How to Fill Out a PDF Form on Your Computer or Phone
Fill in PDF forms without printing them: fillable forms, scanned forms with no fields, signatures and flattening before you send. Free and private.
Most forms arrive as PDFs: job applications, school trips, tenancy and visa forms. You can fill in all of them without a printer.
If the form has fillable fields
- Open Fill PDF form and choose the file.
- Every field appears as a normal text box, checkbox or menu. Type your answers.
- Tick "Flatten" if the answers shouldn't be editable afterwards, then save.
This is easier on a phone than tapping tiny boxes in a PDF viewer.
If the form has no fields
Scanned forms and documents printed to PDF are just images of a page. Use Add text to PDF: type each answer, click "Place text", and drag it onto the right line.
Signing
Both tools can add a signature. You can also use Sign PDF on its own to draw or type a signature and add today's date.
Before you send it
- Flatten the form (Flatten PDF) so your answers look the same in every viewer and can't be changed.
- Keep a copy of the unfilled form in case you need to start again.
- Check the file size; compress it if an upload portal rejects it.
Is it safe to fill forms online?
Forms often contain your address, date of birth and ID numbers. FileStripe fills them in your browser, so the PDF and your answers aren't uploaded anywhere.