How to send files to clients

Send a file to one or more clients from the **Send File** card in the file editor. Each recipient gets a secure portal link to review and electronically sign the file, and your agency tracks every send from **Clients** > **Sent Files**.

### Overview

- **What it is:** The **Send File** card sits on the right side of every file in **Admin** > **Files**. You choose a **Portal**, add the clients who should receive the file, set a **Due Date**, and click **Create**. eCourtDate creates one sent file record per recipient.
- **Why it matters:** Courts and agencies need clients to review and sign documents. Sending from the file editor keeps one library file as the source and gives each client their own tracked copy with its own status, due date, and signature record.
- **Who uses it:** Agency staff with permission to create messages, since sending a file uses the same permission as sending a message.
- **Expected outcomes:** One sent file per recipient, each created as pending and ending at complete or canceled, with the signature evidence and outbound messages stored on the record.

### Prerequisites

- A role with permission to create messages
- A file already uploaded in **Admin** > **Files** (drag it onto **Drop files here to upload**, or click **choose files**)
- A portal you can attach to the file, created from **Portals**
- Client records you can find by name or reference in the **Recipients** search
- A flow with **Type** set to **file**, created from **Flows**, if you want message automation to run against the sent file

### How-To Steps

#### Send a file to clients

1. Go to **Admin** > **Files**.
2. Click the edit icon on the file you want to send.
3. Select a portal from **Portal** in the **Send File** card. The rest of the card stays hidden until the file has a portal.
4. Enter a client name or reference in **Recipients**. Results appear once you type at least two characters.
5. Click a search result to add that client to the recipient list.
6. Repeat the search for each additional recipient.
7. Set the **Due Date**, or keep the default of 30 days ahead.
8. Select a **Flow** if your agency uses file flows. The field is hidden when your agency has none.
9. Clear **Require eSignature** if the file does not need a signature. It is checked by default.
10. Enter a comma-separated list of emails in **Additional Signers** for anyone else who must sign.
11. Click **Create**.

#### Track a sent file

1. Go to **Clients** > **Sent Files**.
2. Enter a file name in **Search**, or select a **Status**, **Flow**, or **Creator** to narrow the list.
3. Click **Search**.
4. Review the **File Name**, **Status**, **Due Date**, **Flow**, **Creator**, and **Created** columns.
5. Click the edit icon on a row to open the sent file record.
6. Change the **Name**, **Due Date**, **Flow**, **Status**, **Require eSignature**, or **Additional Signers**, then click **Save**.

#### Message a client about a sent file

1. Open the sent file record from **Clients** > **Sent Files**.
2. Enter a subject in **Subject** in the **Send a Message** card.
3. Enter your text in **Message**.
4. Click **Send**. A link to the file is added to the end of your message.

#### Open the signed copy

1. Open the sent file record.
2. Review the **Electronic Signature** card for the signature image, **Name**, **Email**, **IP Address**, and **Created** time.
3. Click **PDF** to open the signed copy in a new tab.

### What to Expect

Clicking **Create** makes one sent file per recipient with a status of pending, then shows an alert telling you how many of your recipients it sent to. Sending to a single recipient opens that sent file record. Sending to several clears the recipient list, resets the form, and lists the new records under **Sent Files** below the **Send File** card with the client name, the status, and how long ago each one was created.

Each sent file is created in the recipient's own language, taken from their client record. Attaching a **Flow** queues that flow's outbound messages against the sent file, and they appear in the message list on the right side of the record. If you change the flow or the due date later, click **Tools** > **Sync Messages** to requeue them.

The signed copy is rendered in the background once the sent file reaches the status complete. Clicking **PDF** before then reports that the document has not been signed yet, and clicking it in the moments right after completion asks you to try again shortly.

### Best Practices

- Choose the **Portal** first. The **Recipients** search, the **Due Date**, and the **Create** button stay hidden until the file has one.
- Add every recipient before you click **Create** rather than sending the same file one client at a time.
- Attach a **Flow** so the reminders your agency already built run against the sent file instead of messaging each client by hand.
- Use **Additional Signers** for a co-signer who does not have a client record in eCourtDate.
- Set **Status** to canceled on a sent file you no longer want completed instead of trashing it, so the record and its audit log stay in **Sent Files**.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I send the same file to several clients at once?**

A: Yes. Add each client to **Recipients**, then click **Create**. eCourtDate creates a separate sent file for each recipient and tells you how many of them it sent to.

**Q: What statuses can a sent file have?**

A: draft, pending, complete, and canceled. The **Send File** card creates each record as pending, and you change it from the **Status** field on the sent file record.

**Q: Do I have to require a signature?**

A: No. **Require eSignature** is checked by default, so clear it before you click **Create**. Clearing it also hides the **Additional Signers** field.

**Q: How do I add a signer who is not a client in eCourtDate?**

A: Keep **Require eSignature** checked and enter their email in **Additional Signers**. Separate multiple emails with commas.

**Q: How do I resend the portal link to a client?**

A: Open the sent file record and use the **Send a Message** card. The link to the file is appended to your message automatically.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Send File** card shows only a **Portal** dropdown.

**Symptoms:** There is no **Recipients** search or **Create** button, and the card reads "Choose a portal before sending."

**Solution:** Select a portal from **Portal**. The file saves with that portal and the rest of the card appears.

**Issue:** The **Create** button stays disabled.

**Symptoms:** You set the **Due Date** and the other fields, but **Create** is greyed out.

**Solution:** Add at least one recipient. Enter a name or reference in **Recipients**, then click a search result so the client is listed above the **Due Date** field.

**Issue:** There is no **Flow** field in the **Send File** card.

**Symptoms:** The card jumps straight from **Due Date** to **Require eSignature**.

**Solution:** Create a flow in **Flows** with **Type** set to **file**. The **Flow** field is hidden while your agency has no file flows, and it preselects your default file flow once one exists.

**Issue:** The **PDF** button does not open a signed copy.

**Symptoms:** An alert reads "This document has not been signed yet." or "Preparing the signed copy. Try again in a moment."

**Solution:** Confirm the sent file **Status** is complete. The signed copy is rendered in the background after completion, so wait a moment and click **PDF** again.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Files](/how-to-manage-files)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)
- [How to Create a Flow](/how-to-create-a-flow)
- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)