Flatten PDF
Turn the form fields of a PDF into ordinary page content, so that they can no longer be filled in or changed. Comments and layers are left as they are.
About This Tool
Flatten PDF turns form fields into ordinary page content. What was typed or ticked stays visible where it was, and the fields can no longer be filled in or changed.
Only form fields are flattened. The boxes "Flatten Annotations" and "Flatten layers" have no effect at present: comments, highlights, stamps, links and layers stay as they were. The text and pictures on the pages can still be changed with a PDF editor, as before, so flattening is not a lock. With "Flatten Form Fields" unticked, the file comes back unchanged.
All processing happens in your browser, ensuring your documents remain private.
How to Use
Upload Your PDF
Drag and drop a PDF with a filled-in form, or click to select it.
Select What to Flatten
Leave "Flatten Form Fields" ticked. The other two boxes change nothing at present.
Flatten and Download
Click "Flatten PDF", then download the result. Open it and check that no field can still be filled in.
Use Cases
Finalize Forms
Turn a completed form into fixed page content, so that the entries can no longer be typed over.
Same Look Everywhere
Filled-in values become part of the page, so they show the same in every PDF reader and in print.
Archive Documents
Keep a copy of a completed form whose entries can no longer be changed through the form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is flattening reversible?
No, flattening is permanent. Keep a backup of the original.
Will the appearance change?
The pages look the same. Fields can no longer be filled in, and annotations can no longer be moved or deleted; links still work. A field that had no stored appearance of its own is drawn in a plain typeface, and Arabic or other text the standard PDF fonts lack is drawn in a font that has its letters. A place to sign that nobody has signed has nothing to show, and goes with the form.
Does it reduce file size?
It is not meant to. Only the form fields change; pages, pictures and fonts are kept as they are.
Which annotations are flattened?
Every annotation that carries a drawing of itself: comments, highlights and underlines, stamps, shapes, ink drawings, typed text boxes. Links are kept as links. An annotation that is hidden stays hidden, and one that the file holds no drawing of is left as it is and counted.