How to use the fill pdf form
- Choose a PDF that has fillable form fields, or drop it on the box. The page lists every field it can fill: text boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, drop-down lists and list boxes.
- Type or choose your answers. Fields marked read only are shown but cannot be changed. Use Reset to the values in the file to go back to what the PDF contained when you opened it.
- Tick Flatten the form if you want the answers locked into the page, so they can no longer be edited. Leave it unticked to keep the form fillable.
- Press Fill and download. A new file named like your original with -filled added is saved, and a picture of its first page appears below so you can check it.
A short sign-up form
Suppose a form has a name box, a notes box, an agree check box, a size choice of small or large, a country drop-down and a code box that holds at most 5 characters. You type Jane Roe, tick agree, choose large and pick Mexico, and leave the rest alone.
The message then says that 4 fields were changed, because only fields whose answers differ from the file are counted. Typing a sixth character into the code box is stopped by the box itself, and a longer value pasted in some other way is refused by name.
What this tool fills and what it does not
It fills the standard form fields stored in the PDF. It does not place text on a page that has no fields, so a scanned or flattened form needs a different approach. It does not run the scripts some forms use for calculations or formatting, so a total that a form normally works out for itself is not recalculated. Buttons and signature fields are listed as not fillable.
Some forms also carry a second, older layer called XFA. When that is present, the tool tells you, because some viewers show the XFA layer instead of the standard fields. Check the result in the program you plan to send it from. To add a drawn signature, use the sign PDF tool, and to lock a finished form use the flatten PDF tool.
Text and special characters
Answers are drawn with the standard Helvetica font built into every PDF viewer. That font covers Latin letters with accents and common punctuation, but not other writing systems. If an answer has a character it cannot draw, the tool names the field and the characters instead of saving a form with a blank or broken answer. Line breaks are allowed only in multi-line fields, and a field with a character limit refuses longer text.
Privacy and limits
The PDF is opened and changed in your browser. It is never uploaded, and the original file on your device is not touched. A file can be up to 25 MB and 500 pages, and the page lists up to 300 fields. Password protected PDFs cannot be opened, and the tool does not try to remove a password.
Assumptions and limits
- Only fields stored in the PDF are filled. Text cannot be typed anywhere else on a page.
- Drop-down lists and list boxes accept only the choices stored in the file, even when the original form allowed typing a different value.
- Form scripts and automatic calculations are not run, and XFA layers are left as they are.
- Answers are drawn with Helvetica, so characters outside the Latin range are refused.
Frequently asked questions
Why does it say my PDF has no fillable fields?
The page may be a scan or a flattened form, which has no fields to fill. Real fields appear as boxes you can click in a PDF viewer. Without them, there is nothing for this tool to change.
Should I flatten the form?
Flatten when you want the answers fixed in place, for example before sending a final copy. Leave it off if you or someone else may need to edit the answers later.
Is my form uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is read and written in your browser, and the filled copy is saved to your device.
Why was a field refused?
The message names the field and the reason, such as text that is longer than the limit, a line break in a single-line box, or a character the built-in font cannot draw. Fix that field and press the button again.