PDF Form Filler

How to use the pdf form filler

1. Choose a PDF that contains form fields.
2. Fill in the fields; read-only ones are shown but locked.
3. Decide whether to flatten, then save the filled file.

About this tool

This reads the form fields a PDF actually contains and gives you an input for each: text boxes, checkboxes, radio groups, dropdowns and list boxes, with their current values already filled in. Read-only fields are shown but locked, because a form that lets you type into a field the document has fixed is lying to you about what will be saved.

Form values live in the file separately from the page you see. That is why a filled form can still be edited, and why the answers can be read straight back out of the file by anything that opens it — including long after the document has been forwarded. Flattening removes that separation: the values are drawn onto the page and the fields deleted, so nothing can be changed and no form data remains. It is the right choice for something you are sending on and the wrong one if anybody still needs to change an answer.

The common disappointment is a PDF with no fields at all. A great many documents that look like forms are lines printed on a page, with nothing to fill in programmatically — the tool says so plainly rather than showing an empty list, and the way to complete one of those is to add text on top of it.

Signature fields are listed but cannot be filled here. Completing one properly requires a certificate rather than text, which is a different mechanism from placing a picture of a signature.

Common uses

• Completing an application or a claim form without printing it.
• Filling the same template repeatedly with different values.
• Locking a completed form before sending it on.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my PDF show no fields?

Because it has none. Many documents that look like forms are just printed lines, and there is nothing to fill in programmatically — adding text on top is the way to complete those.

What does flattening do?

It draws the values onto the page and removes the form fields, so the answers can no longer be edited and no form data remains in the file.

Can it fill a signature field?

No. A signature field needs a certificate rather than text. Placing a drawn signature as an image is a different operation, and a different tool here.