---
title: "Fill out a PDF form"
description: "Fill any PDF form in PDFBetter: type into its fields, or click anywhere on a flat form to type. Then download it fillable or flattened."
url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/fill-out-pdf-form/
collection: "Forms & fillable PDFs"
section: "Filling forms"
updated: 2026-10-18
publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)"
---

# Fill out a PDF form

> Open the PDF and stay in **Edit & fill** with **Fill out** selected. Type into the form's own fields, press `Tab` to move between them, and click anywhere on a flat form to add text. Then choose **Done** → **Download**.

- Counts toward: Edited-document downloads

Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/documents/

PDFBetter fills both kinds of form. A fillable PDF has its own fields (AcroForm fields), and you type straight into them. A flat PDF is just a picture of a form with lines and boxes, and you put text and marks on top of it. The editor works out which kind you have when the file opens.

1. **Open the form**: Upload the PDF from the dashboard or the [Fill PDF](https://pdfbetter.com/tools/fill-pdf/) tool. To find a common form such as a W-9, choose **Find form** in the editor's top bar and search the template library and official forms.
2. **Check the mode**: The top bar should show **Edit & fill**, with **Fill out** selected in the toolbar. **Fill out** fills fields and adds text, marks and signatures on top. **Edit PDF** changes the document's own text instead.
3. **Fill the fields**: Click a field and type. Press `Tab` for the next field and `Shift` + `Tab` for the previous one. Checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdowns work as they do in Acrobat.
4. **Add text where there's no field**: On a flat form you'll see **No fillable fields found — click anywhere on the page to type.** Pick **Text** (`T`) and click on a line to type. Use **Text box** for wrapped paragraphs, and **Check**, **Cross**, **Dot** or **Date** for marks and dates.
5. **Sign if the form asks for it**: Choose **Sign** → **Add signature**, create your signature, then click where it goes. The same menu has **Add initials**. See [Sign a PDF yourself](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/sign-pdf-yourself/).
6. **Download**: Choose **Done** → **Download**. Under **Fillable or flattened**, pick **Keep fillable** so the fields stay editable, or **Flatten** to draw everything into the page.

> **Required fields:** The **To-do** list in the left rail shows the fields to fill and how many required fields are still empty or invalid. When it reads **All required fields are done**, you're ready to download.

## Keep fillable or flatten?

| Option | What you get | Use it when |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Keep fillable** | Fields stay interactive in Acrobat, Preview and browsers. | Someone else still has to fill or check part of the form. |
| **Flatten** | Everything is drawn into the page and looks the same everywhere. | You're sending the final copy and don't want values changed by clicking. |
| **Only what I added** | Your text, marks and signatures on blank pages. | You'll print onto a pre-printed paper form. |

| Action | Keys |
| --- | --- |
| Next field while filling | `Tab` |
| Previous field | `Shift` + `Tab` |
| Add text | `T` |
| Sign | `S` |
| Switch between Fill out and Edit PDF | `E` |

You can fill a form without an account. Downloading needs a free account, and each download of an edited document counts toward your monthly allowance (3 on Free, unlimited on Pro and Business).

| Per month | No account | Free | Pro | Business |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Edited-document downloads | — | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |

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

### The form has a "click to sign" digital signature field. Will my signature fill it?

No. That field expects a certificate-based digital ID. The editor marks it as a **Digital ID field**; you can place your signature over it visually, but the field itself stays unsigned.

### My typed text doesn't line up with the boxes.

Select the text and drag it, or nudge it with the arrow keys (1 pt, or 10 pt with `Shift`). For a form you fill often, add real fields once in **Create form** mode.

### Can I fill a scanned form?

Yes. A scan is a flat form: click anywhere to type on it. To make it fillable for next time, add fields in **Create form** mode.

## 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.
- [Quick start: fill and sign your first PDF in 5 minutes](https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/quick-start-fill-and-sign-pdf.md): Open the PDF, click each field and type (Tab moves to the next), click Sign → Add signature, place it, then Done → Download. Without an account you can do everything except the download, which asks you to create a free account first.
- [Sign a PDF yourself](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/sign-pdf-yourself.md): Open the PDF, choose Sign → Add signature, create your signature (type, draw or upload) and select Save and sign, then click where it goes. Download with Done → Download. This adds a visual signature; to collect other people's signatures with evidence, request signatures instead.
- [Download your edited PDF, fillable or flattened](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/download-edited-pdf.md): Click Done → Download, choose Keep fillable or Flatten, decide whether to Include comments and sticky notes, and click Download. Downloading needs a free account; Free includes 3 edited-document downloads a month, and Pro is unlimited.
- [Find a form: templates and official forms like the W-9](https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/find-form-templates-official-forms.md): Open Templates in the sidebar and pick Library for fillable templates or Official forms for government forms such as the W-9. Click Use template or Fill out and a private copy opens in the editor. In the editor, Find form searches both.

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Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/forms/fill-out-pdf-form/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com