How do I set up a new Retention Policy in Acrobat?

Log in as an account or group administrator to access the policy settings. Navigate to the 'Retention Policies' section within the administrative tools. Choose to 'Design' or 'Define' a new policy. Set the specific number of days (1 to 5475) for how long documents should be kept. Decide if the policy will use a password or certificate for security. Save your new policy so it can be applied to documents.

What is the difference between a password-based and a certificate-based security policy in Acrobat Retention Policies?

Feature Password-Based Security Certificate-Based Security. How it works Access is granted by knowing a specific password. Access is granted by having a valid digital certificate. Ease of use Simpler for individual users to manage. More complex setup, often managed by IT. Security level Relies on password strength and secrecy. Higher security, uses cryptographic keys.

Legal–IT Retention Gridlock in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

DBecome — “help me grow”Every company-wide retention rollout stalls during handoff to IT. Show the recurring…+

Every company-wide retention rollout stalls during handoff to IT. Show the recurring negotiation points (granularity, encryption, disposal processes), and recommend one way of packaging retention rules—what to decide first, what to leave flexible—to get IT moving while keeping Legal comfortable.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Log in to the Adobe Acrobat Sign Admin Console with administrator credentials.
2
Navigate to the Data Governance or Retention Policy section in the Admin menu.
3
Create or select an existing retention rule to enforce document retention after agreements reach a terminal state.
NoteRetention policies in Acrobat Sign are applied after an agreement is completed, canceled, or expired.
4
Enable integration features or locate the integration settings for external systems within the Admin Console.
5
Configure a webhook or event notification to trigger when a retention policy action occurs (e.g., document deletion, retention period start/end).
Best practiceIntegrating with automation platforms like Microsoft Power Automate or SIEM tools allows you to trigger downstream workflows or alerts when retention events occur.
6
In your external system (e.g., Power Automate, SIEM), set up a listener or connector to receive and process the webhook or event from Acrobat Sign.
7
Test the integration by completing an agreement and verifying that the retention policy event is received and processed by the external system.
CautionAlways validate that sensitive data is handled according to your organization's compliance and privacy requirements during integration.

In the appWith the API

You can monitor retention policy actions and integration status directly from the Admin Console’s Data Governance section.

Use the Acrobat Sign API event notification webhooks to send retention policy events to external systems for automated processing.

Glossary

words on this page

Retention PolicyA set of rules that decides how long documents are kept and how they are handled.ExampleOur company's retention policy states that all invoices must be kept for seven years.

Terminal StateThe final stage of a document, after which no more changes are expected.ExampleOnce approved and archived, the contract reached its terminal state, meaning no further edits were allowed.

Admin FormA special screen or page in software used by administrators to set up rules and settings for others.ExampleOn the Admin Form, you can specify which features are available to different user groups.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

Pattern: rolling out retention rules always gets stuck between Legal and IT.

FAQ

about this task

Acrobat Retention Policies help organizations follow rules about keeping documents. They make sure files are stored for the correct amount of time, like 1 to 5475 days, to meet legal or company requirements. This prevents accidental deletion and helps with compliance.

Log in as an account or group administrator to access the policy settings.
Navigate to the 'Retention Policies' section within the administrative tools.
Choose to 'Design' or 'Define' a new policy.
Set the specific number of days (1 to 5475) for how long documents should be kept.
Decide if the policy will use a password or certificate for security.
Save your new policy so it can be applied to documents.

If your company needs to follow HIPAA, Acrobat Retention Policies can help by letting you set strict rules for how long sensitive documents are kept. You can define policies that match HIPAA's requirements for data retention, ensuring that patient information is not deleted too soon or kept too long. This helps maintain compliance and protects private data.

It is important to coordinate with IT because they manage the technical systems and understand data storage. They can help ensure that retention policies work correctly with existing IT infrastructure, prevent data loss, and meet overall company security standards. This teamwork makes sure policies are both effective and practical.

Feature	Password-Based Security	Certificate-Based Security
How it works	Access is granted by knowing a specific password.	Access is granted by having a valid digital certificate.
Ease of use	Simpler for individual users to manage.	More complex setup, often managed by IT.
Security level	Relies on password strength and secrecy.	Higher security, uses cryptographic keys.

Legal–IT Retention Gridlock

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources