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bogdandjelkovic
Participant
February 11, 2026
Answered

Date fields on eSign not being populated when document is PDF

  • February 11, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 144 views

Hello Adobe Support,

I am experiencing inconsistent behavior with signature and date form fields when sending documents for e-signature. Below is a detailed description of the issue.

1. Word Document Behavior (Working as Expected)

When I send a Word document containing the following fields:

  • Signature field ({{Sig1_es_:signer1:signature}})
  • Date field ({{Date1_es_:signer1:date}})

…the behavior is correct:

  • The signature field is editable and functions normally.
  • The date field is automatically populated at the moment of signing.
  • ✔️ Everything works correctly here.

 

2. PDF Document Behavior (Not Working)

When I send a PDF document containing the same field tags, the behavior changes:

A. Signature Field as Text → Wrong behavior

  • If I send the signature as a text field, the signature is placed in the wrong location (appears in the first empty space on the page, and also Email data is added).
  • The date field is never populated, regardless of field type.

 

B. Signature Field as 'Signature' Type → Correct placement

  • If I use a signature-specific field, the signature is placed correctly.
  • ❌ However, the date field still does not populate, whether it is added as a text field or a date field.

 

Summary of the Problem

Document Type Signature Field Date Field
Word Works correctly Auto-populates when signing
PDF (text field signature) Signature placed incorrectly Date never auto-populates
PDF (signature field) Signature placed correctly Date still never auto-populates

 

What I Need Help With

Could you please clarify:

  1. Why does the date field auto-populate in Word documents but not in PDFs using the same tag format?
  2. What is the correct tag or field type to use in PDF to ensure the date of signing is automatically populated?
  3. Do PDFs require a different tag structure for date auto-population?
  4. Is this a known limitation or a configuration issue?
    Correct answer Meenakshi_Negi

    Hi bogdandjelkovic,

     

    Thank you for reaching out, and sorry for the delayed response.

     

    As mentioned above, the text tags do not work when added to the PDF. You are using Acrobat the create the PDF form and add text tags for the fields to populate in Acrobat Sign. Please ensure that you are using the steps as suggested here: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/document-cloud-learn/sign-learning-hub/admin-set-up/advanced-tasks-admins/adobe-sign-text-tagging

     

    If you still see the same behaviour, please share a small video showing how you add the text tags. It would be really helpful if you could share a PDF with text tags added, so we can check. 

     

    Let us know if you have any questions or need help.

     

    Thanks,

    Meenakshi

    1 reply

    Meenakshi_Negi
    Meenakshi_NegiCorrect answer
    Legend
    March 11, 2026

    Hi bogdandjelkovic,

     

    Thank you for reaching out, and sorry for the delayed response.

     

    As mentioned above, the text tags do not work when added to the PDF. You are using Acrobat the create the PDF form and add text tags for the fields to populate in Acrobat Sign. Please ensure that you are using the steps as suggested here: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/document-cloud-learn/sign-learning-hub/admin-set-up/advanced-tasks-admins/adobe-sign-text-tagging

     

    If you still see the same behaviour, please share a small video showing how you add the text tags. It would be really helpful if you could share a PDF with text tags added, so we can check. 

     

    Let us know if you have any questions or need help.

     

    Thanks,

    Meenakshi