---
title: "Detect form fields automatically with AI"
description: "Let AI find the blanks, boxes and signature lines on a flat PDF and propose fields. You review each one before it's added. Costs AI credits per run."
url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/detect-form-fields-with-ai/
collection: "Forms & fillable PDFs"
section: "Building fillable forms"
updated: 2026-10-18
publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)"
---

# Detect form fields automatically with AI

> In **Create form** mode, choose **Detect fields**, pick the pages and run it. PDFBetter proposes a field for each blank, box and signature line; you tick the ones to keep and choose **Add**. Each run costs 3 AI credits.

- Counts toward: AI credits

Placing forty fields by hand is slow. **Detect fields** reads the page images, finds blanks, boxes and signature lines, and proposes fields with names and types. Nothing is added automatically: you choose which suggestions to keep.

1. **Open Create form**: Open the PDF and switch the top bar to **Create form**.
2. **Open Detect fields**: Choose **Detect fields** (the wand) in the toolbar. On a phone it's **Detect** in the bottom bar. The panel is titled **Detect fillable fields**.
3. **Run it**: Choose the pages and select **Detect fields**. Each run checks a limited number of pages; the panel tells you how many, and which pages were checked.
4. **Review the suggestions**: Each suggestion shows its label, type and field name, with a checkbox. Untick anything wrong, or use **Select all** / **Select none**. The panel lists the pages it checked, with **Go to page** to look at them.
5. **Add the fields**: Choose **Add** (for example **Add 12 fields**). They're placed as normal fields you can move, resize, rename or retype. `Ctrl`/`Cmd` + `Z` removes them in one step.

## Credits and page limits

A run costs 3 [AI credits](https://help.pdfbetter.com/ai/ai-credits/), however many fields it finds. Each run reads up to 5 pages on Free and 10 on Pro and Business. For a longer document, run it again for the next pages: the panel says which pages weren't checked.

| Per month | No account | Free | Pro | Business |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AI credits | 5 | 20 | 500 | 2,000 |

"Unlimited" is subject to fair use; "—" means not included.

## What to check

- Detected fields are suggestions. Check positions and types before relying on them, especially on scans and crowded forms.
- A suggestion that overlaps a field you already have is left out, and the panel tells you how many were dropped.
- Detection can miss a box or pick the wrong type (text instead of date, checkbox instead of radio). Fix it with **Change field type** in **Field options**.
- If nothing new is found, you'll see **No new fields found on these pages.**

> **Privacy:** Detection sends page images to our AI provider ([what happens to your data](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/ai-and-your-data/)). If you'd rather not, place fields by hand: manual placement uses no AI and no credits.

### Does it work on scanned forms?

Yes, it reads page images. Clean, straight scans work best. On a skewed or faint scan, expect to fix more fields by hand.

### Am I charged if it finds nothing?

A run that completes uses its credits even if it finds no new fields. A run that fails with an error isn't charged. Pick the pages that actually have blanks.

### Can it set up signature requests too?

Detection adds form fields. To assign fields to signers, switch to **Invite to sign** after adding them and assign each field to a recipient.

## Related articles

- [Make a PDF fillable by adding form fields](https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/make-pdf-fillable.md): Open the PDF, switch the top bar to Create form, pick a field type from Add fields and click or drag it onto the page. Set its options on the right, check it with Preview, then download with Keep fillable or publish it as a form.
- [Form field types, required fields and validation](https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/form-field-types-and-validation.md): Pick a field type that matches the answer (Email, Date, Number, Phone…) and its format is checked as people type. Tick Required in Field options to stop the form being submitted or signed while the field is empty.
- [Add calculated fields and conditional logic to a form](https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/form-formulas-and-conditional-logic.md): Add a Formula field and type an expression such as qty * price or sum(items_*_amount) under Calculation. To hide a field until it's relevant, open its Visibility section, turn on Show only when… and add rules.
- [How AI credits work](https://help.pdfbetter.com/ai/ai-credits.md): Every AI action costs a fixed number of credits, shown on its button before you run it. Your plan includes credits every month; an AI credit pack adds 500 credits for $5 that never expire and are used after the monthly ones.
- [What happens to your documents when you use AI](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/ai-and-your-data.md): AI features send your document's text to OpenAI's API with storage turned off; scan restoration sends page images to fal.ai. Your documents aren't used to train models. In Settings → Data & privacy you can choose Private AI or delete stored AI data.

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Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/detect-form-fields-with-ai/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com