This guide provides initial guidance for Admin users. Roles that include these titles are:
The Account Owner
Administrators
Department Admins
Stumbled here by mistake looking for a different Quick Start Guide? Check out the guides for Standard Users and Read Only Users.
Table of Contents
You can get more help by selecting Support under the Settings icon at the top of every ContractSafe page or feel free to contact us directly via chat on the site or by email.
Ok … now that’s out of the way … let’s go!
ContractSafe is designed to let users like you:
- Find what you are looking for quickly, even within scanned documents.
- Make sure you are reminded of key contract dates.
- Create reports with the information you need.
- Collaborate with co-workers.
As an Admin user, you get special access to features that other permission levels don’t have access to such as:
- Invite new users and resend user invites.
- Create and assign new Folders.
- Create and share Saved Views with users.
- Set up and rename Tags.
- Change the Email In password that’s used to email contract uploads.
- Create and edit Custom Fields on Forms.
- Assign user Permissions and Roles.
1. Set up your password and log into your ContractSafe account.
You were sent an email invitation to create your ContractSafe account. Click the link in the email to set your password.
The email invitation will be coming from new-user@contractsafe.com: 
Note: Invitation links expire after 24 hours. If yours has expired, contact support@contractsafe.com or ask your Account Owner to resend it.
If you need to invite a new user or members of your team need their invites resent, here’s what to do.
How to Invite New Users
- Go to Settings.
- Click on Users.
- Click on the blue Add Users button
- Enter the user’s email address in the email bar.
- Select the role for the user/s
- Select Send Invitation
The user will receive the same email as the above screenshot noting that you invited them to join ContractSafe.
How to Resend User Invites
- Select Settings.
- Click on Users.
- Find the User whose invite you’d like to resend and focus on the buttons on the right side.
- Adjacent to the user is the resend invite button that looks like a circular arrow. It is right beside the Trash icon (for deleting users)
- A pop up will appear noting: User invitation has been resent.
The user will receive an email noting that you invited them to join ContractSafe, just like they did when they were first invited.
Tip: Resending a user invite for existing users will reset their dual factor authentication settings, and will allow them to set it up again.
2. Create and Assign Folders
Folders keep your contracts organized and are the foundation of your permission structure — they let you control which users see which contracts.
Not sure how to organize your Folders? Here are two popular approaches:
- By Department: Finance, Legal, Operations, HR, Sales, Marketing
- By Contract Type: Vendor Agreements, Customer Agreements, NDAs, Employment Agreements
Real-world example: A mid-size tech company might set up Folders like: Software Licenses, Vendor Agreements, Customer Contracts, Employment Agreements, and Partnership Agreements. That way, when the Legal team needs to pull all vendor contracts for an audit, they can find them in seconds.
Start simple — you can always add more Folders as your library grows!
Option 1: Create Folders from the Dashboard
- From the Dashboard, select Manage Folders
- Type a name for your new Folder
- Click +Add, then Done
To rename a Folder: Type the new name into the existing field and click Done.
To delete a Folder: Click the X next to the Folder name → Yes → Done.
Option 2: Create Folders from Settings
- Go to Settings
- Click Folders, Tags & Filters
- Make sure Folders is selected
- Scroll down to the blank field and type your new Folder name
- Click +Add, then Done
Your new Folder will now appear on your Dashboard.
Option 3: Assign a Contract to a Folder
- Open the contract from your Contract List
- Click the Folder name above the Contract Name
- Select the Folder from the dropdown
- The system saves automatically — you'll see "Folder updated" in the lower part of the page.
💡 Did you know? You can also enable Subfolders for even more granular organization — great for things like organizing by year within a department. Learn more: How to Enable and Use Subfolders
3. Create, Share, and Edit Saved Views
Saved Views let you customize what columns appear on your Contract List — so you always see the information that matters most to you, at a glance.
Real-world example: Your Finance team wants to see payment terms, contract value, and renewal dates front and center. Your Legal team cares more about governing law, counterparty, and expiration dates. With Saved Views, each team can have their own tailored view of the same contract list — no extra setup required.
