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.
Updated 3 min read Counts toward edited-document downloads
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.
Step 1: Open the form
Upload the PDF from the dashboard or the 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
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. |
- Next field while filling
- Tab
- Previous field
- ShiftTab
- 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).
| Feature | No account | Free | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edited-document downloads | — | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
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.
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- Form field types, required fields and validationPick 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 minutesOpen 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.
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