Flatten PDF form fields and comments into the page so they cannot be edited
Processed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. Updated on 24 Oct 2026.Flattening a PDF draws every form field and comment into the page itself and then removes them, so the filled-in values stay visible and print but can no longer be edited. This tool flattens text fields, tick boxes, drop-downs, radio buttons and comments in up to 20 PDFs at once; links keep working and nothing is uploaded.
Press Select PDF files, or drop the filled-in PDFs onto the page.
Leave Forms and comments chosen, or pick Form fields only to keep comments as comments.
Press Flatten; every value you typed or ticked is drawn into the page.
Press Download. The new PDF looks the same but its fields can no longer be changed.
Flatten PDF turns a filled-in or commented PDF into a plain document. The values in each form field and the marks of each comment become part of the page, exactly where they were, and the fields themselves are removed.
A filled PDF form still has live fields: whoever receives it can change an amount or untick a box, and some phone viewers show the fields empty. A flattened copy shows the same answers in every viewer and printer, and nobody can alter them, which is why it is the usual last step before sending a form.
Every field carries a picture of how it looks, called its appearance. The tool places that picture into the page content at the field's exact position and size, the same way a PDF viewer does, so typed text, tick marks and chosen options look identical before and after flattening.
A field with no picture of its own gets one first, written in a standard font. Hidden fields and comment pop-ups are removed without being drawn. Links are left working.
By default both form fields and comments, such as highlights, shapes, stamps and notes with an appearance, are flattened into the page. Choose Form fields only to keep comments as comments that can still be opened, read and replied to, while the form fields are still locked.
Everything runs on your device in a background worker; the PDF is not uploaded. To change the details a PDF stores about itself, use PDF Metadata Editor; to add a password afterwards, Protect PDF.
Flattening a PDF draws its form fields and comments into the page content and removes the interactive parts. The typed values, ticks and marks still show and print exactly as before, but nobody can edit them any more, because they are now part of the page rather than fields.
Fill in the form in your PDF reader and save it, then drop the saved file on this page and press Flatten. Download the flattened copy and send that one. Every answer stays visible in the same place, but the fields are gone, so the values cannot be changed.
Yes. Each field's own appearance, the picture a PDF viewer shows of the typed value, is drawn into the page at the field's exact position. Text, tick boxes, radio buttons and drop-down choices look the same after flattening. Hidden fields and empty pop-up notes are removed without being drawn.
Yes. Choose Form fields only before pressing Flatten. The form fields are drawn into the page and removed, while highlights, sticky notes and other comments stay as comments that can still be opened, read and replied to. Links are always kept working in either mode.
No. Once flattened, the values are part of the page drawing and the form structure is removed, so there is nothing left to switch back on. Keep the original fillable PDF if you may need to change an answer later, and send the flattened copy.
No. Flattening runs in your browser on your own device, in a background worker, and the PDF is never sent anywhere. Up to 20 files at a time, each up to 100 MB; password-protected files ask for their password first and are saved without it.
Still stuck? Ask about Flatten PDF and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
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