PDF & Documents
Flatten a PDF form so nobody can edit the fields
Upload a filled PDF form and download a copy with the entered values fixed on the page. Encrypted PDFs and XFA forms are not supported.
or drop it here
Free: 3 PDFs a day with a free account. Need more? Pro from €12.99/month
Left: a form whose fields can still be clicked and changed. Right: the same page after flattening, where the values are printed on the page and there are no fields left.
Your download
- flattened.pdfthe locked copy
- field-manifest.jsonevery field found, with its value
- manifest.jsonsource and output hashes
How it works
- 1
Choose the filled PDF
One PDF form with AcroForm fields. XFA and encrypted files are rejected with a message.
- 2
Nothing to set
The values already in the fields are fixed onto the pages of a new PDF.
- 3
Check and download
The new PDF is reopened and inspected. Download it with the field list. Results are kept for 24 hours.
Lock the entered values of a PDF form
What you upload
You upload one filled PDF form of up to 500 pages. The tool finds the form fields and fixes their current values onto the page in a new PDF. It does not fill in empty fields for you. XFA forms, the dynamic kind made in LiveCycle, are rejected with a clear message. So are encrypted PDFs. Free jobs need no account: 3 a day, files up to 10 MB and 50 pages.
Checking the flattened copy
The download holds flattened.pdf, field-manifest.json and manifest.json. After the new PDF is written, it is reopened and inspected. The field list names every field that was found and its value. Compare that list with the pages of flattened.pdf. Your original file is not changed, so you keep the fillable version next to the locked copy. Keep both if someone may need to correct an answer later.
What flattening does not do
There are no settings to choose. The tool only uses what is already in your file. Flattening stops the fields from being edited in a PDF viewer. It is not a signature and carries no proof of who filled in the form. Signing is not offered here. If the form has legal weight, how it must be signed or submitted is a question for you or your adviser.
Questions before you run it
Can it fill the form for me, or only flatten it?
It flattens the values already present in the file. Whatever was entered in the AcroForm becomes fixed page content in the new PDF.
Why was my form rejected?
XFA forms, the dynamic kind produced by LiveCycle, and encrypted PDFs are not supported. They fail with a clear message rather than producing a half-processed file.
Is a flattened PDF the same as a signed one?
No. Flattening stops the fields being edited in a viewer, but it is not a signature and carries no cryptographic proof. Signing is not offered here.
How do I check the flattening worked?
The output is reopened and inspected after it is written, and field-manifest.json lists every field that was found with its value. Compare that list against the flattened.pdf you download.
What are the size limits?
One PDF per job, up to 500 pages. Free jobs take files up to 10 MB and 50 pages, 3 a day. The original is never modified, so you keep the fillable version alongside the locked copy.