How to fill in a PDF form without printing it

Government forms, school forms, job applications and rental applications usually arrive as PDFs. Many of them are fillable: they have real boxes you can type into. You don't need to print them, and you don't need special software.

If the form has fillable boxes

1. Open Fill PDF form and choose the form. It is read on your device, not uploaded.
2. Every box the form's author created appears with its label: type your answers, tick the checkboxes, choose from the drop-down lists.
3. Decide whether to flatten the result. Flattening makes your answers a permanent part of the page, so they can't be changed and they look the same in every PDF viewer. Do it when the form is finished and you're sending it in.
4. Download the filled-in form.

If the form has no boxes

Some PDFs are just pictures of a paper form, or were exported without fillable fields. You can still fill them in: open the form in the PDF editor, add text wherever it is needed and line it up with the blanks. You can add your signature there too.

Signing at the end

Most forms end with a signature line. After filling it in, add your signature with Sign PDF, which lets you draw or type it, or do both in the editor at once.

A few tips

• Save the filled form before you flatten it if you think you'll need to change an answer later. A flattened copy is for sending, not editing.
• Some fonts can't show every character. If an answer with an accent or symbol doesn't appear, the tool will tell you; plain letters always work.
• Forms often ask for the same information more than once. Check every page before you send.

Forms are full of personal details: Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, income. Filling them in your browser means none of it is sent anywhere until you choose to send the form yourself.