Flatten a PDF
Turn filled form fields — and, if you want, every floating annotation — into permanent page content. What you see becomes what every recipient will always see, in every viewer, forever.
How it works
- Drop your PDF.
- Choose the depth. Form fields are always flattened; tick the box to also strip links and other annotations.
- Flatten & download. If there was nothing to flatten, the tool says so instead of giving you a pointless copy.
Frequently asked questions
What does flattening actually do?
Interactive elements — form fields, and optionally annotations — are converted into ordinary page graphics. The text of a filled field stops being an editable box and becomes ink on the page.
Why flatten before sending a filled form?
Three reasons: recipients can't quietly edit your answers; viewers that render form fields oddly (or not at all, when printing) show the flattened text perfectly; and the file usually gets a little smaller.
How is this different from password protection?
Protect PDF forbids changes via permissions, which viewers can respect or ignore. Flattening removes the editable structures entirely — there's simply nothing left to edit.
Are links removed?
Only if you tick the annotations checkbox. By default, clickable links survive flattening.