safely apply it to documents in one click without the hassles of printing, scanning, or mailing.

How do I send documents for signing?

Upload a document to airSlate SignNow and open it in the editor. Select Signature Field in the left-hand sidebar and click anywhere on the document to place a signature field. Then, click Invite to Sign in the top right corner of the screen, enter the recipient’s email address, and hit Send Invite .

Can I send my document for signing to multiple signers at the same time?

airSlate SignNow allows you to send your signature to multiple people. Open your document in the editor and select Edit Signers on the left. In the open window, add as many signers as you need.

How do I create a signature in airSlate SignNow?

Open your document in the airSlate SignNow editor and find the Edit & Sign section on the left. Select My Signature and click anywhere on the document. You can add your existing and saved signature or create a new one by drawing, typing, or uploading its image.

How long does it take to sign my document using airSlate SignNow?

Recipients can sign and submit your documents in seconds. All they need is an internet-connected device.

How many signers can I add when sending a document with airSlate SignNow?

Add as many signers as you need. Also, try using Bulk Invite to speed up sending documents to lots of people at one time.

How do I forward a document to another signer?

Click Invite to Sign and prepare your document for signing: add fillable fields, create and assign signing roles, and set up a signing order. Save your changes and click Advanced Options . Check the Allow Forwarding box and send your invite.

Can I share a document with multiple people and authorize them to assign signers?

Sure you can. Use airSlate SignNow’s PowerForms to allow other people to assign document signers. With PowerForms, you can speed up the signing process with multiple parties involved.

How do I use PowerForms in airSlate SignNow?

First, you have to create signing roles and then set up the signing order for all roles. You will be the last signer, so check Signer is Sender in the dropdown of the last email field. Add fillable fields to the document and save all changes. Then, convert your document to a template and generate a signing link to it. That’s it, now share the link with authorized recipients and they can assign signers for each unfixed signing role.

How do I send a freeform invite to a signer?

Upload your document to airSlate SignNow, click on it, and select Freeform Invite in the right-hand sidebar. Then, add the recipient’s email address and hit Send Invite .

Electronic Signature
Features
Industry-leading compliance
Use History Audit to View the Changes

Use History Audit to View the Changes in SignNow

Download a document’s history to view all changes made and a detailed audit log with time stamps and IP addresses.

See how it works!Click here to sign a sample doc

Award-winning eSignature solution

What it means to use history audit to view the changes

The history audit to view the changes is a chronological record attached to each document transaction that logs user actions, document edits, field placements, signature events, and system events. It provides time-stamped entries showing who performed an action, when it occurred, and what changed, including uploaded versions and applied templates. For organizations using signNow, the audit history supports compliance and internal review by preserving immutable event records, enabling administrators and authorized users to reconstruct the lifecycle of a document for operational, legal, or regulatory review.

Why review an audit history when tracking document edits

Reviewing the audit history provides a clear record of changes, strengthens compliance with regulations, and helps resolve signature disputes quickly.

Common challenges that make audit history necessary

Unclear version control can lead to conflicting document terms and delayed approvals.
Disputes over who signed or modified a document create legal exposure without a clear audit trail.
Manual reconciliation of edits across multiple systems is time-consuming and error prone.
Meeting audit requirements for regulated industries is harder without comprehensive event logs.

Representative user profiles who view audit histories

Compliance Officer

A compliance officer reviews audit histories regularly to confirm that electronic signatures and approvals meet ESIGN and UETA requirements, ensuring records include timestamps, user identifiers, and event descriptions to satisfy internal and external audits.

Contract Manager

A contract manager uses the history audit to reconstruct negotiation timelines, verify who changed contract clauses, and provide a reliable chain of events when coordinating renewals or resolving disagreements with counterparties.

Teams and roles that rely on audit history

Legal, compliance, procurement, and HR teams commonly use audit history to verify document integrity and user actions before finalizing records.

Legal teams use audits to support contract enforcement and dispute resolution.
Compliance officers review event logs to demonstrate regulatory adherence.
Operations and IT staff inspect histories to diagnose workflow or integration failures.

Operational teams also reference audit trails to troubleshoot workflow issues and confirm that required steps were completed in sequence.

Additional audit and compliance capabilities to consider

Beyond basic logs, these features enhance forensic value and compliance readiness when you use history audit to view the changes in signNow-based processes.

