Free terms and conditions template: copy the block below, replace the bracketed fields, and publish. It covers acceptance, accounts, acceptable use, intellectual property, liability, and termination, with add-on clauses for ecommerce and SaaS sites. Downloads are available as Google Doc, PDF, and Word, no email required.
Below: the full template and what each clause does. Then how to fill it in, how to make it enforceable, and when a static template stops being enough.
The Terms and Conditions Template (Copy, Paste, and Customize)
Start with the general version below, then add the ecommerce or SaaS clauses if they apply to your site. Replace every bracketed field with your own business details.
Website / General Version
``` TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Last updated: [Date]
Replace every [bracketed] field with your own business details before publishing this document.
- INTRODUCTION AND ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the website located at [Website URL] (the "Site"), operated by [Company Name] ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.
- DEFINITIONS
"Site" means [Website URL]. "Service" means the products, features, and content we make available through the Site. "User," "you," and "your" mean any person who accesses or uses the Site. "Content" means text, images, video, and other material on the Site.
- ELIGIBILITY AND USER ACCOUNTS
[Check: does your site require accounts? If not, delete this clause.] You must be at least [age, e.g. 18] years old to use the Site. If you create an account, you agree to provide accurate registration information and to keep your login credentials confidential. You are responsible for all activity under your account.
- ACCEPTABLE USE
You agree not to: use the Site for any unlawful purpose; scrape, reverse-engineer, or copy the Site's code or content without permission; upload content that infringes another party's rights; impersonate any person or entity; or interfere with the Site's normal operation.
- INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
All content, trademarks, logos, and software on the Site are the property of [Company Name] or its licensors and are protected by copyright and trademark law. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from Site content without our written permission.
- USER-GENERATED CONTENT AND LICENSE
[Check: does the Site let users post content? If not, delete this clause and the DMCA notice below.] If the Site allows you to submit content, you retain ownership of it, but you grant [Company Name] a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, distribute, and adapt that content in connection with operating the Site. DMCA Notice: If you believe content on the Site infringes your copyright, send a notice to [Contact Email] including the copyrighted work, the infringing material's location, and your contact information. We will respond to valid notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
- THIRD-PARTY LINKS
The Site may link to third-party websites. [Company Name] does not control and is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of those third-party sites.
- TERMINATION
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site at our discretion, with or without notice, for conduct that violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful to the Site or other users.
- DISCLAIMERS AND WARRANTIES
THE SITE AND ALL SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, [COMPANY NAME] DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
- LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, [COMPANY NAME] SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
- INDEMNIFICATION
You agree to indemnify and hold [Company Name] harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Site or your violation of these Terms.
- GOVERNING LAW
These Terms are governed by the laws of [Governing-Law State/Country], without regard to conflict-of-law principles. [Match this to where your business is legally headquartered, not where your users are located.]
- DISPUTE RESOLUTION
[Optional but recommended. Delete if you prefer standard court jurisdiction, and make sure this matches the Governing Law clause above.] Any dispute arising from these Terms will be resolved through binding arbitration in [Location], rather than in court, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.
- CHANGES TO THESE TERMS
We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Site after changes means you accept the revised Terms.
- SEVERABILITY AND WAIVER
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
- CONTACT INFORMATION
Questions about these Terms can be sent to [Contact Email] or [Business Address]. ```
Ecommerce and Online Store Add-On Clauses
If your site sells products, append these clauses after clause 6, User-Generated Content, or after clause 16, Contact Information.
``` PRICING AND PAYMENT TERMS All prices are listed in [Currency] and are subject to change without notice. Payment is due at the time of order unless otherwise stated.
ORDERS AND CANCELLATION We reserve the right to cancel any order, at our sole discretion, if a product is listed at an incorrect price or is unavailable.
SHIPPING POLICY [Reference your separate shipping policy here, or state estimated delivery windows and carriers used.]
RETURNS AND REFUND POLICY [Reference your separate Return and Refund Policy, or state your return window and conditions here.]
PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS We attempt to display product details accurately, but we do not warrant that descriptions, images, or other content are error-free. ```
SaaS and App Add-On Clauses
If you run a SaaS product or app, append these clauses in place of the ecommerce block.
``` SUBSCRIPTION AND BILLING TERMS Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing cycle unless canceled before the renewal date.
FREE TRIAL [If applicable] Free trials convert to a paid subscription automatically unless canceled before the trial ends.
CANCELLATION AND SUSPENSION OF SERVICE You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. We may suspend your access for non-payment or Terms violations.
SERVICE AVAILABILITY We aim for high uptime but do not guarantee the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free.
