How to search documents using natural language?

BoldSign lets you find documents by typing a simple sentence, just like you talk. You don’t need to build complex filters. The AI-powered search understands your request and shows the most relevant documents.

Example: “Show documents I created last week tagged HR.”

This article covers:

Why natural language search helps
What you can search for (with examples)
Sample queries you can copy
Tips and troubleshooting

Why Use Natural Language Search?

Go beyond filters – Filters are great for common searches, but some details or combinations may not be available as filter options. Natural language search helps you find documents even in those cases.
Save time – Type what you need in one sentence instead of selecting many filter options.
Search your way – Combine tags, dates, people, status, delivery methods, and more in a single query.
Easy for everyone – No technical knowledge required. Use plain language.

What You Can Search For

Use simple phrases like “created last week” or “tagged HR.” You don’t need exact keywords—BoldSign understands common variations.

What you can search	What it means	Example phrases
Title	The document name shown in BoldSign	“title contains NDA”, “document named Service Agreement”
Document ID	Unique ID of the document	“document ID equals dd8ab4f7-…”
Tags / Labels	Labels used to group documents	“tagged HR”, “labels include onboarding”
Has attachment	Whether the document includes attachments	“with attachments”, “no attachments”
Created date	When the document was created	“created last month”, “created on Jan 5”
Last activity date	Most recent date of any action (e.g., edits). Ideal for inactive or updated templates.	“inactive since last month”, “recently updated this week”
Last completed on	Most recent completion date (useful for multi-signer docs)	“completed yesterday”, “completed in November”
Expiry date	Expiry date set on the document (if any)	“expiring this week”, “expired last month”, “without expiry”
Scheduled send date	When the document is set to send later	“scheduled to send tomorrow”, “scheduled next week”
Scheduled deletion date	When the document is planned to be deleted	“deleting next month”, “scheduled to delete in December”
In editing mode	Whether the document is currently being edited	“still being edited”, “not in editing”
Overall status	Document-level status	“in progress”, “completed”, “declined”, “expired”, “revoked”, “scheduled”
Sender name	Person who created/sent the document	“sent by John”, “created by Jane”
Sender email	Sender’s email address	“sender email ends with @contoso.com”
Team / organization	Whether the sender/signer is internal or external	“from my team”, “from our organization”, “external signers”
Signer name	Name of a signer	“signed by John”, “sent to Jane”
Signer email	Email of a signer	“signer email contains @example.com”
Signer status	Status of an individual signer	“at least one signer declined”, “some signers completed”
Viewed	Whether signers opened the request	“not yet viewed”, “viewed but not completed”
Delivery mode	How the request was delivered	“delivered via SMS”, “WhatsApp delivery”
Delivery failed	Delivery did not reach the signer	“delivery failures”, “successfully delivered”
Authentication failed	Signer failed an authentication step	“authentication failed”, “auth success only”
Reassigned	Request reassigned to another signer	“reassigned requests”, “not reassigned”
Reported as spam	Signer marked request as spam	“reported as spam”, “no spam reports”
Qualified eSignature (QES)	Whether QES was enabled	“with qualified eSignature”, “without QES”
CC email	CC recipient email	“CC to jane@example.com”, “CC email contains @example.com”

Example Searches You Can Try

Status and time

“Completed documents in the last 30 days”
“In-progress documents without expiry”
“Expired documents from November”
“Scheduled to send next week”

Sender and recipients

“Requests CC’d to jane@example.com”
“Documents sent by John to external signers”

Viewing and activity

“Not viewed by any signer, created last week”
“Viewed but not completed”
“Inactive documents with no activity in the last 30 days”

Delivery and issues

“Delivered via SMS to external signers”
“Delivery failures this week”
“Authentication failed for any signer”
“Reported as spam”

Tags, titles, and attachments

“Tagged HR with attachments”
“Title contains NDA, deleting next month”
“Show contract documents”

Exact matches

“Document ID equals dd8ab4f7-7e86-4c75-9ca5-dffaa422b4c9”

Tips for Better Results

Add more details for faster and more accurate results
Example: “created last week tagged HR in progress”
Use “or” only when needed
Example: “tagged finance or onboarding”
Exclude results using “not”
Example: “not tagged finance”, “without attachments”
Use relative dates:
“today”, “yesterday”, “last week”, “this month”, “next quarter”

Common Use Cases

Find documents waiting for signatures
Track items that are expiring soon
Review declined or revoked documents
Monitor documents with delivery/authentication problems
Quickly list documents by team or external signers
Spot inactive documents that need follow-up

Troubleshooting

No results?

Try making the query more specific.

“Get John’s documents” → “Documents created by John”
“Show documents from June” → “Show documents created in June”
“List inactive documents” → “Documents with no activity in the last 6 months”
“Documents not completed by John” → “Documents where John is a signer and not completed”
“Sent to both John and Jane” → “Documents where both John and Jane are signers”

Too many or unexpected results?

Add more conditions: status, tag, date range, or “not …” exclusionssi
Example: “in progress and signers not from internal organization”

Still need help?
Contact BoldSign Support and include the exact search you tried. We can help refine it.

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