Flatten PDF
Lock filled-in form fields, comments, highlights and stamps into the page so nobody can change them. The PDF never leaves your device.
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How to use it
- Choose the PDF. We tell you how many form fields and annotations it has.
- Pick “Forms and annotations” or “Everything, as images”.
- Tap “Flatten and download”.
What flattening does
A filled-in PDF form still has its fields: anyone who opens it can change the name, the amount or the tick in a box. Comments, highlights and stamps are separate layers too, and can be moved or deleted. Flattening paints all of that onto the page itself, exactly as you see it.
- Before sending a filled-in form: so the answers can’t be changed along the way, and look the same in every viewer.
- Before printing: some printers and viewers skip form fields or comments; once flattened, they always show.
- Links keep working with “Forms and annotations”. Little comment pop-ups go away; the comment itself stays on the page.
Which option to choose
- Forms and annotations: the usual choice. The file stays light and its text can still be searched and copied.
- Everything, as images: when nothing at all should be editable or copyable. The file gets heavier and its text can no longer be searched. To remove specific data for real, use Redact PDF.
Questions
Can a flattened PDF be un-flattened?
No, not from the flattened file: the fields no longer exist in it. Keep your original if you might need to edit it again.
Does it work with signed PDFs?
A digital signature only covers the file as it was signed, so any change (flattening included) breaks it. Flatten first and sign afterwards. A drawn signature, like the one from Sign PDF, flattens fine.
Other tools
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