# Docs

## **Understand Docs**

Docs is a collaborative document editor built into your workspace. It lets your team write, review, and approve documents without leaving Hippoly, so the latest version and the signed copy live in one place.

![Collaborative document editing in Hippoly](/files/OKsyVM9haMvls7uWIDZi)

Documents in Hippoly go through a clear lifecycle. A new document starts as a **Draft** that only you and the people you invite can see. When it's ready, you share it with the rest of the workspace and it becomes **Shared**. If the document needs to be formally approved, it can be **e-signed** directly in Hippoly and after signing it's locked as read-only, and anyone with access can download the signed PDF.

### What Docs enables

* **Write together in real time.** See your collaborators' cursors and edits as they type, so there's no need to pass documents back and forth.
* **Control visibility with drafts.** Work privately with a few invited editors before sharing a document with everyone in the workspace.
* **Manage versions safely.** [Start a new version](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/update-shared-doc.md#start-a-new-version) of an already shared document without affecting what the rest of the workspace sees until you're ready to [share the changes](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/update-shared-doc.md#share-changes).
* **Review full history.** Every version is saved automatically. You can browse earlier versions, see what changed, and [restore a previous version](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/version-history.md) if needed.
* **E-sign directly in Hippoly.** [Send the document for signing](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/e-sign-document.md) without leaving the workspace. Once signed, the signed PDF is stored alongside the document.
* **Work from templates.** Start from a blank page or pick one of the built-in templates. You can also [save your own documents as templates](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/save-as-template.md) for the rest of the team to reuse.
* **Organise inside folders.** Documents live in [folders](/using-hippoly/files-and-folders.md) just like files, so you can move them around and use them in [meetings](/using-hippoly/meetings.md), attach them to [posts](/using-hippoly/posts.md) and more.

## Docs FAQ

<details>

<summary>Who can see a document I create?</summary>

New documents start as **Drafts**, which means only you and the people you explicitly invite as collaborators can see them. When you're ready to let everyone in the workspace see the document, you [share it](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/share-document.md) and it becomes **Shared**. See [document statuses](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/document-statuses.md) for more details.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I edit a document that's already been shared?</summary>

**Yes**. On a shared document, you can [start a new version](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/update-shared-doc.md#start-a-new-version). The changes you make are only visible to you and your collaborators until you [share the changes](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/update-shared-doc.md#share-changes). Everyone else continues to see the previously published version.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What happens to a document when it's signed?</summary>

Once a document has been [e-signed](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/e-sign-document.md), it becomes **read-only**. No one can make further changes to the content, not even the original creator of the document. The signed PDF is stored with the document and can be downloaded by anyone with access.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I recover a document I deleted by mistake?</summary>

**No.** Deleting a document is permanent and can't be undone. If you only want to roll back recent changes rather than remove the whole document, use [version history](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/version-history.md) instead. See [delete document](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/delete-doc.md).

</details>

<details>

<summary>What happens if two people edit a document at the same time?</summary>

Everyone works on the same live version. You'll see each collaborator's avatar and cursor in the editor, and changes are synced in real time, so there's no need to reload or pass the document back and forth. See [edit document](/using-hippoly/hippoly-docs/edit-doc.md).

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I use a document in a meeting?</summary>

**Yes**. When building a meeting agenda, you can attach a document to an agenda item. See [attach files to agenda items](/using-hippoly/meetings/create-and-edit-agenda.md#attach-files-to-agenda-items).

</details>


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