Documents / Business
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
Protect confidential information shared with partners, contractors, investors, or employees — mutual or one-way.
Self-help drafting template
Self-help drafting and electronic signing for ordinary adult transactions. Check the document-specific preparation steps before use.
Partly state-specific. Changes for some states only. Other states use the general text, so check your state’s mandatory rules for this document.
Version 2026-09-09.8. No qualified legal review is recorded. Read the complete document and obtain advice for your circumstances.
Before you use this document
- Choose mutual or one-way disclosure and identify the correct discloser, purpose and confidentiality period.
- Protected reports to regulators, counsel and other nonwaivable rights remain permitted. An NDA is not a non-compete.
- Confirm representatives' authority and keep the signed copy with the disclosure records.
Guidance updated September 8, 2026. Source coverage is limited to the topics described; historical sources are identified. State, local and transaction-specific requirements still apply.
Time
~5 min
Questions
≤ 20
Steps
4
Export
PDF · Word
Answer guided questions, review your draft, and export or request signatures on supported documents.
What we will cover
- 01
Location
Choose the actual location so the preparation guidance and applicable safeguards follow your document.
- 02
Type of NDA
Who will be sharing confidential information?
- 03
The Parties
- 04
Key Terms
- 05
Review and generate
Edit, export, and request e-signatures when the document meets its signing requirements.
About this document
A non-disclosure agreement keeps shared information confidential — business plans, customer lists, code, financials, or the fact that talks are happening at all. Use a mutual NDA when both sides will share (a potential partnership) and a one-way NDA when only you disclose (hiring a contractor).
Courts enforce NDAs that are specific and reasonable. The two levers that matter most are the definition of confidential information and the purpose clause — a narrow, concrete purpose makes the agreement stronger, not weaker. Trade secrets stay protected as long as they remain secret, regardless of the NDA's stated term.
Common questions
How long should an NDA last?+
Two to five years is typical for business information. Trade secrets are protected for as long as they stay secret under separate trade-secret law, and Quill's NDA preserves that automatically.
Is an e-signed NDA enforceable?+
Yes. NDAs are ordinary contracts, and electronic signatures on them are valid nationwide under the ESIGN Act and UETA. Quill records a full audit trail with each signature.
Can an NDA stop someone from working for a competitor?+
No — that's a non-compete, a different document with much stricter (and state-limited) rules. An NDA only restricts using or sharing the specific confidential information covered.
General information, not legal advice — laws vary by state and change over time.
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