Contract templates: standard contracts in one click

NDAs, employment contracts, confidentiality agreements — same structure every time, only the contract data changes. With contract templates you build these documents once in ContractHero, set placeholders for the variable fields, and turn out new contracts in seconds rather than minutes.

What's in it for you

If you draft ten freelancer or lease contracts a month, each one easily eats 10–15 minutes of copy-paste from old templates, manual field updates, and formatting checks. Contract templates flip that: define your standard documents once, drop in placeholders for fields like name, address, term or amount — and ContractHero fills them in automatically from the contract data each time you create a new contract. Consistent contracts, fewer typos, no forgotten clauses.

Contract templates are available on the Professional plan and above.

How it works

1. Open the template library

Navigate to Einstellungen → Vertragsvorlagen (Settings → Contract templates). You'll see your template library with every existing template, filtered by the categories defined in your account. The search field "Suche nach Vorlagen..." helps you find the right one quickly when the library grows.

2. Create a new template

Click the "Neu" (New) tile — the template editor opens with an empty document. Use the title field at the top to give it a clear name (e.g. "NDA Standard 2026") and optionally add a category (pill to the right of the title) and tags.

Alternatively, use the "Importieren" (Import) button in the top right to upload an existing Word document and edit it after.

3. Write the contract text

Type the contract text directly into the editor. Standard formatting options (paragraph style, font, font size, lists, tables) are available in the toolbar. ContractHero saves your changes automatically — the "Gespeichert" (Saved) badge in the top left shows the current state.

4. Insert placeholders

On the right side you'll find two sections:

• FELDER (Fields) — every contract field from the field builder (term, start date, partner, address, amount, notice period, custom fields, and so on).
• SIGNATURFELDER (Signature fields) — placeholders for electronic signatures.

Place your cursor where you want the field to appear and click the field — the placeholder is inserted at that spot. When a contract is created later, ContractHero fills the placeholders automatically from the contract data.

5. Check the preview

Click "Vorschau" (Preview) at the bottom right to see how the document looks with sample data filled in — before you publish the template for use.

6. Create a contract from the template

Leave the settings, go to Verträge (Contracts) and click "Neuer Vertrag" (New contract) in the top right. From the dropdown choose "via Vorlage" (via template). The "Vertragsvorlagen" dialog opens — pick the right template from your library. ContractHero creates a new contract; fill in the fields on the left side and the document text updates live as you type.

Common questions

Can I import existing Word contracts as templates?
Yes. Click "Importieren" in the template library or in the editor and upload your .docx file. The document is transferred into the editor — set the placeholders manually afterwards using the field sidebar.

Which fields show up in the placeholder list?
Every field from the Vertragsfeldbaukasten (contract field builder), grouped by category. Newly added fields appear immediately — no need to recreate the template.

Can I share templates with the team?
Templates are workspace-wide — every team member with access to the contract-templates area sees and uses the same library.

What happens if I change a template later?
Existing contracts stay unchanged — the update only applies to new contracts created from the template after that point.

Good to know

• Contract templates are available on the Professional plan and above. On the Free or Basic tier the menu entry isn't visible.
• The Kategorien (Categories) list on the left in the library filters your templates by contract type.
• Tags let you organise templates beyond categories — e.g. by location, business unit, or language.
• Templates can be combined with Signaturfelder — contracts created from such a template arrive with the e-signature fields ready in place.

Related articles

• Field builder – how do I create and manage fields?
• How do I add contracts to ContractHero?
• Request an electronic signature in ContractHero (FES and QES)
• Field builder – how do I create/edit categories?

Updated on: 10/14/2026