User attribution

Each audit entry is tied to a verified user identity, using email, IP address, and authentication method to create a traceable chain of custody for actions performed on the document.

Tamper-evident records

Audit logs are stored in a manner that indicates if records have been altered, preserving the integrity of event sequences for legal or regulatory examination and dispute resolution.

Field-level change details

The audit includes granular details about form fields and values that changed, enabling reviewers to see precisely what content was added, removed, or modified during document preparation.

Export formats

Support for common export formats such as PDF and CSV allows audit data to be consumed by legal teams, compliance systems, or archival solutions without proprietary constraints.

Searchable timelines

A searchable timeline makes it faster to locate specific events by user, date range, event type, or IP address, improving response time during investigations.

Integration visibility

Logs capture events from connected systems and APIs, which helps correlate external system actions with user activity for complete traceability.

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Core features that make audit review effective

Several built-in capabilities improve the usefulness of audit history for governance, compliance, and operational transparency when you use history audit to view the changes.

Comprehensive logs

Detailed event records include who, what, when, and where for each significant action, enabling precise reconstruction of document lifecycles and validating signature events against internal policies.

Exportable reports

Downloadable audit files provide shareable evidence for legal review or compliance reporting and can be attached to case files or archived with the corresponding documents.

Role-based access

Granular permissions control who can view or export audit logs, helping organizations enforce separation of duties and limit exposure of sensitive log data.

Integration logs

API and webhook event records are included in histories to show actions initiated by connected systems, aiding troubleshooting and cross-system traceability.

How viewing the history audit works in practice

Viewing a history audit follows a simple sequence: the system records events, stores them immutably, and presents them in a readable timeline for authorized users.

Event capture: System logs every action
Immutable storage: Records preserved securely
Timeline view: Chronological event display
Exportable report: Generate a downloadable record

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Quick steps to view history audit for a document

Follow these core steps to locate and review a document's audit history using signNow, whether you are validating signatures or tracing edits.

01

Open document: Select the document from your account
02

View history: Choose the audit or history option
03

Inspect events: Review timestamps and user actions
04

Download log: Export the audit report if needed

Detailed review process: reconstructing document changes

Use this grid-style checklist when performing a formal reconstruction of document events for audit or legal review.

01

Locate file:

Identify document in repository

02

Open audit view:

Access the history panel

03

Filter events:

Narrow by date or user

04

Compare versions:

Identify version diffs

05

Export evidence:

Create a permanent report

06

Store record:

Archive with case files

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Honest pricing for full-featured plans. airSlate SignNow offers subscription plans with no overages or hidden fees at renewal.
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Recommended workflow settings to capture full audit details

Configure these settings to ensure your signNow workflows produce complete and usable audit histories for compliance and operational purposes.

Setting Name	Configuration
Retention Period	3 years
Audit Export Format	PDF and CSV
Authentication Requirement	MFA enabled
Webhook Logging	Enabled
Versioning Policy	Save on replace

Platform and device support for viewing audit histories

Audit history viewing is supported across modern web browsers and mobile apps to accommodate desktop and field workflows.

Web browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox
Mobile apps: iOS and Android
APIs: REST endpoints

For full functionality, ensure browsers and apps are kept up to date, users have appropriate permissions, and API integrations are configured to include event logging in the audit.

Security and integrity items recorded in the audit

Event timestamps: Precise UTC time

User identity: Email and IP

Action type: Upload, edit, sign

Document versions: Version hash

Authentication method: Password or MFA

System logs: API and UI calls

How audit history supports real workflows

Two practical scenarios illustrate how using the history audit to view the changes improves control and accountability across industries.

Healthcare record approvals

A hospital uses audit history to log consent document signatures and edits by clinicians

Tracks specific field changes and signer identities
Demonstrates HIPAA-aware access control and consent timing

Resulting in clearer patient records and defensible compliance evidence for audits

Vendor contract lifecycle

A procurement team records each contract revision and approval step

Captures timestamps, approver roles, and IP addresses
Provides an auditable sequence for contract negotiation and signature

Leading to faster dispute resolution and verified contract enactment

Best practices when you use history audit to view the changes

Adopt consistent procedures and configurations to ensure audit histories are reliable, accessible, and legally defensible across your signNow workflows.

Standardize document versioning and naming conventions

Use a consistent approach to naming and versioning documents so audit entries are easy to interpret; include version identifiers and reason codes when uploading or replacing files to preserve context.

