Flatten PDF Online
Flatten PDF online: make form answers and notes a fixed part of the page.
Flatten PDF online to make a filled-in form final. Flattening turns form fields, notes and highlights into part of the page itself, so they can no longer be edited, clicked or removed.
- Free, no sign-up
- Files never leave your device
- Up to 100 MB per file
Drop a PDF file here
or
Up to 100 MB per file. Your files stay on your device.
Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
What next
- Open the flattened file and click where the fields were, to confirm nothing can be typed in any more.
- Sending it to an office? Check they did not ask for the fillable version: some systems read the fields automatically.
Step-by-step guide: Are Deleted PDF Pages Really Gone? Checking What a PDF Still Hides
How to flatten a PDF form
- 1
Click “Choose a PDF file” or drag your PDF into the box.
- 2
Decide whether notes and highlights should be made permanent too, and whether links stay clickable.
- 3
Press “Flatten PDF”.
- 4
Download your file. It now looks the same to everyone, in every reader.
What gets drawn into the page, and what is removed
Every box in a filled-in form has its answer stored in the file and a drawing of it made by the program that filled it. Flattening takes that drawing as it is, puts it into the page, and then removes the box and its answer; with no boxes left, the form itself leaves the file. Because nothing is redrawn in another font, Arabic answers stay joined and in order.
Notes, highlights, boxes and arrows are drawn in too while “Also make notes and highlights permanent” is ticked, so they print everywhere and can’t be moved; untick it and they stay real notes. When it finishes, the tool says what was made permanent, such as “Notes drawn into the page: 3 notes”, so you know something really changed.
Example: a marked-up report
For this example we took a six-page sample report and marked it up with our own Annotate PDF: a yellow highlight on page 1, a red box and a sticky note on page 2. In a reader those can be clicked, moved or deleted, and some readers hide them when printing.
Flattened with notes ticked, the tool reported “Notes drawn into the page: 3 notes”, and the file went from 45.8 KB to 46.1 KB. Page 2 no longer has any notes to click; the box and the note’s icon are part of the page. With notes unticked, nothing was drawn and the two marks on page 2 stayed real notes.
A sticky note’s text is not drawn when it is flattened, only its small icon, and the text is removed from the file. If the words of a note matter to the person receiving the file, write them on the page with Add text to PDF before flattening.
When this tool isn’t enough
Some programs save an answer in its box without drawing it, so the box looks empty. Before flattening, the tool draws any such answer the way Fill a form draws answers, Arabic joined and from the right, then makes it part of the page with the rest. Boxes their own program drew keep that drawing.
Flattening is not a lock: to keep a file closed to anyone without the password, use Protect PDF. And it hides nothing: to take something private off a page, use Redact PDF.
When you would use it
Sending a filled-in form on so the answers cannot be changed by accident on the way.
Archiving a signed or stamped document as one flat file that looks the same in every reader.
Making sure a form prints as it looks on screen, since some readers print empty boxes instead of the answers.
Handing a marked-up document to someone whose reader hides annotations.
What to expect
Flattening stops fields and notes being edited in a PDF reader. It is not security: anyone with a PDF editor can still change the page, and it is not a password or a lock.
It cannot be undone. Keep the original if you might need the fields, or the notes, back.
The answers become part of the page, so their text can still be selected and copied. They are drawn into the page, not hidden.
Arabic answers keep their shaping when they are flattened, which is where some tools break the letters apart or reverse the line.
A field the form keeps hidden stays hidden: it is not drawn into the page, and its answer is removed from the file. So is the text of a note drawn into the page; only its drawing stays.
To fill a form before flattening it, use Fill a form; to add notes first, Annotate PDF.
Updated 2 November 2026: hidden form fields now stay hidden and their answers leave the file, and so does the text of notes drawn into the page. If you flattened a form earlier, see Are deleted PDF pages really gone?
Saving any change to a digitally signed PDF makes its signature invalid in the new copy, because the signature covers the file exactly as it was signed. The tool warns you before saving, and your original keeps its signature. For what a digital signature proves, see Visual signature vs digital signature.
Frequently asked questions
Can I flatten a PDF form for free?
Yes. No sign-up, no daily limit, and no watermark on your file.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The file is flattened inside your browser, on your device, and never sent to us or anyone else.
What does flattening actually do?
A filled-in form keeps the answers in a separate layer that a reader draws on top of the page. Flattening draws them into the page for good, so the file looks the same everywhere and nobody can change the answers or clear the form.
Will my Arabic answers survive?
Yes. The drawing your program made when you filled the form is kept exactly as it is, rather than being redrawn with another font. That is what keeps Arabic letters joined and in the right order.
What happens to comments and highlights?
If you leave that box ticked they are drawn into the page, so they print everywhere and can no longer be clicked, edited or deleted. Untick it to leave them as real notes.
Do links still work?
Yes, unless you untick “Keep links clickable”. A link is not something drawn on the page, so flattening it would only remove the link and change nothing you can see.
Can I undo it?
No. Flattening only goes one way, which is the point of it. Keep your original file if you may need to change the answers later.
Does flattening protect the file?
It stops the form being edited or cleared, but it is not a password or a lock. Anyone can still edit the page itself with the right tools.
How do I know flattening worked?
After saving, the tool lists what was made permanent, such as how many fields and notes. Then open the new file and click a box that used to be fillable: if no typing cursor appears, it is flat.
What about an answer the program saved but never drew?
It is drawn before flattening, in a font that writes Arabic joined and from the right, so it appears on the page with the other answers. Before 4 November 2026 such an answer was lost when flattening.
Does flattening stop people copying the text?
No. The flattened answers are still text that can be selected and copied. To restrict copying and printing in readers that respect it, use Protect PDF.
Related tools
More Edit & sign PDF toolsGuides
- Are Deleted PDF Pages Really Gone? Checking What a PDF Still HidesYou removed pages from a PDF and sent it. Where deleted content can survive inside the file, what you can check yourself, and what you can't.
- Visual Signature vs Digital Signature: What a Signed PDF Can and Can't ProveA drawn signature and a certificate-based digital signature look alike in a PDF but work differently: what each proves, and how to tell them apart.
- How to Fill Out a PDF Form That Has No Fillable FieldsThe form arrived as a PDF, but you can't click into any box. How to tell why, and how to fill it in on screen for free, including scans and Arabic.