Flatten a PDF, so what's filled in stays put.
Turn filled-in form fields and comments into part of the page. Nobody can change the answers by accident, and every PDF program and printer shows the same thing. Links stay clickable – all in your browser.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Tables become real cells, numbers become numbers
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Each file is split the same way
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 3, 7 — leave empty to split every page separately
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Applied to every page, or only to the pages you enter below
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
A page number on every page, bottom centre unless you choose another position
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Each file has the same pages removed
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 2, 5-7
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The same pages are taken from each file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 1, 3-5
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The watermark is added to every page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. CONFIDENTIAL
A PNG with a transparent background works best. Up to 10 MB.
Drop JPG or PNG images here, or click to choose
All images go into one PDF – change the order below if needed
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Every page becomes one JPG image
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 1, 3-5 — leave empty to convert every page
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Every file gets the same password
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Remember it well: nobody can recover a forgotten password, not even us. It stays in your browser.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The same password is tried on every file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Leave empty for a file that opens without a password but blocks printing or copying.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Your signature goes on every file at the same place
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drag your signature to the right place
Create your signature above and it appears here.
Tip: click the signature and move it with the arrow keys (hold Shift for bigger steps).
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Several pages of your PDF on each sheet, ready to print
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Cut margins off every page, or trim the white edges
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Preview: the dashed box is what stays
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
See what the file says about itself, then remove it
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Leave a field empty to remove it. Dates and software names are always removed.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The text of your PDF as a plain .txt file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Every picture in your PDF as a separate file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
See every page, then put them in the right order
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Scanned pages get an invisible, searchable text layer
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Takes a few seconds per page; a long scan can take minutes.
Drop 2 PDFs here (old and new), or click to choose
Text differences, word by word, page by page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Add 2 PDFs: first the old version, then the new one.
removed text added text
Drop a PDF here, or click to choose
Draw black boxes over what must disappear
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Pages with a black box become an image: text there can no longer be selected or searched. Pages without a box stay as they are.
Draw a box over everything that must disappear
Drag with your mouse or finger to draw a box. To remove a box: click it, or reach it with the Tab key, and press Delete.
Drop a PDF here, or click to choose
Fill in its form fields or add text to a page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Form fields
Add text: click on the page where it should go
Tip: select a box with Tab or a click and move it with the arrow keys (hold Shift for bigger steps); Delete removes it.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Form fields and comments become part of the page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
How to flatten a PDF
Choose your PDFs
Drag one or more PDFs into the tool or click to browse. Your files aren't uploaded: your browser reads them itself.
Choose what to flatten
Form fields, comments or both. Both are on by default.
Download the flat PDF
The values and comments are now part of the page. Several files come together in one zip file.
Tips for flattening a PDF
Fill in first, then flatten
Once flattened, a field can no longer be filled in. Keep the original if you may need to change an answer later.
Check boxes and lists too
Ticked boxes, chosen radio buttons and the selected entry of a list or drop-down are kept exactly as they show on screen.
Sticky notes keep only their icon
A comment is flattened the way it appears on the page: a sticky note becomes its icon, and the text in its pop-up is not added to the page.
Honest about the limits
Flattening is not redaction: everything that was visible stays visible and readable. A certificate-based digital signature is no longer valid afterwards, dynamic XFA forms can't be flattened here, and fields or comments that don't print are left as they were.
Questions about flattening a PDF
What does flattening a PDF mean?
Form fields and comments normally sit on top of the page as separate, editable objects. Flattening draws them into the page itself, the way they look now. After that they can no longer be changed in a normal PDF reader, and every program shows and prints the same result.
Why would I flatten a PDF?
To send a filled-in form without the answers being changed, to make sure fields and comments also show in programs and on phones that display forms badly, or to print exactly what you see on screen.
Do links still work?
Yes. Links are not flattened: they stay clickable. Only form fields and comments such as highlights, notes, stamps, shapes and drawings are drawn into the page.
Can I flatten several PDFs at once?
Yes. Choose several files: each one is flattened separately and you download them together in one zip file.
Does the text stay selectable?
Usually yes. The values and comments are drawn the way the PDF itself describes them, so text normally stays text that you can select and search. Nothing is turned into a picture.
Can flattened content be removed again?
Not with a normal PDF reader: the fields and comments no longer exist as separate objects. A PDF editor can still edit the page itself, as with any PDF. To hide confidential information, flattening is not enough: use a redaction tool.
General questions about privacy, cost and file size are answered on the homepage. Stuck? See the help page.
Important to know
Check the result before you print or share it. Full terms of use.