Fill and Create PDF Forms

Type into the fields of a PDF form in your browser, or draw new fields on a flat page and turn it into a form other people can fill in.

How to fill in a PDF form

1
Add your PDF
Drop in the form you need to complete. It is read by your own browser, and its fields are listed in reading order rather than in whatever order the file stores them.
2
Fill the fields or draw new ones
Type into the boxes, tick the checkboxes and pick from the lists. In creating mode you draw a rectangle on the page instead and choose what kind of field it becomes.
3
Download the filled PDF
Save the finished document. Values stay editable in Acrobat unless you asked for them to be flattened, and the file is ready for signing or sending.

What happens to the values you type

A PDF form field stores two things: the value itself and a small drawing of that value, called its appearance. Some form fillers write only the value and leave a note asking the reader to draw it, which is why the same file can look filled in one program and empty in another. This tool writes the value and then rebuilds the appearance for every field, embedding a font that covers the characters you typed. Cyrillic, Greek and CJK text needs a real Unicode font, so one is added automatically as a subset containing only the glyphs your answers use: a few kilobytes rather than a few megabytes, and identical in every reader that opens the result.

Filling, creating and flattening

Filling works on documents that already carry AcroForm fields; the tool finds them, sorts them by page and position, and writes back what you enter. Creating works on ordinary pages: you draw a rectangle where the field belongs, name it, and choose text, checkbox, radio group, drop-down or list, adding the available options one per line. Flattening is a separate decision made when you save. Leave it off and the values remain editable later; turn it on and each field is painted into the page and removed, which is what you want just before a form goes out and nobody should be able to change the answers.

Your file stays on your device

The form is parsed, filled and rewritten inside this browser tab. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is queued on a server, and no copy is left behind for anyone to delete later. Close the tab and both the document and the answers you typed are gone. Job applications, tax returns and medical forms never leave your machine.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my PDF have no form fields?

Because it was never made fillable: it is a flat page that merely looks like a form, often a scan or an export from a word processor. You can draw your own fields on it here, or type directly on top of the page with the editor.

What is an XFA form and why can I not fill it?

XFA forms carry an XML template instead of ordinary PDF fields, and browsers cannot draw them at all. They come from older government and banking systems. Printing such a form to a flat PDF gives you a page you can type on here.

How is flattening different from filling?

Filling writes your answers into the fields and leaves them editable. Flattening then prints those answers into the page and deletes the fields, so the text stays visible but nobody can change or clear it afterwards. It cannot be undone.

Will the fields still be editable in Acrobat?

Yes, unless you turned flattening on. The result is a normal AcroForm document, so Acrobat, Preview and browser readers all let you keep editing the values, and your answers appear as the starting content of each field.

Does it support Cyrillic and Chinese text?

Yes. The standard PDF fonts cover only Western European characters, so when your answers contain anything else a Unicode font is embedded as a subset. The result displays identically everywhere instead of showing question marks.

How do I add a checkbox or a drop-down list?

Switch to creating mode, draw the rectangle where the control belongs, then pick its kind. Drop-downs, lists and radio groups also need their choices, which you type one per line before adding the field to the page.

Can I fill several copies of the same form at once?

Yes, if the files share the same field structure. Add up to twenty of them, type the answers once, and each file is written separately; the results arrive together in a single archive rather than one download at a time.

Is my form sent to a server?

No. Both the document and everything you type stay in this browser tab, and the finished file is assembled on your own device. Nothing is uploaded at any point, which matters for forms carrying personal data.