ACCEPTABLE USE OF THE API [If you offer an API] API access is subject to the rate limits and usage restrictions described in our developer documentation. ```
This template is a starting point, not legal advice. Terms and conditions requirements vary by jurisdiction and by what your site actually does. Have a lawyer review your final document before publishing, especially if you handle sensitive data, high-liability transactions, or regulated goods.
Available Formats (Google Doc, PDF, Word, HTML)
The same template is available in five formats, all free and ungated. Pick the one that fits how you edit and publish.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| On-page copy block (above) | Fastest path: select, copy, paste into your CMS |
| Google Doc | Editing with a team before publishing |
| Sharing a fixed, non-editable version internally | |
| Word (.docx) | Editing offline or in a legal review workflow |
| HTML | Pasting directly into a footer page template |
What's Inside This Terms and Conditions Template
This template covers 16 core clauses, from acceptance and definitions through termination, liability, governing law, and contact information. Ecommerce and SaaS sites add extra clauses on top of this base.
| Clause | What it does |
|---|---|
| Introduction and Acceptance | States that using the Site means agreeing to the Terms |
| Definitions | Defines Site, Service, User, and Content so later clauses stay short |
| Eligibility and Accounts | Sets a minimum age and account-security responsibility |
| Acceptable Use | Lists what users cannot do on your Site |
| Intellectual Property | Protects your content, logo, and trademarks |
| User-Generated Content and DMCA | Licenses user content to you and sets a copyright-complaint process |
| Third-Party Links | Removes your responsibility for sites you link to |
| Termination | Gives you the right to suspend or close accounts |
| Disclaimers | States the Site is provided "as is," limiting implied warranties |
| Limitation of Liability | Caps what you can be sued for |
| Indemnification | Shifts legal costs from your business to a user who caused the claim |
| Governing Law | Names which jurisdiction's laws apply |
| Dispute Resolution | Sets arbitration or court venue for disagreements |
| Changes to These Terms | Lets you update the document without user sign-off |
| Severability and Waiver | Keeps the rest of the document valid if one clause fails |
| Contact Information | Gives users a way to reach you with questions |
Who This Template Is For
This template fits any of these cases.
- Solo founders and small business owners publishing a first website who need baseline liability protection.
- Ecommerce store owners who need order, pricing, and refund-adjacent clauses alongside the base agreement.
- SaaS and app founders who need subscription, trial, and cancellation clauses before launch.
- Agencies and freelancers drafting a starting document for multiple client sites.
- Bloggers and content sites that allow comments or user submissions and need a content-license clause.
This template is not the right fit for a few cases. Health records, financial transactions above standard ecommerce, and other heavily regulated data all need a lawyer-drafted agreement from the start, not a customized template.
How to Fill In This Terms and Conditions Template
Fill in the template in the order the clauses appear, replacing every bracketed field before you delete anything.
- Clause 1, Introduction. Enter your Website URL and Company Name. Confirm the URL matches the domain the Terms will live on.
- Clause 3, Eligibility. Set your minimum age. Delete this clause entirely if your Site has no account system.
- Clause 5, Intellectual Property. Enter Company Name again. No other input needed.
- Clause 6, User-Generated Content. Delete this clause and the DMCA notice if users cannot post content on your Site.
- Clause 9 and 10, Disclaimers and Liability. Enter Company Name in both. Keep the all-caps formatting: courts treat conspicuous, capitalized liability language as a sign you gave users fair notice.
- Clause 12, Governing Law. Enter the state or country where your business is legally headquartered, not where your users live.
- Clause 13, Dispute Resolution. Choose arbitration or delete the clause to default to standard court jurisdiction in your Governing Law's courts.
- Clause 16, Contact Information. Enter a monitored email address, not a placeholder.
- Add-on clauses. Append the ecommerce block if you sell products, the SaaS block if you run a subscription product, or both.
Two mistakes come up often. First, matching the Governing Law clause to a state that has no real connection to the business, which weakens enforceability if a dispute reaches court. Second, leaving the Dispute Resolution clause pointed at a different jurisdiction than the Governing Law clause, which creates a contradiction inside the same document.
How to Make Your Terms and Conditions Legally Binding
A terms and conditions agreement becomes enforceable through clickwrap: a user taking an affirmative action to accept it. Browsewrap, where the terms sit behind a passive link, gives weaker legal footing. Courts treat clickwrap as stronger evidence that a user actually agreed.
Three conditions determine enforceability.
- Mutual assent. The user must knowingly agree, typically by checking an unticked box or clicking an "I Agree" button before proceeding. A browsewrap link buried in a footer, with no required action, gives weaker legal footing.
- Reasonable notice. The Terms must be visible, accessible, and readable before the user agrees, not hidden behind extra clicks.
- Legality. Clauses cannot be unconscionable or violate applicable law. Courts strike overly broad liability waivers even when a user technically clicked "I Agree."
Display the Terms in four places so users see them before they act.