Your account comes with two default views:
- Original — your standard default view
- Upcoming — shows all upcoming contract dates
You can toggle between views using the button next to Actions in the top-right corner of your Contract List.
Available on Standard Subscription and above.
Create a New Saved View
- Click Actions (top-right of Contract List)
- Select Edit Columns
- Check off the columns you want to add
- Click Apply
- Drag and drop to arrange the column order
- Click Actions again → Save as New View
- Name your view
- Choose Private View or Standard View
- Click Save View
Share a Saved View
- Go to Actions → Share View
- Select the user(s) you want to share it with
- Click Save
Or keep it as a Private View — just for your eyes only.
Set a Saved View as Your Default
- Go to Actions → Edit Saved Views → "Options" button of preferred view
- Select your preferred view as the Set as preferred.
- Click Done
4. Setup, Rename and delete tags.
Tags are a flexible way to add another layer of organization on top of Folders. You can apply multiple Tags to a single contract, and use them to filter, search, and set user permissions.
Real-world example: Your company is going through an acquisition and outside counsel needs to review a specific subset of contracts. Create a Tag called "M&A Review Q3 2025", apply it to the relevant contracts, and add the outside counsel as Read-Only Users with access limited to that single Tag. It's a built-in virtual data room — no extra tool required!
Other common Tag uses: region (e.g., North America, EMEA), project name, client tier, or facility location.
Set Up Tags
- From the Dashboard, click the dropdown and switch from Folders to Tags
- Select Manage Tags
- Type in your Tag name and click +Add. Click "Done" to save.
Rename or Delete Tags
- Rename: From the Manage Tags menu, type the new name into the existing field → Done
- Delete: Click the X next to the Tag name → Yes → Done
Tags can also be added and deleted directly from a Contract Page — great for quick on-the-fly updates.
5. Create and Edit Custom Fields on Forms
Standard fields cover the basics, but every organization tracks contract data differently. Custom Fields let you capture exactly what you need — and Forms let you group those fields logically so contracts stay clean and easy to fill out.
Before diving in, it helps to understand the three date sections available on every contract:
|
Date Section |
What It's For |
|
Contract-Specific Dates |
One-off dates unique to a specific contract |
|
Effective/Termination Dates |
Standard date fields indicating the contract's active period |
|
Custom Date Fields |
Reusable date fields you create and add to Forms |
How to Create a New Form
- Go to settings
- Select Fields, Forms & Highlights
- Select the "Forms" tab
- click the "+ Add form" button
- Scroll down and select + Add Form
- Name your Form and click Add
- Customize it based on your needs and click Save Form
How to Create a Custom Field
Real-world example: Your Procurement team tracks whether a vendor has signed your data processing agreement (DPA). There's no standard field for that — so create a Custom Field called "DPA Signed" as a Checkbox. Now the team can check it off on every vendor contract, and you can filter or report on it instantly.
Custom Fields can be: Text, Number, Checkbox, Currency, Dropdown, Multiple Choice, or Date.
- Go to Settings → Custom Fields and Forms
- Make sure Custom Fields is selected
- Type the name of your new field
- Click +New
- In the popup, check Enable
- Select a Field Type from the dropdown
- Click Add. That will save the field automatically
How to Add a Custom Field to a Form
- Go to Settings → Custom Fields and Forms
- Select Forms
- On the right side, find your Custom Field (or search for it)
- Drag it onto the Form on the left
- Click Save Form → Done
6. Upload a contract
There are three easy ways to get contracts into ContractSafe:
Option 1: Upload Directly in the App
- Click Add Contracts at the top of any page
- Select your Folder
- Choose the file from your computer (or drag and drop it into the upload box)
You can also upload online agreements by pasting the URL directly and clicking Save — no need to download anything first.
Option 2: Email It In (Our favorite!)
Every ContractSafe account has a unique Email In address. Any email attachment sent to that address is automatically uploaded to your account.
