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Flatten PDF

Turn filled-in form fields and annotation appearances into page content. This removes their interactivity; it does not protect the PDF against further editing.

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How to flatten a PDF

  1. 01

    Choose your PDF

    Select a document with form fields, comments or stamps.

  2. 02

    Choose what to flatten

    Flatten form fields, annotations, or both. Both are on by default.

  3. 03

    Flatten and download

    The flattened file downloads next to your untouched original.

What flattening does to each element

  • Form fields: each field's visible appearance is drawn into the page and the interactive field is removed. The value is no longer editable as a form field, but a PDF editor can still change page content.
  • Annotations with their own appearance, such as highlights, stamps and drawn comments, are painted into the page content and removed as annotations.
  • Links and other annotations without an appearance have nothing to paint. They are removed, and the text underneath stays where it was.
  • Hidden annotations are removed without being painted, and comment pop-ups are dropped.

Flattening is not rasterising

Some tools flatten by turning every page into an image. This one does not: the page content stays vector and text stays selectable and searchable, and the form values are added as page content on top.

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Frequently asked questions

Why flatten a PDF form before sending it?

A flattened form shows the same values in every viewer and cannot be changed by editing the fields, which is useful for applications, contracts or forms you archive.

Can flattening be undone?

No. The fields are removed from the new file. Keep your original PDF if you might need to edit the form again.

Will a signed PDF stay valid?

No. Flattening changes the document, so a digital signature will no longer validate. The tool warns you when the PDF contains a signature field.

Does flattening make the PDF smaller?

Not necessarily. Flattening removes interactivity; it does not compress images or fonts.