- Your website footer, as a persistent static link.
- The account-creation or signup page, next to the "I Agree" control.
- Checkout or order-finalization pages, before payment.
- Your mobile app's About or Legal menu, if you have an app.
Placing the link only in the footer and never at signup or checkout weakens your reasonable-notice argument.
When You Need Terms and Conditions (and When a Template Is Not Enough)
Terms and conditions are not legally required, unlike a privacy policy, which laws such as GDPR and CCPA can require directly. A terms and conditions agreement is a contract you choose to put in place, not a compliance filing.
You need one the moment your site does any of these four things.
- Lets users create accounts or log in.
- Allows users to post content, comments, or reviews.
- Sells products or subscriptions.
- Collects payment information.
A customized template is enough for most small business and SaaS sites in these situations. It stops being enough in three cases.
- High-liability transactions.
- Regulated data, such as health or financial records.
- Operations across countries with materially different consumer-protection laws.
In those cases, a lawyer needs to review or draft the agreement directly, not adapt a template.
A related, common anxiety is whether you can shortcut this by copying a competitor's terms and conditions. You cannot. Verbatim copying of another site's terms and conditions text is copyright infringement, confirmed across legal-resource and privacy-resource sites, not a gray area. A copied document also will not match your business's actual practices. It may promise account-security steps you don't take, or omit an ecommerce clause you need. Adapting a licensed template, like the one above, protects you from the infringement risk. It also forces you to confirm every clause actually fits your business.
See what terms and conditions are for the fuller legal-enforceability breakdown. A privacy policy and a terms page do different jobs. See privacy policy vs terms and conditions for how the two documents differ in scope and legal basis. Most sites need both. Grab a privacy policy template for the document the law more often requires. Pair it with a cookie policy template if your site uses analytics or ad trackers. Terms and conditions is one of the website legal pages your site needs, alongside a privacy policy and cookie policy.
FAQs
Is this terms and conditions template free?
Yes. The template above is free to copy and paste, with no email required. Google Doc, PDF, and Word downloads are also free and ungated.
Are terms and conditions legally required for a website?
No. Terms and conditions are not required by law in the way a privacy policy can be under GDPR or CCPA. They are still strongly recommended once your site has accounts, user content, or transactions. They set the rules a court will look to if a dispute arises.
Can I copy another website's terms and conditions?
No. Copying another site's terms and conditions text is copyright infringement, not a gray area. A copied document also won't reflect your own business's actual practices. Adapt a licensed template like the one on this page instead of copying a competitor's live page.
What is the difference between a terms and conditions template and a generator?
A template is a static document you fill in yourself and re-edit by hand whenever your business changes. A generator produces a document from a guided questionnaire and can regenerate it when your answers change, without you rewriting clauses manually.
Is "terms and conditions" the same as "terms of service" or "terms of use"?
Yes. Terms and conditions, terms of service, and terms of use are interchangeable names for the same type of agreement. Some businesses use a separate End User License Agreement (EULA) for downloadable software instead.
Do I need separate terms and conditions for my online store?
You need the same base agreement plus ecommerce-specific clauses covering pricing, order cancellation, shipping, and returns. The add-on block above covers these.
Can I use this terms and conditions template on Shopify, WordPress, or Wix?
Yes. Paste the HTML version into a footer legal page on any platform that lets you add a custom page or embed HTML. That includes Shopify, WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace.
How often should I update my terms and conditions?
Update it whenever your business model, features, or pricing change, and whenever a law affecting your business changes. Keep the "Last updated" date at the top of the document current every time you edit it.
Generate Live Terms and Conditions With Consently (When the Template Goes Stale)
A static template is a snapshot of your business on the day you filled it in. Add a subscription tier, change your Governing Law state, or expand into a new country, and every copy of that document needs a manual edit. Skip the manual edits with a terms and conditions generator that keeps the document current from a guided workflow instead.
Three limits of the manual template stand out, and Consently addresses each one directly.
- It doesn't update itself. Change your pricing model or add a feature, and you re-edit the template by hand across every place you posted it. Consently regenerates the document from your guided answers instead.
- It's one language, one format. A pasted template stays in whatever language you wrote it in. Consently generates policies in 10 or more languages and embeds them directly on your site, matching the 35 languages its cookie banner already supports.
- It sits apart from your other legal pages. A static terms and conditions document doesn't know your privacy policy or cookie policy exist. Consently is one of the few consent platforms that generates all three, cookie policy, privacy policy, and terms and conditions, from one account, so your legal pages stay consistent as your business changes.
Consently's Terms & Conditions generator is included on every plan, Basic, Premium, and Enterprise, and supports website, SaaS, marketplace, and ecommerce workflows. Like the template above, it is compliance assistance, not a replacement for a lawyer's review of your specific business.
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