Fill in a PDF form without printing it
Application forms, tax forms, registration sheets and order forms often come as PDFs. Some of them are fillable: they contain form fields that you can type into. Others are just scanned or exported pages with blank lines. This free online tool handles both. It finds the fields of a fillable form and puts an input box on top of each one, right on the page preview, so you see exactly where your entries go. For a PDF without fields, you click on the page and type wherever you need.
Everything runs in your browser. The PDF is not uploaded, which is the safe choice for forms that carry your Social Security number, bank details or medical information.
Which fields it fills
- Text fields: single line and multiline. A maximum length set in the form is respected, and fields split into boxes for one character each (comb fields) show your text spread over the boxes.
- Checkboxes and radio buttons: click a checkbox to tick it and again to clear it. Click a selected radio button again to clear it too.
- Dropdowns and lists: pick an entry from the form's own options; lists that allow several choices accept several. Dropdowns that allow your own entry let you type one.
- Read-only fields are shown but cannot be changed, as the form author intended. Signature fields are marked on the page; to sign, save the filled form and open it in Sign PDF.
The highlight shows you where each field is. Required fields have a red edge. Press Tab to go from one field to the next in reading order, and use the arrows above the preview to switch pages. On a phone, the 150% and 200% zoom makes small fields easier to hit; the page then scrolls sideways inside its frame.
Forms without fields: add text anywhere
If the PDF has no fields, the tool says so and switches to Text. Click where you want to write and start typing; press Enter for a new line. Choose the text size before you click, or select a text box later and use Smaller and Larger. Click a text box to edit it, or drag it to move it. For boxes you have to tick, choose Check or Cross and click on the box, then drag the corner handle to fit its size. These tools also work on fillable forms, for example to add a note next to a field.
Text you add this way is written into the page content in Helvetica, the same way a typewriter would put it on paper. It prints exactly as you see it, but it is not a form field afterwards.
Keep fields editable or flatten
Before you save, choose what should happen with the form fields:
| Option | What you get | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Keep fields editable | Your entries are stored in the fields, which stay fillable | Drafts, forms that someone else completes, offices that read the form data with software |
| Flatten | Your entries become part of the page and the fields are removed | Final copies to email, print or archive, where nothing should change |
When fields stay editable, the tool stores your entries in the fields and draws a matching look for every field you changed. Fields you did not touch are left exactly as they were.
Encrypted and XFA forms
Two kinds of PDF forms need another app:
- Encrypted PDFs: files protected with a password or with editing restrictions. The tool tells you when it meets one. If you have the password, save an unprotected copy in your PDF app and fill that.
- XFA forms: XFA is an Adobe form format. Some forms contain XFA data and standard form fields side by side, for example the fillable IRS PDFs of Form 1040, W-4 and W-9 we checked on irs.gov in October 2026; the tool fills the standard fields and leaves the XFA part out of the saved copy. A form built only with XFA cannot be filled here.
Entries are written in Helvetica, which covers Latin letters with accents, numbers and the usual punctuation. The tool warns you before saving if an entry contains something it cannot write, such as an emoji.
Tips before you send a form
- Flip through every page before saving; forms often continue on page 2 or have a section at the end.
- Open the saved copy once to check it. If the receiver asked for a signature, add it with Sign PDF.
- Keep an editable copy for yourself and send a flattened one when the form is final.
- Large scanned forms can be made smaller afterwards with Compress PDF.
How to fill a PDF form
- 1Open the PDF form by dropping it on the box or choosing it.
- 2Click into the highlighted fields and type, tick the checkboxes and pick from the lists. If the form has no fields, click on the page to add text, check marks or crosses.
- 3Check every page, then choose Keep fields editable or Flatten.
- 4Save the filled PDF. The copy downloads with "-filled" in its name, and your original stays untouched.
Frequently asked questions
Is my form uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser reads the PDF, shows the fields and writes the filled copy. Nothing is sent to a server, which matters for forms with your address, income or ID numbers.
Should I keep the fields editable or flatten the form?
Keep them editable when you or someone else may still change an entry, or when the receiver reads the form data with software. Flatten when the form is final: the entries become part of the page, look the same in every app and can no longer be changed as fields.
My PDF has no fields. Can I still fill it in?
Yes. When a PDF has no fillable fields, the tool switches to adding text: click anywhere on the page to type, and set the text size. Check marks and crosses are there for boxes you need to tick. Everything you add is written into the page content.
Why does it say the PDF is encrypted?
Some PDFs are protected with a password or with restrictions on editing. This tool cannot change encrypted files. If you have the password, open the file in your PDF app, save a copy without protection and fill in that copy here.
What is an XFA form?
XFA is an Adobe form format stored inside some PDFs. Some forms contain both XFA data and standard form fields; for those, the tool fills the standard fields and leaves the XFA part out of the saved copy. A form that has only XFA fields cannot be filled here, and needs a PDF app that supports XFA.
Which characters can I type?
Latin letters including accents and umlauts, numbers and common symbols. The tool writes the entries in Helvetica and tells you before saving when a character, such as an emoji or a letter from another alphabet, cannot be written with it.