Free Non-Disclosure Agreement Generator

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is a legal contract that prevents parties from sharing confidential information with unauthorised third parties. NDAs are used when sharing business ideas, trade secrets, product plans, financial data, or technical information with employees, contractors, investors, or potential partners.

You need an NDA any time you share sensitive information with someone outside your business: when hiring contractors or freelancers, during merger or acquisition discussions, when pitching to investors, onboarding employees with access to trade secrets, or entering into a business partnership.

A one-way (unilateral) NDA protects information flowing in one direction — typically from your business to another party. A mutual (bilateral) NDA protects information flowing in both directions, which is common in partnership or M&A discussions where both parties share sensitive information.

NDA duration varies by use case. Employment NDAs often last indefinitely for trade secrets and 2–5 years for general confidential information. Business partnership NDAs typically last 1–3 years. Courts may not enforce NDAs with unreasonable durations, so the term should match the legitimate business need.

Verbal NDAs are very difficult to enforce because there is no written record of what was agreed. A written, signed NDA is always recommended. For additional protection, make sure the document clearly defines what constitutes confidential information and the obligations of each party.