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 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.