How to fill out a PDF form

A fillable PDF form contains interactive fields: text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdowns built into the file. You click a field and type, and the answer is stored in that field.

A flat (non-fillable) form is just a picture of a form: a scan, or a file exported without fields. There is nothing to click, so you fill it by placing text and check marks on top of the page. Both kinds can be completed with the Fill PDF form tool, and you will know which one you have as soon as you open it.

1. 1

   Open your form

   Go to Fill PDF form and drop your PDF on the page, or click choose a file. The editor opens with the Form tool selected.

2. 2

   Check the field count

   The bar above the page shows, for example, 12 fillable fields. Click a field to fill it. Fields are highlighted in light blue so you can see where to type.

3. 3

   Fill in the fields

   Click a text field and type. Click checkboxes and radio buttons to select them, and pick an option from dropdowns. Fields marked read-only by the form’s author can’t be changed.

4. 4

   Add a signature if needed

   Choose Sign in the left tool rail, click New signature, then draw, type or upload it and click Use signature. Drag it onto the signature line and resize it.

5. 5

   Decide whether to flatten

   Back in the Form tool, tick Flatten on download (fields become regular text) if the recipient should not be able to change your answers.

6. 6

   Download the completed form

   Click Download PDF. The file is saved to your device with -edited added to its name.

If the form has no fields, the bar says This PDF has no fillable fields. Use Text or Symbols (✓) to fill it in anywhere on the page. That works on any PDF, including scanned paper forms.

• To type an answer: choose Text in the tool rail and click on the line where the answer goes. Set the font, Size and Text color in the bar above the page, then drag the box to line it up.
• To tick a box: choose Stamp, switch to Symbols and pick Check mark or Cross. Click each box on the form to place it.
• To add today’s date: in Stamp, switch to Date, choose a Date format, then click where the date goes.
• To fix a mistake: select the item and press Delete, or click the Undo button in the top bar.

Flattening turns form fields into regular page content. Your answers look the same, but nobody can click into the fields and change them, and they display identically in every PDF reader. Flatten when you are sending a final copy, for example to a bank or a government office.

Don’t flatten if someone else still needs to fill in their part, or if you want to edit your answers later. Keep an unflattened copy in that case. To flatten a form you already filled elsewhere, use Flatten PDF.

The same editor works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Tap a field to bring up the keyboard, and pinch or use the zoom controls to get closer to small boxes. Drawing a signature with your finger is often easier than with a mouse.

For signatures with more options, such as uploading a photo of your handwritten signature and removing its white background, see how to sign a PDF.