Flatten PDF
Flatten a PDF's forms and annotations so nothing can be edited or removed. The visible content becomes part of the pages themselves — perfect for archiving signed forms or finalising contracts.
Your files are processed in memory and deleted when finished. We don't store them unless you have a Pro account.
How Flatten PDF works
- 1
Upload the PDF
Drop the form or annotated PDF.
- 2
We flatten it
Form fields become part of the page; comments and annotations are removed.
- 3
Download the static PDF
The result looks identical but nothing is interactive anymore.
Features of the Flatten PDF tool
Locks in field values
Anything typed into a form field is baked into the page.
Removes comments
Highlights, sticky notes and freeform annotations are stripped out.
Archive-friendly
The output renders identically in every PDF viewer, forever.
Signature-friendly
Use before sending a filled-in form so the recipient can't alter your entries.
Flatten PDF — Frequently asked questions
Does flatten remove digital signatures?
It removes signature form fields; cryptographic signatures should be applied after flattening.
Can I still search text after flattening?
Yes. The text layer is preserved — only interactivity is removed.
Will the file get smaller?
Sometimes — removing annotations trims the file. Big drops usually come from Compress.
Can I flatten a scanned PDF?
Yes. Scanned PDFs without forms simply have their annotations removed.