When you send a document in PandaDoc, recipients are the people who receive, review, sign, or are CC'd on it. You can add and configure recipients during document creation, and continue managing them after the document has been sent.
Recipient roles
PandaDoc has three recipient roles:
Signer — Has an assigned field and must fill it out to complete the document.
CC — Receives the document for informational purposes. CC recipients can view the document but have no required action and no signature fields.
Sender — The person who creates and sends the document. The sender automatically receives all status notifications and is listed as the document owner.
Add recipients during document creation
When you create a document from a template, "Add recipients" step is always present in the guided creation flow. This is where you assign real people to the roles defined in the template.
Each role defined in the template appears in the Recipients panel as a role container. Roles without a pre-assigned recipient show as a placeholder (for example, Add Client) with a red dot.
Assign a signer to a role
In the "Add recipients" step, select the unassigned role container in the Recipients panel.
Start typing the recipient's name or email address.
Select them from the list, or select Create new contact if they're not in your contacts yet.
Tip: If the same person will always fill a role, pre-assign them in the template so they're added automatically every time. See Template roles.
Add a CC recipient
In Step 2 (Recipients), select + Add CC recipient in the Recipients panel.
Start typing the recipient's name or email address.
Select them from the list, or select Create new contact.
Set signing order
Signing order controls when each recipient can act. When it's on, recipient 2 doesn't receive the document — or even a notification — until recipient 1 has completed their step.
Turn it on when order matters: for example, an employee signs first, then a manager countersigns.
Leave it off when all recipients can sign simultaneously — this gets documents completed faster.
In Step 2 (Recipients), toggle on Set signing order in the Recipients panel.
Drag recipients into the sequence you want.
To have two recipients sign at the same time (parallel signing), drag one recipient on top of another to group them.
Tip: If you set signing order in the template, it carries over automatically to every document created from it. You can still adjust it per document in the Recipients panel.
Configure recipient permissions
Select Manage recipients permissions at the bottom of the Recipients panel to control what recipients can do with the document. You can do this before sending, or update it any time after. Options include:
Suggest edits — Allows the recipient to propose content changes.
Resolve suggested edits — Allows the recipient to approve or reject suggested changes.
Document forwarding — Permits the recipient to forward the document to someone else.
Delegate signature — Lets a signer reassign their signature to another person.
Allow downloading — Controls whether recipients can download a PDF copy (on by default).
Email a PDF on completion — Sends a completed PDF to the recipient automatically when all parties sign.
Redirect after completion — Sends the recipient to a specific URL after they sign.
Manage recipients on a sent document
After a document is sent, you can manage recipients directly from the document view — no need to void and resend for most changes.
Open the sent document, then go to the Recipients panel on the right. From there you can add CC recipients, edit recipient details, send reminders, and update permissions.
Note: If you see the document Summary page, select Open at the top right to open the document and see the Manage recipient button in the Recipients section on the right panel.
Edit recipient details
Use this when you need to fix a name, correct an email address, or update a phone number on a recipient who's already been sent the document.
Open the sent document and go to the Recipients panel.
Select the three-dot menu next to the recipient and choose Edit personal details.
Update the name, email address, or phone number, then save your changes.
Warning: Editing recipients on a sent document may clear signature and initials fields and require re-signing after you resend. PandaDoc shows a confirmation prompt before proceeding — read it carefully. If other recipients have already completed their parts, check whether those signatures will be affected before making changes.
Replace a recipient
Use this when the wrong person was added, or someone has left and you need to reassign their fields to a different person entirely.
Open the sent document and go to the Recipients panel.
Select the three-dot menu next to the recipient and choose Replace signer.
Search for and select the new recipient. All fields assigned to that role stay assigned — only the person changes.
Add a CC recipient after sending
Open the sent document and go to the Recipients panel.
Select Manage recipients > + Add recipient.
Search for or enter the recipient's email address and confirm.
Send a reminder
In the Recipients panel, select the three-dot menu next to any recipient who hasn't signed yet and choose Send reminder. This sends them a follow-up notification.
If the Summary page is enabled for your account, you can send reminders directly from it — open the sent document and select Send reminder.