Restrict export privileges and maintain access logs

Limit who can export or download audit reports and track those actions separately; treat audit exports as sensitive records and retain their own access history for added control.

Enable strong authentication and session controls

Require multi-factor authentication for users who manage audit logs, and apply short session timeouts combined with IP or device restrictions where appropriate to reduce risk of unauthorized access.

Retain audit logs according to policy

Establish retention schedules aligned with legal and operational requirements, ensuring logs remain available for required periods while applying secure archival and deletion processes.

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Data accuracy, security, and compliance

airSlate SignNow is committed to protecting your sensitive information by complying with global industry-specific

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Troubleshooting: audit history issues and resolutions

If audit entries appear incomplete or missing, follow targeted checks to identify configuration, permission, or integration causes before escalating.

Missing events in history
Confirm the user has sufficient permissions to view the full audit; verify that retention settings or filters are not hiding older entries and check whether the event originated from an external integration whose logs are stored separately.
Incorrect user attribution
Validate authentication records for the timestamp in question and compare IP address and session identifiers; review single sign-on and directory integration logs to reconcile identity mapping issues.
Export failure
Check file size and format limitations for exports, ensure you have export privileges, and confirm there is sufficient storage or network connectivity when generating downloadable audit reports.
Partial version differences
Use the version comparison tool to inspect field-level changes; if only partial differences show, confirm that all edits were saved to the primary document and not to a linked draft or external source.
Integration logs not visible
Verify that API calls and webhook events are enabled to be recorded in the audit, and confirm the external system's logging settings to ensure cross-system events are captured comprehensively.
Audit access denied
Review role and permission assignments for the requesting user, check for conditional access policies that may block viewing from certain networks, and confirm multi-factor authentication requirements are satisfied.

Quick feature comparison: audit capabilities across providers

This comparison highlights core audit-related capabilities across common eSignature providers to help assess traceability features.

Criteria	signNow (Recommended)	DocuSign	Adobe Acrobat Sign
Audit trail detail	Full event logs	Full event logs	Full event logs
Export formats	PDF, CSV	PDF, CSV	PDF, CSV
Field-level changes
API audit access

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Record retention and review timeframes for audit logs

Set clear timelines for reviewing, retaining, and purging audit data to meet compliance and operational needs.

Minimum retention period:

Keep logs at least 3 years

High-risk transactions:

Retain 7 years or more

Regular review cadence:

Quarterly review recommended

Secure archival:

Encrypted offsite storage

Scheduled purging:

Automated deletion after retention

Risks mitigated by a complete audit trail

Regulatory fines: Avoidance through records

Contract disputes: Reduced ambiguity

Data tampering: Faster detection

Operational downtime: Quicker remediation

Noncompliance: Easier demonstration

Litigation costs: Lowered evidence costs

Pricing and capability snapshot for audit-enabled plans

High-level pricing and availability notes for audit-capable plans across several vendors; actual costs depend on contract terms and selected add-ons.

Entry-level price	signNow (Recommended)	DocuSign	Adobe Acrobat Sign	HelloSign	PandaDoc
Starting cost note	From $8/user/month	From $10/user/month	From $12/user/month	From $13/user/month	From $19/user/month
Audit export included	Included in plans	Included in plans	Included in plans	Included in plans	Included in plans
API access	Available with plans	Available with plans	Available with plans	Available with plans	Available with plans
HIPAA support	Available	Available	Available	Available upon request	Available upon request
Enterprise features	Advanced controls available	Advanced controls	Advanced controls	Advanced controls	Advanced controls

How to track the history of your documents in airSlate SignNow

For your legal safety and general auditing purposes, airSlate SignNow features an entire event log with timestamps, emails, and IP addresses for all your documents. You can easily download audit trail data for your file or quickly review a document’s history in the web or mobile app.

Download a document with its history

Click More next to a document and select Download with History from the dropdown.

Once downloaded, the document copy will be saved on your device. You will find its detailed history on the last page.

Review the in-app audit trail

Click More next to a document and select History.

You will see the entire document log in a new window. All its data is organized into several columns for your convenience:

Client: Shows whether the action was performed in the web app or the mobile app.
Event: The type of action or change in a document.
By: Email addresses of people who performed any actions with your documents.
Server Time/Client Time: Time when an action took place.
IP Address: IP addresses for changes made to a document.

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