Flatten a PDF
Turn fillable form fields and comments into plain page content so they can no longer be changed.
Loading tool…
After filling in an application or signing a form, you often want the values fixed: some portals reject fillable PDFs, some viewers print empty fields, and anyone could change an answer. Flattening draws every form field (text, checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdowns) and every comment, highlight, stamp and drawing into the page as it currently looks, and removes the interactive layer.
The rest of the page is untouched, so text stays selectable and quality is unchanged. Links keep working. Your original file is not modified, so keep it if you may need to edit the answers later.
How to use it
- Choose a filled-in PDF.
- Click Flatten PDF.
- Download the flattened copy; the result tells you how many fields and annotations were flattened.
Frequently asked questions
Are my files uploaded?
No. The file is read and processed by your browser on your device; nothing is sent to a server. You can load the page, switch off Wi-Fi and it still works.
What does flattening change?
Form fields and annotations become ordinary page content. They look the same but can no longer be edited, moved or deleted as fields or comments.
Can I undo it?
Not in the flattened file. Keep the original if you might need to change the answers.
Are hidden annotations printed?
No. Annotations marked as hidden are removed without being drawn, matching what you see in a viewer.
Why does my field look slightly different after flattening?
Fields without a stored appearance are drawn from their value with a standard font. Check important fields in the result.
What if my PDF is password-protected?
The tool will say so. If it is your file and you know the password, remove the protection with Unlock PDF first, then use the unlocked copy here.
Related tools
- Sign a PDFDraw, type or upload your signature, place it on any page, and add initials and the date.
- Edit a PDFAdd text boxes, images, shapes, lines, highlights and white-out to PDF pages, then save.
- Password-protect a PDFAdd an AES-256 password to a PDF and choose whether readers may print, copy or edit it.
- Compress a PDF to a smaller file sizeShrink scanned PDFs to a target size (such as 200 KB) or by level, on your device. The result is image-based.
- Redact a PDFBlack out text and images for real: covered pages are rebuilt as images so nothing remains underneath.