Fill in a PDF form

Drop a PDF form here

or click to choose — the file stays on your device

Fill in a PDF form online by typing straight into its boxes on the page: text fields, checkboxes, choice buttons, drop-downs and lists all work. Before you start, a quick check tells you what the form contains — required fields, read-only ones, totals that the form normally calculates itself — and whether it is a kind of form this tool cannot fill, so you are not left staring at a blank page. Save a copy that stays editable, or flatten it so the answers become part of the page. It all runs in your browser: the form is never uploaded, and there is no account or watermark.

Nothing is uploaded — the file stays on your device
No file size limit
No sign-up, no watermark
Free, with no paid tier holding anything back

How to fill in a PDF form

Drop the PDF into the box above, or click it to choose the file.
Read the short form check. It tells you how many fields there are and flags anything unusual before you start typing.
Click into the blue boxes on the page and type. Tick checkboxes, choose a button in each group, pick from drop-downs and lists. Tab jumps to the next field.
Choose whether the saved copy keeps its fields editable or is flattened.
Click Save filled PDF and download it. The file name ends in -filled.pdf; your original is not changed.

Fields that appear on several pages — a name repeated in every page header, for example — are the same field underneath, so typing in one copy fills them all. Fields shaded grey were marked read-only by whoever made the form and are left exactly as they are. A field outlined in orange is marked required.

What the form check looks for

Most "my PDF won't let me type" problems have one of four causes, and each needs a different fix. The tool checks for all of them when the file opens, instead of showing a page you cannot type into.

What it finds	What it means	What to do
Fillable fields	A normal form. The check counts text boxes, checkboxes, choice groups, drop-downs and lists	Fill it in here
No fields at all	The lines and boxes are only drawn on the page, as in a scanned or printed-to-PDF form	Place text and a signature anywhere with Sign PDF
An XFA form	The form is an Adobe XML description, not PDF fields; other apps show only "Please wait..."	Open it in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or find a regular PDF version
A permissions lock	The file forbids changes, sometimes even though it opens without a password	If the form is yours to fill, unlock it first

The check also lists fields whose value is normally calculated by a script, such as a total at the bottom of an order form. Adobe Reader runs those scripts; this tool, like most browsers and phone apps, does not. Rather than leave you wondering why the total stays empty, it names each calculated field so you can type the figure yourself. The same goes for fields with a display format: a date field set up as mm/dd/yyyy will not rearrange what you type, so type it the way the label asks.

Keep it editable or flatten it?

A filled form can be saved two ways, and the choice matters more than it looks.

Editable keeps the answers inside the form fields. The recipient can correct a typo, and offices that import forms automatically can read every value. The risk is that anyone can also change your answers, and a few older viewers show empty boxes.
Flattened draws the answers onto the page and removes the fields. What you see is what everyone sees, in any viewer or when printed, and nothing can be changed with a click. Use it for a signed application or anything final.

A common trap: saving a half-finished form with Print to PDF flattens it without asking, so the draft can never be edited again. Save the working copy editable, and flatten only the copy you send.

Checked after saving

After you save, the tool opens the new file again with a separate PDF reader and reads your answers back out of it. Under the download you see the result, for example Checked: 14 of 14 answers read back from the saved file. For a flattened copy it searches the page text for what you typed and confirms that no editable fields are left. If anything did not make it into the file, you find out before you send it, not when the office writes back.

Accents, other alphabets and emoji

PDF forms normally use a built-in font that covers only basic Western European letters. When your answers contain anything else — Polish, Czech, Turkish, Greek or Cyrillic letters, for example — a font that has them is embedded automatically, so Česko or Łódź prints as typed. Two things cannot be stored: emoji, which no form font contains, and scripts the embedded font does not cover, such as Chinese or Japanese. In both cases the tool tells you which field is affected before saving, instead of producing a form with blank gaps.

Private by design

The forms people fill most often — tax and payroll forms, rental and job applications, school and medical paperwork — are full of personal details. Here the PDF is opened, filled and saved inside your browser, and nothing you type is sent to a server or stored by us. There is no account to create and no limit on how many forms you fill.

To sign the form after filling it, use Sign it under the result, which passes the file to Sign PDF without uploading it. To send it with a password, protect the PDF; if it is too big for an upload form, compress it. All the PDF tools are on the PDF tools page.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I type into my PDF form?

Usually because the form has no fields at all: the lines and boxes are only drawn on the page, so no program can type into them as a form. When you open such a file here, the tool says so instead of showing an empty page, and points you to Sign PDF, which places text, the date and a signature anywhere on the page. Less often the form is locked with a permissions password, or it is an Adobe XFA form - both are detected too.

What is an XFA form and why does it say 'Please wait'?

XFA is an older Adobe format in which the whole form is an XML description inside the PDF rather than normal PDF fields. Only Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader can draw and fill it; browsers, phones and most other apps show a placeholder page that says 'Please wait...' or that your viewer cannot display the document. Open it in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer, or look for a regular PDF version of the same form on the issuer's site.

Should I flatten the form before sending it?

Flatten when the answers should not change any more - a signed application, a finished order form - or when the recipient's software shows empty fields. Keep it editable when someone else still has to add to it, or when the receiving office imports the field values automatically. If you are not sure, keep an editable copy for yourself and send the flattened one.

Why doesn't the total add itself up?

Many forms calculate totals, format dates and check entries with small scripts that run in Adobe Reader. This tool does not run scripts in the file. The form check lists every calculated field by name so you can type the result yourself; the value you type is saved like any other answer.

Can I use accented letters or other alphabets?

Yes. When an answer contains letters outside basic Western European text - Polish, Czech, Turkish, Greek or Cyrillic, for example - a font that has them is embedded so they print correctly. Emoji cannot be stored in form fields, because the fonts that forms use have no emoji; the tool tells you before saving rather than letting them disappear. For a tick mark, use the checkbox or type an X.

Is my form uploaded anywhere?

No. The PDF is opened, displayed and saved inside your browser, and nothing you type is sent to a server. That matters for the forms people fill most often - tax forms, applications, medical and employment paperwork - which are full of personal details. After saving, the tool re-opens the new file itself and reads your answers back, so you can see they were written before you send it.

How do I sign the form after filling it?

Save the filled form, then click Sign it under the result: the file opens in Sign PDF on this site without being uploaded, and you can draw, type or photograph your signature and place it on the signature line. If the form needs a certificate-based digital signature, that has to come from a signing service instead.