Flatten PDF Form
Fill in a form, then flatten it here: the typed values, ticks and choices become part of the page and the fields disappear. Notes, highlights and comments are not flattened.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose or drop a filled PDF form. The tool shows how many fields it found.
- Press Flatten and download.
- The result is named
name-flattened.pdf.
How it works
The tool refreshes the look of every field, draws it onto the page and then removes the interactive field, using the pdf-lib form functions. A file without form fields is not saved and you get a message instead.
Example
An application form with a name box, a ticked checkbox and a drop-down opens as a form with 3 fields. After flattening, the page looks the same but there is nothing left to click or type into.
Tips
- Fill the form completely first. Empty fields are flattened as empty.
- Keep your editable original. Flattening cannot be undone.
Frequently asked questions
What does flattening do?
Each field is replaced by its current look drawn on the page, and the interactive field is removed. The form can no longer be filled in or changed with a normal PDF reader.
Are comments and highlights flattened too?
No. Only form fields are flattened. Other annotations such as comments, highlights and stamps remain annotations.
Is flattening a way to hide data?
No. The values are still visible and can still be selected as text. Use it to lock a form, not to remove information. To remove content for good, redact it.
Why does it fail for some forms?
Fields that contain characters outside the standard Latin fonts, such as Cyrillic or Chinese, cannot be drawn by this tool and it stops with a message instead of saving a broken file.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The PDF is processed in your browser. Password-protected files cannot be opened, and each file can be up to 100 MB.