Skip to main content
L
lazar5E3C
Inspiring
February 11, 2021
Answered

Where do signed documents go?

  • February 11, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 10820 views

I have signed a document in Acrobat and it created some sort of link that I can share with other people. I did not intend to do this. There seemed to be no other way to close the dialogue box. So from what I gather, Adobe has saved a copy of that document somewhere on their servers. How can I access this data and, most importantly delete it? I can't even seem to recoup the link if I wanted to. This seems to be like a whole lot of privacy violations, even borderline phishing. 

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer lazar5E3C

    Update: I eventually found that the documents are stored on something called "Document Cloud" (documentcloud.adobe.com). In order to do this, I signed another document (this time a blank page with no sensitive information) and created that link just like last time. It is only by following that link that I discovered the existence of this "Document Cloud". This shouldn't have been so convoluted. It's like Adobe is trying to hide your own documents from you!

     

    However, while my documents were indeed listed there, there was no option to delete. I eventually got in touch with a very helpful support staff person who guided me through the process for deleting signed docs (called "agreements"). For those looking to do the same, here goes:

     

    - open Document Cloud in your browser and sign in

    - click on your profile picture in the top right corner and click on "Settings", and then on "edit settings" 

    NOTE: I got a "server error" message here while using Chrome. It worked for me with Edge. I don't know about other browsers. 

    - on the edit settings screen, go to "Privacy" on the left-hand menu

    - then you have to search for the document by typing in an e-mail address that it's associated with. If you created the document, just use your own address (the one that's associated with your Adobe account)

    - now you will see the document list. Each document has a little trash/bin icon associated with it. Click on the trash/bin icon. Congratulations, you have submitted a "request" to delete the document. 

     

    Hopefully, I will get a confirmation e-mail to say that the documents have indeed been deleted. 

     

    In conclusion, this was far too much trouble just because I clicked on "Next" after signing a document. Accessing and deleting your own data should not be this buried and complicated to figure out. 

    2 replies

    L
    lazar5E3CAuthorCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    February 12, 2021

    Update: I eventually found that the documents are stored on something called "Document Cloud" (documentcloud.adobe.com). In order to do this, I signed another document (this time a blank page with no sensitive information) and created that link just like last time. It is only by following that link that I discovered the existence of this "Document Cloud". This shouldn't have been so convoluted. It's like Adobe is trying to hide your own documents from you!

     

    However, while my documents were indeed listed there, there was no option to delete. I eventually got in touch with a very helpful support staff person who guided me through the process for deleting signed docs (called "agreements"). For those looking to do the same, here goes:

     

    - open Document Cloud in your browser and sign in

    - click on your profile picture in the top right corner and click on "Settings", and then on "edit settings" 

    NOTE: I got a "server error" message here while using Chrome. It worked for me with Edge. I don't know about other browsers. 

    - on the edit settings screen, go to "Privacy" on the left-hand menu

    - then you have to search for the document by typing in an e-mail address that it's associated with. If you created the document, just use your own address (the one that's associated with your Adobe account)

    - now you will see the document list. Each document has a little trash/bin icon associated with it. Click on the trash/bin icon. Congratulations, you have submitted a "request" to delete the document. 

     

    Hopefully, I will get a confirmation e-mail to say that the documents have indeed been deleted. 

     

    In conclusion, this was far too much trouble just because I clicked on "Next" after signing a document. Accessing and deleting your own data should not be this buried and complicated to figure out. 

      try67
      Community Expert
      try67Community Expert
      Community Expert
      February 12, 2021

      It would be helpful if you could take screenshots of the entire process, especially the dialog where you press Next, and post them here...

      L
      lazar5E3CAuthor
      Inspiring
      February 12, 2021

      Sure, here's screenshots:

       

      1. I created a test document and then used Acrobat's built-in Fill & Sign feature. 

       

      2. Then I instered a checkmark instead of a signature (don't want to post that on here!).

       

      3. Upon pressing "Next", a regular "Save" dialogue box will pop up. No need for a screenshot of that. But once you save your file, you get this:

      Notice that the bottom left corner of the pop-up says "Powered by Adobe Sign". For those unfamiliar with the full adobe suite, is unclear if this is a feature or a separate app. But in the end, it doesn't matter because you can see the documents in Document Cloud and you can only delete them by editing the privacy settings of your Adobe account in a browser. 

      try67
      Community Expert
      try67Community Expert
      Community Expert
      February 12, 2021

      That's odd. Did you convert it to an Adobe Sign form (by ticking the box that says "This document requires signatues" when creating it, for example)?

      L
      lazar5E3CAuthor
      Inspiring
      February 12, 2021

      I'm using Adobe Reader. I just signed a PDF document using the built-in sign function and then clicked on "next" in the upper right hand corner, and then I had to either create a link or send the document via e-mail. Later I realised that I should have simply saved the document instead of clicking on "Next". I didn't realise that Adobe would store my data on their server if I clicked on "Next". 

      try67
      Community Expert
      try67Community Expert
      Community Expert
      February 12, 2021

      If it did, then it's probably on your Adobe Document Cloud, which only you have access to.

      You can find it here: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
        Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices