Flatten PDF
Fix filled-in answers and annotations in place before you send, print or archive a PDF — nobody can change them afterwards.
- Files never leave your device
- 100% free
- No sign-up
- No watermark
- Works offline after first load
or drag & drop PDFs with forms or comments here
How to flatten a PDF
- Select or drop one or more PDFs. The panel shows what each contains — form fields, comments, highlights, stamps and links.
- Choose Keep text & quality to draw fields and comments into the page, and pick what to flatten — or choose Pages as images to turn each whole page into a picture, with the text still searchable.
- Check the preview and click Flatten PDF to download the result (several files come as a ZIP).
About Flatten PDF
Flatten a PDF so it looks the same everywhere and can’t be changed. Filled-in form fields, comments, highlights, stamps, drawings and text boxes are drawn into the page exactly as they appear — the page text stays real, selectable text and the file stays small.
Choose what to flatten — form fields, comments and markups, or both — keep links clickable, and decide whether sticky notes are drawn or removed. Or turn every page into a picture at 150–300 DPI with the text still searchable. Several PDFs can be flattened at once, and nothing is uploaded.
Good for
- Locking a filled-in form before sending it
- Making review comments and highlights permanent
- Getting a PDF to print and display the same in every app
Tip: The preview is drawn without any form fields or comments, so whatever you still see in it has really been flattened into the page.
Frequently asked questions
What does flattening a PDF do?
It turns things that sit on top of the page — form fields, comments, highlights, stamps, drawings and text boxes — into ordinary page content. The PDF looks exactly the same, but the answers and markups can no longer be edited, moved or deleted, and they print and display the same in every app.
Will my text stay selectable?
Yes. With “Keep text & quality” the page text is untouched and stays selectable and searchable; only the fields and comments are drawn into the page, exactly as they looked. With “Pages as images” the text is laid back as invisible searchable text unless you turn that off.
Can I flatten only the form and keep the comments (or the other way round)?
Yes. Tick Form fields, Comments and markups, or both. You can also keep links clickable and choose whether sticky notes are drawn as icons or removed.
Why do my form answers disappear in some apps?
Some apps don’t draw form fields, or draw them differently. Flattening makes the answers part of the page, so everyone sees the same thing — useful before sending, printing or archiving a filled form.
When should I use Pages as images?
When nothing on the page should be pulled out or edited: every page becomes one picture at the resolution you choose. It is also a fallback for password-protected PDFs, which can only be flattened this way.
Can I flatten several PDFs at once?
Yes. Add as many PDFs as you like — each is flattened separately and they download together as a ZIP.
Does flattening happen on my device?
Yes. Your PDFs are flattened in your browser and never uploaded.