PDF Flatten
Flatten the interactive form of a PDF so every field becomes part of the page. Text, checkmarks, radio choices and dropdown values are drawn into the page content exactly as they appear, and the fields themselves are removed, so nobody can change the answers and every viewer and printer shows the same result. Use it before sending, archiving or printing a filled form.
Frequently asked questions
What does flattening do?
It takes the visible appearance of each form field and draws it into the content of its page, then removes the field and its widget. The page looks the same, but the values can no longer be selected or edited.
Why should I flatten a form?
A flattened form shows the same values in every viewer, including viewers that ignore form data, and the answers cannot be changed by accident. It is a common step before archiving, emailing or printing a completed form.
Can a flattened form be edited again?
Not as a form. The values are now page content, so changing them requires a PDF editor. Keep a copy of the original if you may need to fill it in again.
Are empty fields flattened too?
Yes. Every field is removed, and empty fields simply leave nothing visible apart from the borders or backgrounds their appearance draws.
What about other annotations?
Only form fields are flattened. Comments, highlights and links stay as they are; use PDF Remove Annotations to remove those as well.
Do values with special characters survive?
Field appearances are rebuilt where needed, with Helvetica for Latin text and an embedded subset of Inter for Greek, Cyrillic and similar scripts. Values with characters neither font covers, such as Chinese, are refused with a message, because they could not be drawn.
What if the PDF has no form?
The tool answers that the PDF has no form fields and returns no file, since there is nothing to flatten. Lines and boxes that are only printed on the page are already page content.
Are signature fields flattened?
Yes, signature fields are treated like other fields and removed. A cryptographic signature becomes invalid anyway as soon as a signed file is modified.
Can I flatten a password protected PDF?
Enter the password in the password field. The flattened file is saved without password protection, and the password is not returned.
What are the limits?
Files up to 10 MiB and 200 pages and 30 seconds of processing. XFA forms are not supported; only standard AcroForm fields are flattened.