THE WORKFLOW
How to fill PDF form fields
- Open Fill PDF forms and choose your document. Wait for its fields to be detected.
- Complete the available controls and review names, dates, selections and required information against the visible form.
- Choose whether to flatten completed fields, run Fill form and reopen the saved copy to check the answers.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES
Choose the workflow for your document
Complete an existing fillable PDF
Use the detected field controls and check their visible positions. Field names in the document can be unclear, so compare the output with the printed question before assuming an answer belongs in the right place.
Save a form with static answers
Select flattening only when you want to stop the output fields behaving as editable controls. Keep an editable source copy if you may need to revise an answer later.
BEFORE YOU SHARE
What to check in the result
A photographed or scanned form may contain only an image, with no fields to detect. Use Add text to place answers on that kind of PDF. Flattening makes the completed field appearances static and may remove field-level accessibility information; leave it off if the recipient needs editable fields.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about this PDF task
Why are no form fields detected?
The PDF may be a scan, a flat document or an unsupported form format. Try Add text for visible blank spaces instead of expecting OCR to create form fields.
Does flattening make the entire PDF impossible to edit?
No. It makes completed form fields static. It does not prevent all later PDF editing or copying.
Can I add a signature after filling a form?
Yes. Check and save the filled form, then use Upload signature or Draw / sign for a visible signature mark.