---
title: "Pausing and resuming documents"
description: "How to pause and resume documents in Signer: what happens to a paused document, the Paused tab, editing a paused document's information, batch resume and what to do when the expiration date passed during the pause."
canonical: "https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/en-us/articles/signer/user-guide/pausar-documentos"
locale: "en"
product: "Signer"
last_updated: "2026-11-13"
---

# Pausing and resuming documents

Pausing a document suspends the signing flow until someone resumes it. Use it when you need to hold a document that
was already sent, for example to review its content or wait for a decision.

## What happens to a paused document

* Nobody signs, approves or refuses the document, and its flow cannot be edited.
* The document's information, such as the name and the expiration date, can still be changed.
* The document can still be resumed or canceled.
* Signer notifies the participants when the document is paused and when it is resumed, and sends no reminders while
  it is paused. See [Notifications](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/en-us/articles/signer/concepts/notifications).
* From version 3.3.1, the document leaves the **Pending** tab and shows in the **Paused** tab of the **Documents**
  list.

Only pending documents can be paused. Who can pause and resume depends on the [access profile](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/en-us/articles/signer/user-guide/perfis-de-acesso):
whoever created the document, and the organization's Manager and Administrator profiles.

## Pausing a document

1. Open the document and click the more options button (⋮).
2. Click **Pause document**.
3. If you want, enter the reason for the pause. It shows on the document page.
4. Click **Pause**.

## Finding paused documents

From version 3.3.1, paused documents have a tab of their own. In the side menu, click **Documents** and then the
**Paused** tab.

![Paused tab in the document list](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-tab.png)

## Editing a paused document

From version 3.3.1, you can fix a paused document's information before resuming it.

1. Open the paused document and click the more options button (⋮).

   ![More options button on the paused document](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-detail.png)

2. Click **Edit info**.

   ![Edit info option](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-edit-menu.png)

3. Change what you need, such as the **Document name**, the deadline, the description or the tags, and click
   **Edit**.

   ![Editing the paused document's information](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-edit-form.png)

## Resuming a document

1. On the paused document's page, click **Resume document**. In the **Paused** tab, the **Resume** button on the
   document's row does the same.

   ![Resume document button](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-resume-button.png)

2. If the expiration date has not passed, confirm with **Resume**. The flow continues from where it stopped.
3. If the expiration date has already passed, Signer warns you and asks what to do:
   * **Remove expiration date and resume**: the document returns to the flow, without an expiration date;
   * **Resume as expired**: the document expires right away;
   * **Cancel**: the document stays paused.

   ![Options to resume a document whose expiration date has passed](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-resume-expired.png)

## Resuming several documents at once

From version 3.3.1, you resume several paused documents at once.

1. In the **Paused** tab, check the documents and click **Resume** at the top of the list.

   ![Selected documents and the Resume button](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-resume-selected.png)

2. If a document passed its expiration date while it was paused, check **Remove the expiration date of documents
   whose expiration date has passed**. Without this option, those documents expire right after being resumed. Click
   **Resume**.

   ![Option to remove the expiration date and the Resume button](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-resume-dialog.png)

3. Each resumed document gets a green check and goes back to **Pending**. Click **Conclude**.

   ![Resumed documents](https://docs.lacunasoftware.com/images/signer/novidades-3-3-1-en-us/paused-resume-result.png)

> **Note: Instance setting**
>
> Document pausing is on by default. The `General:EnableDocumentPause` setting turns it off: the **Pause document**
> option and the **Paused** tab no longer show.