PDF tool · 100% free

Flatten PDF

Flattening merges annotations and filled form fields into the page itself. The document then looks the same everywhere, cannot be edited back into blank fields, and stops depending on a viewer that renders form widgets correctly. It is free, needs no account, and adds no watermark to your result.

Built for: flatten pdf

Deleted as soon as you download itFree · fair-use only

Drop PDF files herePDF output · up to 100 files

Included in this tool

Flatten annotationsFlatten form appearancesPreserve visible contentBatch processing

When you need this

What people use it for.

Sending a completed form so the answers cannot be changed or accidentally cleared

Archiving a signed document in a state that will render identically years from now

Fixing a PDF whose form fields appear blank or misaligned in some viewers

How it works

What happens to your file.

Annotation and form-field appearance streams are drawn into the page content and the interactive objects are then removed, so what you see becomes ordinary page content.

Where it stops: Flattening is one-way. Fields become static and can no longer be filled in, so keep the original if you still need an editable version.

What this tool includes

Everything you need, without a paywall.

Flatten annotations

Flatten form appearances

Preserve visible content

Batch processing

Questions

Common questions.

Why do my filled form fields look empty to someone else?

Some viewers, particularly on mobile and in browsers, render form widgets poorly or not at all. Flattening turns the answers into normal page content that every viewer draws correctly.

Can I edit the form after flattening?

No. That is the point of flattening. Keep an unflattened copy if you might need to change the answers later.

Does flattening reduce file size?

Often slightly, because the interactive objects are discarded, but it is not a compression tool. Use Compress PDF if size is your goal.

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