Flatten PDF
Flatten PDF makes what sits on top of a page permanent: filled-in form fields, highlights, drawings, stamps and text boxes become part of the page, so they cannot be edited, moved or deleted.
- Input
- One PDF with form fields, comments or markup
- Output
- One PDF with them made permanent
- Runs
- In your browser. The file never leaves your device.
- Cost
- Free. No sign-up, no watermark.
Choose a PDF file
or drop it here
How to flatten a PDF
Choose the PDF
Open the completed form or marked-up document here. It stays on your device.
Choose what to flatten
Flatten form fields, comments and markup, or only one of them. Links are always left clickable.
Flatten and read the notes
Save the flattened copy. Beside the download, the notes say how many fields and marks were flattened and name anything that could not be, and why.
Make filled values and markup permanent
Form fields become page content
Text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdowns keep the answers they show and stop being editable.
Comments and markup too
Highlights, underlines, strike-throughs, ink, shapes, lines, stamps and text boxes are drawn into the page exactly where they sit, and their annotations are removed.
Links keep working
A link is a clickable area, not a marking, so it is left as it is and still opens.
Tells you what it did
The notes list what was flattened and name any annotation it had to leave alone, so a partly flattened file is never a surprise.
Frequently asked questions
How do I flatten a PDF?
Open the PDF, choose whether to flatten form fields, comments and markup or only one of them, and click Flatten PDF. It runs in your browser, is free, and the file is never uploaded.
Does it flatten comments, highlights and stamps as well as form fields?
Yes. Each one is drawn into the page from the appearance stored with it, and the annotation is removed. Choose Form fields only or Comments and markup only to flatten just one kind.
What happens to sticky notes and comment text?
A sticky-note icon is drawn on the page where it was, but the text of the note is not kept, because it lives in the annotation, not in the picture. If the words matter, save them first. Note windows are removed with the comment they belong to.
Why was an annotation left as it was?
Flattening draws an annotation from its stored appearance. A few tools save a highlight or shape without one, and there is nothing to draw, so it is left where it is and named in the notes. Open the file in the tool that made it and save it again with appearances, or use Edit PDF to redraw it.
Will links still work?
Yes. Links are left alone so they stay clickable. Hidden annotations, which were not showing on the page, are removed.
Is flattening the same as redacting?
No. Flattening bakes what you can see into the page. Redacting removes content from it. To take sensitive text out for good, use Redact PDF.
What if my PDF has nothing to flatten?
The tool says so and does not return an unchanged copy: it names what it looked for — form fields, comments or markup — and found none of.
How do I fill in a form before flattening it?
Use Fill & Sign: it fills the form's own fields and can make your answers permanent in the same step, so a separate flatten is only needed for a form you filled in elsewhere.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Flatten PDF runs entirely in your browser: the file is opened and processed on your own device and is never sent to our server. More in the privacy policy.
Is Flatten PDF free to use?
Yes. Flatten PDF is free, with no account to create and no software to install — open the page in a modern browser and start.