Drop a PDF here or click to upload
Drop a PDF with form fields or annotations to make them permanent
Or drop files anywhere on this page. Files are processed in your browser and never uploaded.
How to flatten a PDF
Make filled-in form fields, comments, stamps and signatures a permanent part of the page, or turn every page into an image so nothing on it can be edited.
Add your PDF
Drop the PDF onto the upload box, click to choose it, or import it from Google Drive. If the file is password protected, you are asked for the password and the file is unlocked in your browser. The tool then shows how many form fields and annotations it found.
Choose what to flatten
Flatten everything (the default) turns each page into an image. Flatten only form fields draws field values into the page and leaves comments as they are. Flatten form fields and annotations also draws in comments, stamps and signatures. With the last two, text stays selectable.
Flatten and download
Click Flatten PDF. The results screen says what was flattened. You can preview the file, download it, save it to Google Drive, continue with another tool, or delete the files.
Set the resolution for Flatten everything
With Flatten everything, each page becomes an image, so text can no longer be selected, copied or edited, and the file may get larger. Under More options, choose 75 dpi for the smallest file, 100 dpi for on-screen reading, 150 dpi (the default) for a balance of size and quality, or 220 dpi for print.
Links are kept
With Flatten form fields and annotations, web links in the document stay clickable. A field that can't be drawn is left editable and listed on the results screen.
What flattening changes inside the file
What "Flatten everything" actually builds
This mode doesn't edit your PDF. It first draws the fields and comments into the pages, then renders every page and saves it as a JPEG at 85% quality on a white background, and puts those pictures into a brand new PDF. Each page keeps the size and orientation you saw on screen. A page that was displayed sideways through a rotation setting becomes a landscape page with no rotation.
The resolution decides how many pixels each page gets. For a US Letter page:
- 75 dpi: 638 by 825 pixels
- 100 dpi: 850 by 1100 pixels
- 150 dpi: 1275 by 1650 pixels
- 220 dpi: 1870 by 2420 pixels
Because the file is new, anything that belonged to the old document is left behind: the title and author, attached files, accessibility tags and any opening settings. If you need the text searchable again afterwards, run the result through OCR PDF. It adds an invisible text layer without changing the page images.
Where the drawn answers come from
Every field and comment stores a small drawing of how it should look. Flattening places that drawing on the page, scaled to fit the exact rectangle the field or comment occupied. A semi-transparent highlight keeps its transparency.
Two cases get a fresh drawing instead. If a field has no stored look, or the form asks readers to redraw all fields when they open it (some apps save forms this way), the tool draws the values itself. It uses Helvetica, or a bundled DejaVu Sans font when the text has characters Helvetica can't show, such as Cyrillic or Greek. So a form that displayed answers in a custom font in one app may come out in a plain sans-serif. Check a couple of fields before you send it.
Don't flatten a digitally signed PDF
A certificate-based digital signature, the kind Acrobat shows in its signature panel, lives in a signature field. The two lighter modes remove the whole form once its fields are drawn, signature field included, and "Flatten everything" rebuilds the file from pictures. Either way the visible signature mark can stay on the page, but readers will no longer report the document as signed. Rewriting the whole file, as this tool does, breaks that check anyway.
If a document needs both, flatten the form first and have it digitally signed afterwards.
Flatten first, then another tool
Some tools only work on what's in the page content, so comments and fields get missed until they're flattened.
- Extract images doesn't look inside comments. A photo added as a stamp is only found after "Flatten form fields and annotations".
- Flip pages moves comments to their mirrored spot but doesn't reverse them. Flatten first if they need to be mirrored too.
- Split PDF and Extract pages don't carry over the document's form, so filled-in fields stop working as fields and can display differently from one reader to another. Flattening beforehand makes the answers part of the page.
Features
- Turns a filled-in PDF form into a static document, so the answers can no longer be changed.
- The PDF is processed in your browser. It is not uploaded to a server.
- Comments, highlights, stamps and drawings can be flattened too, so they look the same in every PDF reader.
- Flatten everything converts each page to an image at 75, 100, 150 or 220 dpi.
- Free to use. Nothing to install and no account needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a file size limit?
There is no fixed limit. The file is processed in your browser, so the practical limit is your device's memory.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. It works in any modern browser, including on phones and tablets.
Can I undo flattening later?
No. Flattening merges fields and annotations into the page content. Keep a copy of the original if you may need the editable version.
Are my confidential documents safe?
The file never leaves your device. It is flattened in your browser and nothing is uploaded to a server.
