Flatten a PDF
Make a filled-in form or an annotated document final: what you see on screen becomes fixed page content.
- 1Add a PDF with form fields or annotations.
- 2Flatten.
- 3Download the flattened PDF.
Good things start with a file.
Drop PDFs or images here, or choose from your device.
Rendering page previews…
This PDF looks password-protected, so we can't show page previews here. Type the page numbers instead, or unlock it first.
Drag on the page preview, or set how much to cut from each edge.
Add at least two PDFs to merge.
This tool is still in development. You can arrange files locally; nothing is uploaded until it opens.
Files are uploaded over an encrypted, single-use link, processed on our own servers and deleted within one hour.
Need a different tool?
Try “merge”, “JPG to PDF” or “sign”. We list PDF tools we are building, not every format pair.
Form answers locked in
Values typed into form fields, ticked boxes and chosen options are written onto the page. The fields themselves are removed, so nobody can change the answers.
Comments made permanent
Highlights, notes, stamps, drawings and pasted signature images are merged into the page instead of floating on top of it.
Prints and previews correctly
Some viewers, phones and print drivers skip form fields and annotations. After flattening they are ordinary page content that shows everywhere.
Flatten a PDF: what to expect
Filled PDF forms are fragile. Open one in a different viewer and the answers may be missing; forward it and someone can change a figure; print it from a phone and the fields come out blank. Flattening turns the visible state of the document into fixed content, which is what insurers, schools and government offices usually want when they ask for a “completed form”.
Before flattening, appearances are generated for every field so that values are drawn the way a standard viewer would draw them. Fields and annotations are then burned into the page and the form structure is removed. Hidden annotations stay hidden.
Flattening cannot be undone, so keep your original if you may need to edit the form again. It also invalidates certificate-based digital signatures, because it changes the document; flatten before signing, not after.
Questions, answered
- Can the form still be filled in after flattening?
- No. The fields are removed and their values become part of the page.
- Why do my form answers disappear in some apps?
- Some viewers do not display form fields. Flattening puts the answers into the page itself, so they show everywhere.
- Are comments and highlights kept?
- Yes, as fixed page content. They can no longer be edited or deleted.
- Does flattening affect digital signatures?
- Yes, it invalidates certificate signatures. Flatten first, then sign.
- Is the text still selectable?
- Yes. Flattening keeps text as text; it does not turn pages into images.