Let recipients choose “X of Y” options with guardrails—no workarounds, no guesswork.
Checkbox groups let you capture structured, rule-bound selections—think “choose any 3 benefits,” “pick at least 2 electives,” or “select up to 5 preferences”—without custom scripting or reviewer back-and-forth.
Checkbox groups can only be configured when the agreement fields are placed via API (using the PUT /agreements/{agreementID}/formFields endpoint).
Configuration
Availability:
- Acrobat Standard and Acrobat Pro: Not Supported
- Acrobat Sign Solutions: Supported
- Acrobat Sign for Government: Supported
How it works
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 X–Y out of N options
Each individual checkbox has its own field name, default state, and styling.
Rules are enforced live as recipients select a box, and again on submit, preventing completion until the selection meets your rule. Completed agreements show each checkbox state.
Create a checkbox group (Request Signature)
Currently, checkbox groups can only 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 short, 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
- 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.
- As of the October 2025 release, creation is supported for Request Signature agreements createdvia API. Support for Library templates, Web forms, and Send in Bulk is anticipated in later milestones; until then, avoid assuming group rules will carry into those flows.
- If Modern Authoring displays a warning for documents with groups during edit/modify workflows, follow the prompt or use Request Signature with New Authoring.
