Forms
How to fill out a PDF form and save it – even without fields
Application, registration, claim form: the PDF has to go back filled in, but printing it, writing on it and scanning it again is a chore. Here is how to fill in the form right on your computer or phone – even if the PDF has no fields at all – and how to make sure your entries survive saving.
Get started: open the PDF, fill in the fields or type anywhere on the page, save. Free and without uploading.
Fill PDF formThe short version
- Drop the PDF onto Fill PDF form.
- Type into the fields highlighted in green, click the boxes, open the lists. Tab jumps to the next field.
- No field where you need one? Just click into the document and type – or add a cross or the date.
- Click Save filled PDF. You get a new file; the original stays unchanged.
The form stays on your device. Applications contain your name, date of birth, tax or social security numbers and bank details. The tool works entirely in your browser – nothing is uploaded, there is no account and no copy on a server.
What kind of PDF do you have?
Not every “PDF form” is the same. How you fill it in depends on how it was made. The tool detects this when it opens the file and tells you in the side panel.
| Type | How to recognise it | How to fill it in |
|---|---|---|
| Fillable PDF (AcroForm) | Fields are shaded; clicking puts the cursor into a field | Type, tick and pick. The values are stored as real form data. |
| Flat PDF | Lines and boxes are just printed; nothing can be clicked | Click the spot and add free text, a cross or the date. |
| Scanned form | The page is a picture; text can't be selected | Like a flat PDF – put free text on the lines. |
| XFA form (Adobe LiveCycle) | Other apps show only “Please wait…” or a blank page | Only reliably fillable in Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
Many official forms are also protected against editing: text and layout can't be changed, but filling in is allowed. You can fill these in with the tool as usual. Only if the PDF needs a password just to open it do you have to remove that first.
Step by step
- Open the PDF. Drop the file onto the page or click Choose PDF. All pages appear one below the other, with the detected fields highlighted in green.
- Fill in text fields. Click a field and type. Multi-line fields wrap; fields with one box per character (for account numbers, for example) put each character in its own box. If the same name appears on several pages, it is filled in everywhere.
- Tick and pick. Click checkboxes and radio buttons, choose an entry from drop-down lists. Within a group of radio buttons only one can be selected – just like on paper.
- Use the keyboard. Tab jumps to the next field, Shift+Tab goes back, Space ticks a box.
- More room. Full screen hides everything else. The document uses the whole window, and the settings stay next to it – or below it on a phone.
- Save. Save filled PDF downloads a new file with the suffix
-filled.
Open the form, fill in the fields, save – in a minute and without an account.
Filling out a PDF without form fields
Many forms are just designed pages – for example when a club, landlord or doctor's office exported a Word document as PDF. Then there is nothing to click. Here is how to fill them in anyway:
- Text: Under “Clicking the document adds”, Text is selected. Click the line, type, press Enter to finish.
- Cross: Choose Cross ✕ and click into the box – the cross is centred on the spot you click.
- Date: Choose Date and click; today's date appears, such as “6 October 2026”.
- Size: The font size (8 to 16 pt) applies to new text and to the one currently selected. 10 pt fits most form lines.
- Move and delete: Drag the round handle on the left; the red ✕ on the right removes the text. Empty text boxes disappear by themselves.
Free text is written into the PDF as a text annotation. It shows up in every PDF app and when printing, and Acrobat even lets you move or change it later.
Why entries get lost when saving
“I filled everything in and now it's empty” is a common complaint. The usual causes:
| Cause | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Filled in a preview only | E-mail apps and cloud previews show the fields but don't save anything | Download the PDF first, then fill it in and save it as a new file. |
| Closed instead of saved | Browser PDF viewers only keep entries when you explicitly save or download | In the tool, click Save filled PDF before closing – the browser warns you first. |
| Used “Print to PDF” | Depending on the app, fields are printed empty or the page is flattened | Save instead of printing. If you need it flat: save first, then print. |
| XFA form | Other apps can't write the data into the XFA structure | Fill it in with Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
Tip: after downloading, open the saved file once – in the tool, in your browser or by double-clicking it. If your entries are there, you can send it with confidence.
Alternatives: browser, Acrobat, Mac, iPhone
Chrome, Edge, Firefox
The built-in PDF viewers can fill in and save fillable fields. For flat PDFs without fields, Edge and Firefox also have a text tool.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Fill & Sign is free and the only app that handles XFA forms. It needs to be installed, and some features ask for an Adobe account.
Mac: Preview
Fills in form fields and adds free text to flat PDFs with the text tool. Fillable fields are saved reliably; very complex forms occasionally display oddly afterwards.
iPhone and iPad
In the Files app, tap Markup; form fields can be tapped directly, free text goes through the plus button and Text. Fine for short forms; long applications are easier on a bigger screen.
Fill out your PDF form now
Fill in fields, tick boxes, type on flat PDFs and save – free, right in your browser, no upload.
FAQ
How can I tell whether a PDF is fillable?
Open it in the tool: fillable fields are highlighted in green and the side panel shows how many fields were found. If it says the PDF has no form fields, it is a flat PDF – then click the right spot and type.
Is my form uploaded?
No. The PDF is opened, filled in and saved in your browser only. It never leaves your device.
Can I edit the filled PDF again later?
Yes. The form fields are kept. Open the saved file again in the tool or any other PDF app.
Why are my entries gone after saving?
Usually the form was only filled in a preview that does not save – such as an e-mail app – or it is an XFA form that only Adobe Acrobat Reader saves correctly. In the tool you always download a new file after filling it in.
What is an XFA form?
An older Adobe form format (LiveCycle). Other apps often show only a “Please wait…” message. These forms can only be filled in reliably with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Can I fill out a PDF on my phone?
Yes, in any current mobile browser. Full screen gives the document the whole screen while the settings stay reachable at the bottom.
How do I sign the filled form?
Save the filled PDF, then open it in Sign PDF. There you draw, type or photograph your signature and put it in the right place.
Sources
- ISO 32000-2:2020 – Document management, Portable document format, Part 2: PDF 2.0, section 12.7 on interactive forms (AcroForm) and XFA.
- Adobe: Fill and sign PDF forms in Acrobat Reader.
- PDF.js – the open-source library the tool uses to display, fill in and save PDFs in your browser.