Quick answer: to fill in a PDF form online, open it on this page and click into the highlighted boxes to type, tick or choose your answers. If the form has no fillable boxes (a scan or a printed form), choose Type text, Tick, Date or Image and click exactly where the answer goes. Press Save filled PDF to download a filled copy. Tick Flatten the form first if the answers should no longer be editable. The form is filled in your browser and never uploaded.
Key facts
- Price: free, with no account, no watermark and no limit.
- Any kind of form: fillable fields (text, tick boxes, radio buttons, drop-downs, lists) are filled directly; on flat, scanned or printed forms you click anywhere to type text, add ✓ ✗ ● marks, the date or an image such as your signature or a passport photo.
- Fonts: Helvetica, Times New Roman and Courier with bold and italic, plus handwriting fonts for a signed look.
- Real form fields: answers are saved into the PDF's own fields, so the form opens filled in Adobe Reader, Chrome, Edge, Preview and mobile apps.
- Flatten option: lock the answers into the page for a final copy.
- Helpful extras: progress counter, jump to the next empty field, and fields with the same name are filled together.
- Privacy: your answers stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
How to fill in a PDF form
- Open the form. Click Select PDF form or drop the file on the page. All pages appear with the fillable fields highlighted.
- Fill in the fields. Click a box and type, tick check boxes, choose radio options and pick from drop-down lists. Use Next empty field to find anything you missed.
- Add anything else. For lines and boxes that are not fillable, choose Type text and click where the first answer goes. The tool stays on: double-click each further empty spot to start a new text box, and click any box to edit it. Use Tick, Cross, Date or Image the same way. Drag to adjust, pull the corner to resize.
- Choose whether to flatten. Leave the form editable to change it later, or tick Flatten the form for a final, locked copy.
- Save. Press Save filled PDF. The new file ends in “-filled”, and the original blank form stays unchanged.
Fillable form or flat form?
A fillable PDF (also called an interactive or AcroForm form) has built-in fields that remember what you type. Most official forms from governments, banks, universities, insurers and employers are made this way. A flat PDF is a form that only looks like one: a scan or an export where the lines and boxes are just part of the picture. This tool fills both. Fillable boxes are highlighted so you can type into them; on flat forms you click on a line to type there, tick a box with the Tick tool and add your signature as an image.
Keep editable or flatten?
| Keep editable | Flatten | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers can be changed later | Yes | No |
| Looks the same everywhere | Almost always | Always |
| Can be read by the organisation's systems | Yes, field values can be read automatically | No, answers are part of the page |
| Best for | Drafts, forms you will finish later, forms that ask to stay fillable | Final copies, emailing, printing, archiving |
If an organisation asks you to return “the completed form”, check their instructions: some processing systems need the fields to stay editable.
Signing a form
Signature fields (digital certificate signatures) cannot be filled here. To add a handwritten-style signature, save the filled form, then use Sign PDF to draw, type or upload your signature and place it on the signature line.
Privacy and security
Application, tax, medical and bank forms contain your most personal information. With CleanPDF the form is opened and filled inside your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server, stored or seen by anyone, and no account is needed.
Good to know
- Your blank form is not changed. You always download a filled copy.
- Calculated fields and scripts: totals that a form calculates with JavaScript are not recalculated here. Type the totals yourself or check them in Adobe Reader.
- Non-Latin answers: answers in Urdu, Arabic, Chinese and other scripts are saved, and the PDF reader draws them when the form is opened. Such forms cannot be flattened with the standard fonts, so they stay editable.
- XFA forms made with Adobe LiveCycle Designer only fully work in Adobe Reader; their standard fields are filled here when they exist.
- Password-protected forms must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF if they cannot be opened.
Frequently asked questions
How do I fill in a PDF form for free?
Open the PDF on this page, type into the highlighted fields and press Save filled PDF. It is free with no sign-up and no watermark.
Can I fill a PDF form without Adobe Acrobat?
Yes. This tool works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, and the saved form opens filled in Adobe Reader and every other PDF reader.
Is my form uploaded to a server?
No. The form is filled in your browser on your own device. Your answers are never uploaded or stored.
Can I fill in a scanned or non-fillable PDF form?
Yes. Choose Type text once, click on the first line and type, then double-click each further line to start a new answer. Click any answer to edit it. Use Tick or Cross for check boxes, Date for today's date and Image for a signature or photo.
What does flattening a PDF form mean?
Flattening turns the fields and your answers into normal page content. The form looks the same, but nobody can change the answers any more.
Will the filled form work in Adobe Reader?
Yes. The answers are saved into the PDF's own form fields with proper appearances, so Adobe Reader, browsers and phone apps show them.
Can I save a form and finish it later?
Yes. Save without flattening, then open the saved file here again later. Your earlier answers are loaded and can be changed.
Can I fill in tick boxes and drop-down lists?
Yes. Check boxes, radio buttons, drop-down lists and list boxes all work, as well as single-line and multi-line text fields.
How do I sign a PDF form?
Choose Image and add a picture of your signature, or choose Type text with a handwriting font, then click on the signature line. For a drawn signature, use Sign PDF.
Can I fill a PDF form on my phone?
Yes. Open this page in your phone's browser, choose the form and tap the fields to type. Zoom the page with two fingers for small boxes.
Can I fill forms in Urdu or Arabic?
Yes, you can type them. The PDF reader draws the text when the form is opened. Forms with such answers stay editable instead of being flattened.
Does it work with government and tax forms?
Yes, as long as they are fillable PDFs. Most official forms are. For Adobe XFA forms, the standard fields are filled when the form contains them.