Flatten PDF
Turn a filled-in PDF form into an ordinary document. What you typed into the fields becomes fixed text on the page.
How the files you choose are handled is set out in the privacy policy.
How to flatten a PDF form
- Fill in the form in your PDF viewer and save it.
- Tap Choose a PDF and pick the saved file.
- Press Flatten PDF, then Save PDF.
What flattening means
A fillable PDF has two layers. Underneath is the printed form. On top sit the fields: boxes that hold what you type, tick boxes, drop-down lists. The fields are live, so anyone who opens the file can change the answers.
Flattening merges the two. Each field's current value is drawn onto the page as ordinary text or a tick mark, and the field itself is removed. The result looks the same and behaves like a document that was never a form.
| Before flattening | After flattening |
|---|---|
| Answers can be edited by anyone | Answers are fixed text on the page |
| Some viewers show empty or misplaced fields | Every viewer shows the same thing |
| Some printers leave field contents out | What you see is what prints |
| Fields are highlighted in blue in many viewers | No highlighting |
When you need it
- Sending a completed form. An application, a tax form or a consent form whose answers should not change after it leaves you.
- A form that looks empty to the other side. Phone and browser viewers do not all show form fields. A flattened form looks right in all of them.
- Uploading to a portal. Some systems reject files that contain form fields, or drop the values.
- Archiving. A record of what was actually submitted, not a form that could be altered later.
- Before merging. Fields with the same name in two files can overwrite each other once merged. Flatten each form first, then use merge PDF.
It cannot be undone
After flattening there are no fields left to edit. Keep the fillable original if you may need to correct an answer or reuse the form. The flattened copy is saved under a new name with -flat added, and your original is not changed.
What flattening is not
Flattening fixes the form answers. It does not stop someone with editing software from altering the page, and it does not add a password. It also does not remove comments or sticky notes: this tool deals with form fields only.
If the file has no form fields, the tool says so and nothing is saved. To stamp a status such as COPY across the pages, use watermark PDF.
Questions
How do I make a fillable PDF non-editable?
Fill it in, save it, then flatten it here. The answers become fixed text and the fields are removed.
Why does my filled-in form look blank when others open it?
Their viewer is not showing the form fields. Flatten the form and the answers become part of the page, visible everywhere.
Can I edit the form again after flattening?
No. Keep the original fillable file for that.
Does flattening remove a signature field?
It turns what is shown in the field into page content. A digital signature's validity cannot be carried over, so do not flatten a digitally signed file you need to verify later.
My PDF has no form fields. What happens?
The tool tells you there is nothing to flatten and does not produce a file.