How do I make sure the audit trail is included in my signed PDF in Acrobat Sign?

Sign your document using Acrobat Sign. Check the signed PDF for an extra page at the end called the Certificate of Completion. If it is missing, ask your admin to enable audit trail attachments in the settings. Download or save the PDF with the audit trail for your records.

What is the difference between an electronic signature and a digital signature in Acrobat?

Type How it works Proof strength. Electronic Signature Shows intent to sign, often just a typed name or drawn sign Basic proof, not always strong in court Digital Signature Uses cryptographic technology (PKI) to lock the document Strong proof, harder to dispute, includes non-repudiation

If my signed document is missing the audit trail, what should I do?

Contact the person or admin who sent you the document. Ask them to resend the PDF with the audit trail attached. Check if their Acrobat Sign settings allow adding the audit trail to emails or downloads.

What information does the Certificate of Completion include in Acrobat Sign?

Names and emails of everyone who signed or viewed the document. Dates and times for each action, like sending, viewing, and signing. Technical details such as IP address and device used. Cryptographic hashes or digital signature data for proof.

Create Audit Trail in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Create an audit trail of all changes to the national [document=reseller agreement] by comparing…+

Create an audit trail of all changes to the national [document=reseller agreement] by comparing the current and prior [files=PDFs], capture the change log, and save the annotated audit trail with timestamps before onboarding the partner.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Before finalizing the audit trail, produce a clear change summary: run a side-by-side…+

Before finalizing the audit trail, produce a clear change summary: run a side-by-side comparison, extract each clause change with who made it and when, attach the comparison results to the [document=agreement] file, and save both the annotated and clean final versions for onboarding and compliance review.

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 the PDF document you need to audit in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2
Go to the File menu and select Properties.
3
In the Properties dialog, click the Description tab to review basic document metadata including creation and modification dates.
4
Switch to the Security tab to check if the document has been signed or encrypted.
5
If digital signatures are present, click Signatures panel (or open the Certificates panel from the right-hand pane) to view the signature details, including signer identity and signing time.
6
To audit document edits, open the View menu, select Show/Hide, then Navigation Panes, and choose Audit Trail or History if available (feature may depend on document type and Acrobat version).
NoteStandard PDFs do not record a full edit history unless tracking was enabled at creation or via Document Cloud/Adobe Sign.
7
For access tracking, check if the document is stored in Adobe Document Cloud or Adobe Acrobat Sign; if so, log into the respective admin console and review the access and activity logs for the document.
Best practiceEnterprise admins can export detailed audit logs from Adobe Document Cloud for compliance reporting, as recommended by industry best practices.
8
Export or save the audit data (such as signature details, access logs, and metadata) as required for your compliance records.

In the appWith the API

You can view and export signature and access history from the Signatures panel and, if using Document Cloud, from the admin console.

Adobe PDF Services API and Adobe Sign API can retrieve audit trails and signature history for documents stored in Document Cloud or processed via Adobe Sign.

Glossary

words on this page

Audit TrailA record of all actions taken on a document, like who signed and when.ExampleThe audit trail showed that the document was signed by three different people last Tuesday.

Certificate of CompletionA document attached to your signed PDF that lists all the signing details.ExampleAfter signing, the Certificate of Completion showed who signed the contract and when.

Cryptographic HashA unique code in the audit trail that helps prove the document was not changed.ExampleThe cryptographic hash in the audit trail confirmed the document's integrity since its last signature.

The real tasks

all 2, listed here

Create an audit trail of all changes to a national reseller agreement before onboarding the partner.

Create an audit trail of all signed parent consents, attendance logs, and staffing approvals to satisfy district auditors.

FAQ

about this task

Sign your document using Acrobat Sign.
Check the signed PDF for an extra page at the end called the Certificate of Completion.
If it is missing, ask your admin to enable audit trail attachments in the settings.
Download or save the PDF with the audit trail for your records.

Type	How it works	Proof strength
Electronic Signature	Shows intent to sign, often just a typed name or drawn sign	Basic proof, not always strong in court
Digital Signature	Uses cryptographic technology (PKI) to lock the document	Strong proof, harder to dispute, includes non-repudiation

The audit trail is important because it gives a detailed record of who signed, when, and how, including technical information like IP address and device. Laws like the ESIGN Act, UETA, and eIDAS require strong proof for electronic signatures to be accepted in court or for official business. Without the audit trail, it is hard to prove that the signature is valid or that the document was not changed after signing.

Contact the person or admin who sent you the document.
Ask them to resend the PDF with the audit trail attached.
Check if their Acrobat Sign settings allow adding the audit trail to emails or downloads.

Names and emails of everyone who signed or viewed the document.
Dates and times for each action, like sending, viewing, and signing.
Technical details such as IP address and device used.
Cryptographic hashes or digital signature data for proof.

Create Audit Trail

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Other guides