- Find your Email In address under Add Contracts → Upload via Email, or in Settings → Email Settings
- Add
Folder=to the subject line to automatically assign a Folder on upload
Real-world example: Your team receives a signed vendor NDA via email. Instead of downloading and re-uploading it, just forward the email to your ContractSafe Email In address with Folder=NDAs in the subject line. Done — it's in the right folder before you've even had your next sip of coffee.
💡 Scanner tip: If your office scanner sends emails, add your ContractSafe Email In address to it. Scan a paper contract and it lands directly in ContractSafe — no manual upload needed!
You can customize your Email In address to something easy to remember (like contracts@yourcompany.contractsafe.com) in Settings → Email Settings.
Option 3: Drag and Drop from Your Desktop
- Go to Dashboard with the Folders view open
- Locate the contract file on your computer
- Drag and drop it directly into the Folder you want
Bulk Uploading — We've Got You Covered
Starting from scratch with hundreds of contracts? No problem.
- Bulk Upload Service (included at no extra cost): Organize your contracts and key data in a spreadsheet, and our team will upload everything for you.
- Jump Start Service (small additional fee): We handle everything — organizing files, extracting key data, paralegal validation, uploading contracts and data, and setting your reminders. A truly turnkey solution.
7. Find Your Newly Uploaded Contract
Once your contract is uploaded, here's how to find it:
- Option A — Search Bar: Type the contract name or any keyword in the search bar at the top of the page and press Enter.
- Option B — Browse by Folder: Click into the appropriate Folder from the Dashboard to view all contracts within it.
- Option C — Use Filters: Use the Filter button on the Contracts List to narrow down by contract type, date range, folder, status, or any other field.
💡 Pro tip: Use the Search bar in the top-right corner for a quick Google-like keyword search across all your contracts — it even searches inside scanned documents!
8. Set Up Reminders
Never miss a key date. ContractSafe lets you set email reminders for any date field on a contract — termination dates, renewal deadlines, payment due dates, and more.
To set a reminder:
- Open the Contract Page
- Click the bell icon next to any date field
- Set how many days in advance you want to receive the reminder
- Enter the recipient's email address (can be any email, inside or outside ContractSafe)
- Add a custom message (optional)
- Click Update
9. Invite Users and Assign Roles and Permissions
ContractSafe lets you add unlimited users and fine-tune exactly what each person can see and do. This is one of the most powerful features for keeping your contracts secure while still making them accessible to the right people.
Roles — What Can a User Do?
Roles control a user's actions within ContractSafe (e.g., can they download contracts? Can they edit fields?).
Common roles include:
- Account Owner — Full access to everything
- Administrator — Manages settings, users, and structure
- Standard User — Can view, edit, and upload contracts
- Read-Only (Download OK) — Can view and download, but not edit
- Read-Only (No Download) — Can view only
You can check this article for a complete breakdown of each role and its corresponding permissions: https://www.contractsafe.com/support/contractsafe-permissions-101
Permissions — What Can a User See?
Permissions restrict access by Folder or Tag, giving you precise control over your contract library.
Real-world example: You have a contractor who needs to review only the vendor contracts in the "Operations" folder. Set their Role to Read-Only (No Download) and their Permission to the Operations folder only. They'll log in and see exactly what they need — and nothing else.
⚠️ Important: New users won't have access to any contracts until you assign them a Role and set their Permissions.
How to Add a User and Set Their Role and Permissions
- Go to Settings → Users
- Enter the user's email address
- Click +Invite User
- Select their Role
- Set their Permissions (by Folder and/or Tag)
- Click Save
You're All Set!
That covers everything you need to get your ContractSafe account up and running. You've set up your structure, configured your fields, uploaded contracts, and brought your team onboard — that's a great day's work!
From here, explore features like:
- Scheduled Reports — get contract data delivered to your inbox automatically: How to Create a Scheduled Report
- Email Reminders — never miss a renewal or expiration date
- Search & AI — find anything, fast
Questions? We're always here: support@contractsafe.com or chat with us live on the site.
Happy contracting! 🎉