Terms and conditions generator — a website terms template you edit

How to use the terms and conditions generator

1. Fill in Business or legal name, Website, Contact email and, if you like, Postal address (optional) and Effective date.
2. Type the Governing law (country / state), for example “England and Wales”, and set the Minimum age (13–21; the default is 18).
3. Tick what applies: Users create accounts, Users submit content and Paid products or services. With payments ticked, you can also tick Subscriptions that renew and add a Refund policy URL (optional).
4. Read the Preview, then copy or download the Markdown file terms-and-conditions.md.

What it does and when to use it

Use it for a first draft of website terms for a small site, shop or web app. A warning above the result repeats that the text is a template, not legal advice, and is not tailored to your business or your users’ countries.

Every document has Eligibility, Acceptable use, Intellectual property, Third-party links, Disclaimer, Limitation of liability, Indemnity, Suspension and termination, Governing law, Changes and Contact sections. Your ticks add Accounts, Content you submit (a licence for you to host user content) and Purchases and payment (plus a renewal sentence for subscriptions).

It does not cover privacy, cookies, delivery, returns, consumer cancellation rights, moderation procedures, arbitration or industry rules. Pair it with the return policy generator for a shop or the acceptable use policy generator for a platform.

How it works

The tool joins fixed clause text with your answers in your browser; nothing is uploaded and no AI is used. Each checkbox adds or removes a whole section. The liability cap changes with payments: with payments ticked it is “the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim”; without payments it adds “or, if you paid nothing, a nominal sum”.

Worked examples

Default shop with accounts. The Governing law section reads “These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction”.

Free community site in Canada. Users submit content, no payments, no accounts, law “Ontario, Canada”, minimum age 16. The terms now say “You must be at least 16 years old, or the age of majority where you live”, add a “Content you submit” section, drop the Accounts and Purchases sections, and end the liability cap with “or, if you paid nothing, a nominal sum”.

Limits and tips

• Consumer law can override a clause. In the EU, terms must be in plain, intelligible language and an unclear term is read in the consumer’s favour (Directive 93/13/EEC, Article 5). The directive’s annex also lists excluding liability for death or personal injury as a term that may be regarded as unfair.
• Platforms in the EU have extra duties. The Digital Services Act, Article 14, asks intermediary services to explain in their terms the grounds on which they may restrict their service, including their content-moderation policies. The template does not write this for you.
• Subscriptions need care. The renewal sentence is one line; check your country’s rules for auto-renewing contracts.
• Laws differ by country. Have the final text reviewed by a lawyer who knows the countries you sell to.