Proof

Access the Document-Level Audit Trail

Every document signed on Proof includes a tamper-sealed audit trail detailing each action taken—who performed it, their role, and the timestamp—which can be accessed and reviewed using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app by opening the document, clicking the paper clip icon to view attachments, and selecting the audit trail, with instructions provided for enabling the Attachments panel if not visible and for viewing on mobile devices via the Adobe Acrobat Reader app.

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Access the Document-Level Audit Trail

Audience: Everyone

The short answer: Every document signed on Proof includes a tamper-sealed audit trail that records every action taken on that document — who did it, their role, and when. To view it, you'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app.

The audit trail captures the following for each action: action taken, user, user's role, and date and time stamp.

Access and Review an Audit Trail

To access your document-level audit trail, follow these steps in Adobe Acrobat Reader:

  1. 1.Open the completed document in Acrobat Reader.
  2. 2.Click the paper clip icon in the right sidebar to see attachments.
  3. 3.Double-click the attachment to view the audit trail in a new Acrobat Reader tab.

Adobe Acrobat Reader sidebar showing the paper clip attachments icon

Show the Attachments Panel

If the paper clip icon isn't visible in the sidebar, follow these steps to enable the Attachments panel:

  1. 1.Click View in the top menu.
  2. 2.Hover over Show/Hide.
  3. 3.Hover over Side Panels.
  4. 4.Select Attachments to display the panel, then open the audit trail.

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You can also click the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of Acrobat Reader and search for "attachments" to reveal the paper clip panel.

View menu path in Adobe Acrobat Reader: View > Show/Hide > Side Panels > Attachments

View on a Mobile Device

You can view the audit trail on a phone, but you'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app — a standard web browser or your phone's default PDF viewer (like Apple Files or Android Drive Viewer) won't show the attachment.

  1. 1.Download and open the Adobe Acrobat Reader app on your phone.
  2. 2.Open the PDF file inside the Adobe app.
  3. 3.Tap the three dots icon (...) in the top-right corner.
  4. 4.Select Attachments from the menu.
  5. 5.Tap the attached audit trail file to open and view it.

Troubleshooting

If your document required multiple notary meetings: You may see the message "At least one signature has problems." This message is generated by Adobe and doesn't indicate an issue with your document. The audit trail attached to your document reflects the final, valid notarization.

Error message in Adobe Acrobat Reader: at least one signature has problems

Summary Checklist

  • Downloaded Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) if not already installed.
  • Opened the completed document in Acrobat Reader and clicked the paper clip in the sidebar.
  • Double-clicked the attachment to open the audit trail.
  • If the paper clip wasn't visible, enabled it via View > Show/Hide > Side Panels > Attachments.
  • On mobile, used the Adobe Acrobat Reader app — not a browser or default PDF viewer — to view attachments.

Still Unsure?

Our support team is happy to help. Submit a support request or chat with us from any page in the app.

Updated 8 days ago

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