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Fill in a PDF form without sending it anywhere
Open a form-enabled PDF and the editor detects its fields and lists them for filling. Fill them in, optionally flatten them so the values become a permanent part of the page, and export. The form never leaves your device — which matters, because forms are usually the documents with the most personal data on them.
Forms are the worst possible thing to upload. A blank contract is commercially sensitive; a completed medical or immigration form contains a named person's identity number, address, and health information all on one page.
And yet the standard advice for filling one is to hand it to a free web service.
Fill a PDF form privately
The form stays on your machine from start to finish.
Open the form
Load the PDF. If it contains AcroForm fields they are detected automatically and listed in the Forms panel.
Fill the fields
Text fields, checkboxes, dropdowns and radio groups all appear with their current values. Fill them in the panel and they are written into the document.
Decide about flattening
Flattening makes the values a permanent part of the page so they cannot be edited or accidentally cleared by another reader. Leave it off if the recipient needs to change them.
Export and verify
The filled form is written as a new file, then reopened and checked before it is offered to you. Your blank original is untouched and reusable.
Add anything the form forgot
If a form has no fields, or is missing one, use the text tool to place text anywhere on the page, and the signature tool to sign it.
What is supported
- Text fields — single line, filled with whatever you type
- Checkboxes — ticked or cleared
- Dropdowns — choose from the options the form defines
- Radio groups — select one option from the group
- Flattening — turn the filled values into permanent page content
Forms with no fields at all — a scan, or a document that was only ever designed to be printed — are handled with the text and signature tools instead. Place text anywhere, size it to match, and export.
Repeating forms
If the same form crosses your desk constantly, the parts that never change can be handled by a workflow: a header, a received stamp with today's date, a reference number that increments, a consistent output filename. Fill the specific fields by hand, let the workflow do the rest, and run it over a folder when a batch arrives at once.
A note on XFA forms
Some older forms, mostly government ones, use XFA rather than standard AcroForm fields. XFA has been deprecated by the company that created it, and we do not support it. If a form opens showing only a message telling you to open it in a particular desktop reader, that is what you have — and the honest answer is that this tool cannot fill it. It will tell you so rather than appearing to work.
Why this matters more than it sounds
A completed health assessment form has a name, a passport number, a date of birth and a clinical finding on a single page. Uploading that to a third-party converter is a disclosure of personal data, whatever the terms of service say about deletion after two hours. In many jurisdictions it is also a processing activity you would need a legal basis and a contract for.
Filling it locally does not create that exposure, because no third party ever receives it.
Try it — there is nothing to sign up for.
Open the editor and drop a PDF in. Your file stays on your device, and you can take the whole thing offline whenever you want.
Straight answers
What is flattening and should I do it?
Flattening merges the filled values into the page so they become ordinary page content rather than editable fields. Do it when you are sending a final version and want the values fixed. Leave it off when the recipient still needs to edit them.
Can I fill a scanned form that has no fields?
Yes, using the text tool. Click where the answer goes and type. It is not automatic, but it is often quicker than printing and scanning, and it keeps the document digital.
Does filling a form modify my blank original?
No. The filled version is written as a new file. Your blank template is untouched and can be reused as many times as you like.
Can I sign the form as well?
Yes. Draw a signature with your mouse, trackpad or finger and place it on the page. It is a visual signature, which is what most forms require — it is not a cryptographic digital signature and we do not describe it as one.
Is the form data saved anywhere?
No. The values exist in the tab's memory while you work and in the file you export. Nothing is written to a server, and nothing is kept in browser storage.