Make a PDF fillable by adding form fields
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.
Updated 2 min read Counts toward edited-document downloads
A fillable PDF has real form fields that anyone can type into in Acrobat Reader, Apple Preview or a browser. In PDFBetter you build them in Create form mode. You can place every field by hand, or let Detect fields propose them and keep the ones you want.
Step 1: Switch to Create form
Open the PDF in the editor and choose Create form in the mode switch at the top (Build a fillable form).
Step 2: Pick a field
The Add fields panel on the left shows the common types first: Signature, Text, Date, Initials, Name, Email, Checkbox, Radio button, Image, Dropdown, Number and Formula. Choose Show 14 more for the rest.
Step 3: Place it on the page
Click a field type, then click the page, or drag the type onto the page. Drag to draw a field at a specific size and use the handles to resize it.
Step 4: Set its options
With one field selected, Field options on the right holds its Label, Help text, Placeholder, Required and Read-only, plus rules for that type. Database name is the name used in exports and formulas.
Step 5: Set the tab order
Choose Field list in the toolbar and drag fields into the Reading order people should be guided through.
Step 6: Preview it
Choose Preview to fill the form exactly as a respondent would. Values typed in preview are not saved. Choose Exit preview when you're done.
Step 7: Share it
Choose Done → Download with Keep fillable for a PDF file, Publish as form for a link that collects responses, or Save as template to reuse it. To have named people sign it, request signatures instead.
Working with the PDF's own fields
If the PDF already has fields, they show up in Create form too. Select one and press Delete to remove it from the downloaded file (Ctrl + Z brings it back). Drag one, or its resize handles, and it becomes an editable PDFBetter field in its place. To strip every field at once, use Remove PDF fields.
- Duplicate field (Ctrl/Cmd + D) copies a field with its settings, which is quicker than setting up ten identical lines.
- Change field type keeps the name, position, rules and assignment, so a text field can become a date without starting over.
- Radio buttons that share a Group name form one question; give each button its own Export value.
Will the fields work in Adobe Acrobat Reader?
Yes. Downloaded with Keep fillable, they are standard AcroForm fields that Acrobat Reader, Preview, browser viewers and most mobile apps can fill and save.
Do I need an account to build a form?
No. You can build and preview fields as a guest. Downloading, publishing and saving templates need a free account.
How do I add several fields of the same type?
After you place a field, the editor switches back to Select so you can position it. Click the type again for the next one, or select a finished field and duplicate it with Ctrl/Cmd + D.
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- Detect form fields automatically with AIIn 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.
- 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.
- Publish a form as a fill link and collect responsesBuild the fields, then choose Done → Publish as form, set the title and options, and select Publish form. You get a link, a QR code and embed code. Respondents don't need an account, and every submission is stored as data and as its own filled PDF.
- Save a form as a reusable templateChoose Done → Save as template in the editor, or Save as template from a document's menu in My documents. Open it later from Templates with Use template: each use creates a new document and the template stays unchanged.