Practical guide 3 min read
How to fill in a PDF form on your computer
Type into a form's fields, decide whether to lock your answers, and what to do when a PDF has lines to write on but nothing to click.
New
Tool
Flatten PDF
Make a PDF final. Flattening turns filled-in form fields, comments, stamps and drawings into ordinary page content, so they look the same everywhere and can’t be edited or removed.
Drop a PDF here
or
Your files stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
How to flatten PDF
- Choose or drop the PDF.
- Choose whether to flatten only form fields, or annotations too.
- Select “Flatten PDF” and download the result.
Private by design
Most online PDF tools upload your document to their servers. This one doesn’t: Flatten PDF runs entirely in your browser, so contracts, forms, IDs and photos never leave your device. It’s free and adds no watermark, and you don’t need an account.
Questions
Why flatten a PDF?
Flattening stops answers being changed, makes forms print exactly as they look, and fixes forms that appear blank in some apps or on phones.
Is text still searchable after flattening?
Yes. Fields and annotations are drawn into the page as vector content, not turned into a picture.
Can flattening be undone?
No, so keep the original if you might need to edit the fields again.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Every tool runs in your web browser, so your files are read, changed and saved on your own device and never sent to LabAnvil or anyone else. Once the page has loaded, the tools even work offline.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
Free, with no watermark, no daily limit and no account.
Part of PDF Tools
18 free PDF tools that run in your browser: merge, split, compress, convert, edit, sign and fill in PDFs without uploading them anywhere.
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