Checkbox groups - New version

Last updated on Jan 6, 2026

Alert

This article contains prerelease information. Release dates, features, and other information are subject to change without notice.

Let recipients choose “X of Y” options with built-in guardrails.

Checkbox groups make it easy to collect structured, rule-based selections, such as “choose any three benefits” or “select at least two preferences,” without custom scripting or review cycles.

Checkbox groups enforce selection rules during signing and prevent agreement completion until the requirements are met, thereby improving data quality and reducing the need for follow-up.

Configuration

Checkbox groups require no account-level configuration. Availability depends on the authoring workflow used to create or edit the agreement.

Availability:

Acrobat Standard and Acrobat Pro: Not Supported
Acrobat Sign Solutions: Supported
Acrobat Sign for Government: Supported

Configuration scope:

API support exists for:
- Creating Agreements through the PUT /agreements/{agreementId}/formFields endpoint
- Creating Library Templates through the PUT /libraryDocuments/{libraryDocumentsId}/formFields endpoint
The user interface supports:
- Creating/Editing/Modifying checkbox groups through the modern Request Signatures process.
- Creating/Editing/Modifying checkbox groups through the modern Library Template environment.
  - Library Templates can be leveraged to create Web forms, Send in Bulk events, and Custom Workflows, but the checkboxes cannot be added or modified in these environments.
Text tags are not currently supported.
Acroforms are not currently supported.

Caution

If a document that contains checkbox groups is opened in an authoring experience that does not support the feature, grouped checkboxes may appear as independent fields and the group rules can be lost. Avoid editing agreements or templates containing checkbox groups in unsupported authoring surfaces.

How checkbox groups work

A checkbox group is a set of two or more checkboxes that share a group name and a validation rule. The validation rule requires recipients to select:

Exactly X options
At least X options
At most X options
A range of X–Y options

Rules are enforced as recipients select options and again on submit. Agreements cannot be completed until the rule is satisfied.

Completed agreements record the checked or unchecked state of each checkbox instance.

Create a checkbox group via UI Authoring (Request Signature)

You create a checkbox group in the UI by placing a single checkbox and then using it to add additional checkboxes. Each checkbox you add this way is automatically included in the same group.

After the group is created, you configure the group rule to control how many checkboxes the recipients must or can select, such as exactly one option, a minimum number of options, or a range of selections.

Within the modern authoring environment, place one checkbox and adjust its size to fit.
Configure it as needed (field name, recipient assignment, etc.).
The checkbox includes a perimeter. Hover over the perimeter to reveal the Add (+) control, then select it to add another checkbox.

It does not matter which edge you add the checkbox to, as the individual checkboxes can be freely moved around the form.

Note

As soon as a second checkbox is added, the field properties for the checkbox will update to include a new element title: PART OF GROUP with the default checkbox group name in a button under the title.

Place all of the checkbox instances needed for the group.
Move the individual checkboxes to their final positions and configure their specific values (field name, default state, etc.)
- Each checkbox in a group can have its own field name, default value, and appearance. For reporting and data exports, use clear field names that reflect the option each checkbox represents.
- The tooltip is shared across all checkboxes in the group. Updating the tooltip on one checkbox updates it for the entire group, so set the tooltip text to describe the purpose of the checkbox group.
Open the checkbox menu and select Customize group.
Configure the group properties:
- Group name: The group name isn't realized externally in any meaningful way. For consistency's sake, it's recommended to change the group name to the same value as the tooltip.
- Checkbox group rules: This setting defines the type of rule that is to be applied:
  
  Select at least - Requires the recipient to select a minimum number of checkboxes in the group.
  
  There is no upper limit.
  
  The default value is 0.
  
  Select at most - Requires the recipient to select no more than the defined number of checkboxes in the group.
  
  No minimum is defined.
  
  The default value is the total number of checkboxes in the group.
  
  Select exactly - Requires the recipient to select an exact number of checkboxes in the group.
  
  The default value is 1.
  
  Custom range - Defines a minimum number of boxes that must be selected, as well as a maximum number that can be selected.
  
  Any value between the lower and upper bounds is acceptable.
  
  The default minimum is 1.
  
  The default maximum is the total number of checkboxes in the group.
- Count: This setting provides a numerical list of possible values that are applied to the Checkbox group rules.
  
  When Custom Range is selected, the Count property is presented as two values, the minimum value and the maximum value.
- Checkbox names: This read-only field displays the field names of the checkboxes in the checkbox group.

Deleting checkboxes

To delete a checkbox, open the checkbox’s action menu.

The menu includes two options:

Delete field – Deletes only the selected checkbox.
Delete all instances – Deletes all checkboxes in the group and removes the group rule.

The right-click menu for a group of checkboxes with "Delete field" and "Delete all instances" exposed.

Create a checkbox group via API (Request Signature)

Checkbox groups can be authored onto an agreement using the REST v6 API PUT /agreements/{agreementID}/formFields endpoint by populating the formFieldGroups parameter:

{
  "formFieldGroups": [
    {
      "validationRule": {
        "minSelection": 0,
        "maxSelection": 0
      },
      "fieldNames": [
        "string"
      ],
      "name": "string"
    }
  ]

Tips for clear forms

Use an unambiguous field name for each checkbox.
Choose the narrowest rule that matches your intent (for example, "exactly 2" rather than "range 2–2").
Set defaults only when they reflect typical choices and remain within your rule.

Signing experience

Classic eSign enforces the group's validation rule as recipients select options, and on submit, with clear inline validation messages. If the rule isn't met, recipients can't finish.
If the Modern eSign experience is enabled and the recipient has a checkbox group assigned to them, the recipient experience falls back to the classic eSign environment (until Modern eSign supports the feature).

Data export

Data exports list each checkbox with its own field name and checked/unchecked state.
Group metadata isn't included in the export. Plan your downstream processing accordingly.

Known limitations

Conditional logic and calculations apply to individual checkboxes, not the whole group.
Mobile Focus mode isn't supported while authoring documents that use checkbox groups.

Compatibility and fallbacks

Checkbox groups are only available when signing with the classic signature experience. Support for the modern signature environment is planned for a future release.
Classic Authoring does not support checkbox groups. If you open a document with groups in Classic Authoring, the grouped fields appear as independent checkboxes, and group rules are lost without warning.
If Modern Authoring displays a warning for documents with groups during edit/modify workflows, follow the prompt or use Request Signature with New Authoring.

Note

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