How can I edit Contracts?

The screenshots in this article show the German interface. Where a button or field matters, the German label is given in brackets so you can match text to screenshot.

Editing a contract in ContractHero means switching a contract into edit mode, changing its fields, and saving. This article walks through that, explains the seven tabs on the contract detail page, and covers who is allowed to change what.

What's in it for you

Every piece of contract data — master data, fields, tasks, signatures — is consolidated on the same contract. You do not switch between tools, everything is documented for audit purposes in the contract change log [Vertragsänderungsprotokoll], and permissions follow your role setup. That makes contract maintenance fast, traceable and audit-proof.

How it works

1. Open the contract

Go to the contract overview: left-hand navigation → Contracts [Verträge].

Click the title of the contract.

You land on the contract detail page, showing (1) the contract name, (2) the category, (3) the status and (4) the fields on the left, plus the tab column on the right (Documents, Summary, Tasks and so on).

2. Switch on edit mode

Click the "Edit" [Bearbeiten] button at the top right.

The fields on the left become editable. You can adjust master data (contract title, counterparty), category-specific fields (term, amounts, notice period, your own custom fields), and tags and status.

3. Save your changes

Saving is done with the save button.

As soon as you save, the change takes effect immediately and is recorded in the contract change log [Vertragsänderungsprotokoll] — see the Activity [Aktivität] tab — with a timestamp and the name of the person who made it.

4. Leave edit mode without saving

If you started making changes by accident, simply leave edit mode without saving. The changes are discarded and the contract stays as it was.

The seven tabs in the right-hand column

Alongside the fields on the left, seven tabs let you view or manage different aspects of the contract:

Documents [Dokumente] — the PDF file and any further attachments on the contract. Use the "+" symbol to add more documents later (see Related articles: "How do I add documents to an existing contract?").
Summary [Zusammenfassung] — an AI-generated short version of the key points of the contract.
Tasks [Aufgaben] — every task assigned to this contract, with deadlines, owners and status at a glance.
Signature [Signatur] — the status and history of the signature process (FES / QES) when the contract is signed electronically.
Approval [Freigabe] — the approval status, if an approval rule is defined for this category (see Related articles: "Approving Signatures – How to create an approval rule").
Linked [Verknüpft] — linked contracts (sub-contracts, attachments held as contracts of their own, the main contract). This is where you manage contract hierarchies.
Activity [Aktivität] — the contract change log [Vertragsänderungsprotokoll]: every change to the contract with a timestamp and a person, plus a comment function for internal notes on the contract (see Related articles: "What information is available in the Change Log?").

Common questions

Who is allowed to edit a contract?
Account owners and members whose role has Full access [Voller Zugriff] to the contract category. Members with Read only [Nur Lesen] can see the fields but not change them. If the "Edit" [Bearbeiten] button is not visible to you, ask your account owner for the appropriate role.

Which fields can I not edit?
System metadata (creation date, upload timestamp, ContractHero-internal IDs) is not editable. In some account configurations the contract number is also write-protected. Fields with a grey background cannot be edited.

What happens if I change a contract's category?
The contract data is retained, but the assigned fields can change: some fields from the old category may no longer be displayed (their values remain stored in the system), and new fields from the target category appear empty. Tags, tasks and documents are unaffected.

Where can I see who changed what?
In the Activity [Aktivität] tab on the right of the contract detail page. It lists every edit with date, time and person — and via "Show details" [Details anzeigen] you also see which field was changed to which value.

Can I edit several contracts at the same time?
Yes — via bulk editing in the contract overview (see Related articles: "Mass editing contract information (bulk edit)"). Select the contracts you want in the list, and "Edit" [Bearbeiten] appears in the bulk action bar.

Are my changes saved automatically?
No — saving is always an explicit action, using the save button. Until you save, the contract stays in its original state.

Do changes affect saved reports and filters?
Yes, immediately. If you change a date that is used in a filter or a custom view, for example, the contract shows up in its new position at the next refresh.

Good to know

Editing is always logged. Every change lands in the contract change log with the person and a timestamp, which makes audits and internal compliance reviews straightforward.
Only change the category when you have to. The category is the basis for fields, approvals and permissions. Frequent switching leads to inconsistent data — better to choose the right category from the start.
Tags are the quick lever. When you do not need to change a specific field but only want to flag a characteristic of the contract (for example "expires in 2026"), use a tag. Quicker than a field, and easy to filter on in the contract list.
Overwriting AI values. Where the AI has not identified a field unambiguously, you can overwrite it in edit mode — your manual entry wins. On a later AI retrigger your value is normally retained (test the behaviour in your own account if you rely on this regularly).
Use a comment rather than a field for one-off notes. For one-off remarks ("call with lawyer on 02.06.") a comment in the Activity tab is the better home — it keeps the fields uncluttered while still documenting the note on the contract.

Updated on: 08/26/2026

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