Docusign Document Visibility: Step by Step Guide for 2025

If collecting signatures from different people is part of your daily routine, then Docusign document visibility is what you need to save you that chunk of time you’re  probably wasting on creating separate Docusign envelopes.

You're at your desk, drowning in a bunch of documents that need to be signed by different people. You create an envelope, upload your documents, add signer fields, hit send... and then do it all over again for the next person.

But what if I told you there's a way to create a single envelope containing all your documents and recipients while ensuring that each person sees only the file they’re meant to? That’s exactly what Docusign document visibility is designed to do. 

So how does Docusign document visibility work? How can it benefit your workflow? And most importantly, how do you set up for customized document visibility? Read ahead to learn more.

Table of Contents

• Key Takeaways
• What is Docusign Document Visibility?
• How Docusign Document Visibility Works: Simplified With Examples
• Why is Docusign Document Visibility Useful?
• How To Set Up Docusign Document Visibility
  • Step 1: Go to Sending Settings
  • Step 2: Decide What you Want to Happen
  • Step 3: Create an Envelope & Add Fields
  • Step 4: Activate Docusign Document Visibility in the Envelope
  • Step 5: Control Who Sees What? (Optional)
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Key Takeaways

• Docusign document visibility lets you customize which recipients can see specific documents in envelopes with multiple recipients and files.
• Customizing document visibility streamlines the document-sending process while having a complete audit trail for all signatures.
• Administrators can set it to be always on or allow Docusign envelope senders to choose when to use it.
• You have full control whether recipients see all documents or only those they need to sign.
• The system automatically updates visibility when you add or remove fields in your envelopes.

What is Docusign Document Visibility?

To better understand what Docusign document visibility is, think of it as ordering pizza for you and your friends. Instead of the usual one-size-fits-all flavor, you order a box of pizza with different toppings (each slice tailored to a specific friend's taste).

But here’s the catch: each friend should only take the slice on his/her chosen toppings. No peeking at other toppings, and definitely no sneaking a bite from someone else's portion.  Of course, in the real pizza world, this wouldn’t work because you can’t stop people from seeing or touching the other slices.

But unlike a real pizza, where you can't physically stop someone from eyeing other slices, Docusign document visibility creates an invisible digital barrier. This feature ensures that people can only access their specific “slice” of the envelope while keeping everything else hidden. 

Just like you wouldn't want your vegetarian friend accidentally biting into a meat lover's slice, Docusign document visibility ensures that each person only interacts with the parts of the document meant for their eyes. 

This means you can send one envelope with multiple documents, but each person only sees the documents you want them to see. It's a more efficient way to manage document sharing, saving time and effort. In the end, Docusign document visibility works a little bit like Docusign conditional logic, only that the latter shows or hides fields, while the former shows or hides documents based on set rules.

How Docusign Document Visibility Works: Simplified With Examples

Without Docusign document visibility, you had to use separate envelopes if you wanted to send different files to different people. You’re essentially duplicating your work for every single envelope (and you’d have to pay for separate Docusign envelopes too). For example:

• You might put File A in an envelope for Person 1
• Then put File B in another envelope for Person 2

And so on for each person who needs to sign different files. This method is slow and requires a lot of work, especially if you have many files to send to different people. But with the Docusign document visibility feature, you can streamline this process. Let's say you're sending an envelope with two documents:

• Document A: Needs Sam's signature
• Document B: Needs Bob's signature

 Without Docusign document visibility: Both Sam and Bob would see both documents in the envelope. With Docusign document visibility:

• Sam only sees Document A
• Bob only sees Document B

 This "must sign to view" approach ensures each signer interacts only with their respective document. Once you nail the document visibility setup, you can just send a single envelope for all people. 

Why is Docusign Document Visibility Useful?

There are two main reasons why Docusign document visibility can be very useful.

