How does an administrator set up a new Enterprise Policy Retention?

Log in to the admin portal for your account or group. Design the new retention policy, deciding its purpose and scope. Define the specific rules, including the number of days (1-5475) to keep files in their final state. Choose security options like password or certificate protection. Apply the policy to the correct accounts or groups. Verify the policy meets all necessary compliance standards.

What is the difference between a password-based and a certificate-based security policy for retention?

Security Type How it works Best for. Password-based Requires a specific password to access or manage the policy. Simpler setups, internal use where passwords can be managed. Certificate-based Uses digital certificates for stronger, more secure identification. Higher security needs, external sharing, or large enterprise environments.

Set Retention Policy in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Set a retention and versioning policy for executed contracts to satisfy audit: require storing…+

Set a retention and versioning policy for executed contracts to satisfy audit: require storing executed agreements for [years=7] years, keep all versions with [timestamps] timestamps, and ensure executed copies are archived to the [log=central agreements log] by [deadline=end of month].

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
Open Adobe Acrobat and sign in with your enterprise account credentials.
2
Locate the PDF document(s) subject to your organization's retention policy.
3
Right-click the file and select the option to move or copy it to your designated retention folder or workspace, as defined by your organization's policy.
Best practiceOrganizing documents in clearly labeled retention folders helps ensure compliance and simplifies audits.
4
If required, access File > Properties to view or add document metadata and custom fields for the appropriate retention period or policy identifier.
NoteSome organizations require metadata or custom fields to be set for retention tracking.
5
Go to Tools > Protect and set file permissions or password protection if your retention policy requires restricted access.
CautionEnsure you have the necessary permissions to modify document security settings.
6
Save and close the document to ensure all changes are applied.

In the appWith the API

You can use Acrobat's document properties to add retention metadata or notes for future reference.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

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.

ComplianceFollowing the rules or laws about how something should be done.ExampleEnsuring compliance means all invoices meet the company's financial record-keeping standards.

Who does this

3 roles

Records ManagerCompliance OfficerEnterprise IT Administrator

FAQ

about this task

An Enterprise Policy Retention is a system-wide rule that controls how long your organization keeps digital documents. It is important because it helps your organization follow legal requirements, industry standards, and internal rules for data storage. This ensures data is kept safely for the right amount of time and deleted when no longer needed.

Log in to the admin portal for your account or group.
Design the new retention policy, deciding its purpose and scope.
Define the specific rules, including the number of days (1-5475) to keep files in their final state.
Choose security options like password or certificate protection.
Apply the policy to the correct accounts or groups.
Verify the policy meets all necessary compliance standards.

If your company needs to meet HIPAA standards, Enterprise Policy Retention helps by letting your administrator set specific rules for how long patient data is stored. For example, they can define a policy to keep medical records for the required number of years and then ensure they are deleted securely. This automated process helps maintain HIPAA compliance without manual oversight for every document.

Security Type	How it works	Best for
Password-based	Requires a specific password to access or manage the policy.	Simpler setups, internal use where passwords can be managed.
Certificate-based	Uses digital certificates for stronger, more secure identification.	Higher security needs, external sharing, or large enterprise environments.

Normal users cannot change retention policies because these policies are set at an account or group level by an administrator. This ensures that all documents across the organization follow consistent rules for data retention and compliance. If individual users could change these settings, it would be difficult to meet legal and security standards uniformly.

Set Retention Policy

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources