Add signer authentication in Dropbox Sign

To require an additional access step for a Dropbox Sign recipient, add signer authentication to that person on the “Who needs to sign?” page before sending the signature request. You can set an access code yourself or use a code sent by text message. This guide is based on Dropbox’s signer authentication documentation, not hands-on verification.

Add authentication to the signer

Start a signature request in Dropbox Sign and stop at “Who needs to sign?” Enter the signer’s name and email address. Open the three-dot menu to the right of that signer, then select “Add signer authentication.” Under “Authentication method,” choose either “Access code” or “Text message.” For an access code, enter the code you want that signer to use. For a text message, enter the signer’s mobile number.

Before moving on, check that you opened the menu for the intended signer. Authentication is set for each signer, so selecting one person’s menu does not cover another person on the request. If more recipients need an extra access step, add each signer and repeat these steps for each one. If only one recipient needs it, apply it to that recipient.

Choose how the signer will get the code

The practical choice is whether you want to create and share a code or have the signer receive one by text message. Choose “Access code” when you can provide the chosen code to the recipient separately. Dropbox says the access code is not included in the signature request email. Entering one in the request therefore leaves you with a separate task: make sure the intended signer gets it. If the signer has the email but not the access code, they will lack the information needed for that access step.

Choose “Text message” when you have the signer’s mobile number and want the code delivered to that phone. Check the number you enter against the recipient you mean to authenticate. According to Dropbox, the signer is prompted from the signature request email to send a code to their phone, then must enter that code to access the document. The number is part of the setup, so confirm it with the signer if you are unsure.

Check availability and avoid incomplete setup

If “Add signer authentication” is absent from the signer’s menu, Dropbox’s documentation says the account admin has not enabled the option. You cannot complete these steps from that menu until the setting is enabled. Ask your admin about signer authentication rather than assuming the recipient will be challenged anyway.

Also check the method you chose against what you can supply. An access code needs a separate handoff to the signer. A text-message code needs that signer’s mobile number. For a request with several signers, go through each intended recipient’s menu and method in turn. This check can catch a mismatch: the right authentication method attached to the wrong person, or authentication added to one signer while another is left without the extra access step.