1. Cost-effectiveness and Speed. Before, if you did not want certain recipients to see certain files, you would need to create several envelopes, which could cost you a lot of time and effort. But with Docusign document visibility, rather than having to create a separate envelope for each recipient, you’re only preparing and sending one envelope. Meanwhile, if you want to take it to the next level and automate large-scale operations, you might want to check out Solusign's Docusign Bulk Send Automation.
2. Audit trail. If you need to be able to prove that a certain transaction happened, then placing all the documents into the same envelope will stand in court. However, you may not want all signers in the envelope to be able to see all the documents. By adding all documents in the same envelope, Docusign document visibility offers an easy way to confirm the validity of all the signatures in the finalized document. 

How To Set Up Docusign Document Visibility

Let’s get started! This comprehensive tutorial will help you understand how document visibility in Docusign works and how to set it up in an easy-to-follow four-step guide. Meanwhile, if you're new to Docusign and do not yet understand its full capabilities, our comprehensive Docusign tutorial for beginners is an excellent starting point.

Step 1: Go to Sending Settings

Before going over the steps, you must be an Administrator or have “Delegated Administrator” rights on the account. Once you have those rights, go to settings tab. From there you can access the sending settings. Under sending settings, locate the document visibility drop down menu. You will be redirected into these options:

• Off
• Must Sign to view, unless a member of sender’s account
• Must Sign to view, unless sender
• Sender can set “must sign to view, unless a member of sending account:
• Sender can set “must sign to view unless sender”

We’ve already discussed what visibility off and on means with the Sam and Bob example above. A quick recap, for instance if you're sending an envelope to Sam and Bob with two documents:

• Document A: Needs Sam's signature
• Document B: Needs Bob's signature

With "Must Sign to View" turned on:

• Sam will only see Document A
• Bob will only see Document B

Remember this: If a document doesn't have any fields for a recipient to fill out, it becomes visible to everyone. So make sure you've got those fields set up. This feature helps keep information private, ensuring recipients only see the documents relevant to them. For example, going back to Bob and Sam scenario:

• On Document A, both Bob and Sam have a place to sign (a signature field).
• On Document B, there are no signature fields for anyone.
• In this case, both Bob and Sam will be able to see Document B. This is because Document B doesn't have any specific signature fields assigned to anyone, so it's not restricted to a particular person.

Step 2: Decide What you Want to Happen

Document visibility has four variations based on two decisions:

Decision 1: Document Visibility On All vs. As Needed

The first question is “Should document visibility always be on by default, or should senders get to choose when to use it?” Let's explore our options and what it means.

1. On All Envelopes by Default: Document visibility is on for every envelope, no exceptions.
2. On As Needed: Senders decide when to turn it on or off.

Option 1: On all envelopes by default (aka Always Enabled) Here's what you need to know about this option:

• It affects all envelopes across your organization’s Docusign account.
• You can't turn it off for specific envelopes.
• Great if you need the document visibility feature on all the time.

But beware! If someone in your team doesn't know this setting is on, they might accidentally send documents that aren't visible when they should be. Oops! In fact a Tessian Research on the Psychology of Human Error revealed that a whopping 40% of employees in the UK and US have accidentally sent work emails and documents to the wrong person. That's why double check all the settings before hitting that send button. Option 2: On as Needed (Aka Sender's Choice) With this option:

• You and other senders can turn it on and off as needed.
• Different senders within your account have flexibility.
• Reduces the risk of accidental visibility issues.

After weighing the pros and cons, I'd recommend going with Option 2: Sender's Choice. It gives you and your team the flexibility to use document visibility when you need it without risking accidental mishaps. Option 1 is a great option, though, if you are sure that you need the Docusign Document Visibility Feature On all the time.

Decision 2: Who Can See the Documents on the Envelope

Then, the second question is: Who can see the documents in the envelope? You have two options for who can see the documents on the envelope:

• Option a: If a recipient is also a DocuSign user under the sender's account, they will have access to all documents in the envelope, even if they are not required to sign any of them.
• Option b: Even if a recipient of the envelope is a user registered under the sender's Docusign account, they will not see the document unless they are required to sign it.

Let's use an example with Sam, Bob, and Jack: Imagine there's a Document A, and Jack doesn't need to sign it.

• With option a, Jack would still be able to see Document A because he's part of the same Docusign account as the sender's.
• With option b, Jack wouldn't be able to see Document A because he doesn't need to sign it, even though he is a user of the same Docusign account as the sender's.

The Verdict: Combine Your Answers

Once you come up with answers for decisions 1 and 2 above, combine your answers. After that select the corresponding option in Docusign.

• 1-a Must sign to view, unless a member of sender’s account
• 1-b Must sign to view, unless the sender
• 2-a Sender can set “must sign to view unless a member of sender’s account”
• 2-b Sender can set “must sign to view unless sender”

I recommend going with either 2-a or 2-b because different senders within your account might not be aware that this setting is on, and this could cause a problem.

Step 3: Create an Envelope & Add Fields

1. You can either create an envelope from scratch or use a template.
2. Be sure to add all documents, recipients, and fields first.
3. Once your envelope is ready to be sent, click on the gear icon in the top right corner, and “Document Visibility.”

Step 4: Activate Docusign Document Visibility in the Envelope (if you chose 2-a or 2-b)

You can add this setting to a template that you already have in your account. Just go to one of your existing templates. If you’re not sure how to set up template, you can use this guide to learn how to create one. If you’ve gone ahead with options 2-a or 2-b, you must turn on Docusign document visibility for that specific envelope.

• Click on “Actions“
• Then, Advanced Options  and head over to Recipient Privileges.
• Turn on the option you set in Step 3
• Do not forget to hit save

Step 5: Control Who Sees What? (Optional)

Here's how to customize document visibility in Docusign: Controlling Document Visibility To manage which recipients can see which documents:

1. Go to the tagging page
2. Click the gear icon
3. Select "Document Visibility"

This then opens the Docusign document visibility control table. You will then be directed to various checkboxes. Checkboxes: Each checkbox represents whether a recipient can see a specific document.

• Checked = Recipient can see the document
• Unchecked = Recipient cannot see the document

Important Points to Remember

1. Some recipients' visibility can't be changed: If a recipient's email is set up in your Docusign account or organization, you might not be able to hide documents from them.
2. Control visibility for forms without fields: You can choose whether a recipient sees a form even if they don't have any fields assigned to them.
3. Check visibility after adding fields: Always open the Visibility Control Table after you've finished adding all your fields to the documents.
4. Adding or removing fields affects visibility: Every time you add or remove fields on your forms, it may change who can see which documents.

Feeling a bit stuck with those steps? Why don't we schedule a call? We will help you resolve your Docusign issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Docusign’s "Must Sign to View" feature work? 

With the "Must Sign to View" option activated, recipients can only see documents that have Docusign fields assigned to them. If there are no Docusign fields for a recipient, they won't be able to view the document at all. This feature ensures that information remains private and secure.

Can I still maintain an audit trail when using Docusign document visibility? 

Absolutely! Document Visibility ensures a complete audit trail by keeping all signatures within a single envelope. This maintains the integrity of the final document and provides clear proof that all included documents are part of the same transaction, unlike separate envelopes where such validation is not possible.

What happens if I add or remove signature fields after setting up document visibility on Docusign? 

The system automatically adjusts document visibility permissions whenever you add or remove signature fields. It’s wise to check the Visibility Control Table after making any changes to confirm that the permissions match your intentions.

Who can see documents if they're part of the sender's account? 

This is determined by your account settings. You have two choices: allow recipients who are also members of the sender's Docusign account to view all documents even if they don't need to sign or restrict access only to those who need to sign. You can configure this setting based on your organization’s security needs.

What happens if a recipient needs to view a document they're not assigned to sign?

By default, recipients can only view documents they're assigned to sign. However, the sender can manually adjust visibility settings in the Visibility Control Table. If a recipient needs to view a document without signing it, the sender can check the corresponding box in the table to grant access. This flexibility allows for scenarios where someone needs to review a document without necessarily signing it.

Conclusion

Docusign document visibility is a powerful feature that streamlines the process of collecting signatures from different people. This tool lets you send groups of documents while controlling who sees what.  This comprehensive guide have outlined everything you need to know to properly setup document visibility—from customizing the fields to incorporating them into an existing template. By following the above steps, you’re on your way to a better business process - one that's more efficient, secure, and streamlined. Want to get your Docusign set up super quick? Schedule a call with Solusign.