FontiaPDF ES Open editor

Free

Fill out a PDF form in your browser

To fill out a PDF form with FontiaPDF, upload it and type straight into its fields: the editor detects text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdown lists, and tells you how many the document has. When you download, you can lock the answers in so they look the same in any viewer, or keep the fields editable.

If the form has no interactive fields, say a non-fillable PDF someone exported without setting it up, you can still complete it: double-click where each answer goes and type.

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A real example

We start with a registration form that has two text fields for name and email, a dropdown list to pick the course, two radio buttons for the attendance mode (in person or online) and an acceptance checkbox. When it opens, the “This PDF has 6 form field(s)” banner appears, one per control, and every field turns into a control on the page. We type “Test Name” and test@example.com, choose a course from the list, pick a mode and tick the checkbox. The layout of the form doesn’t change: only the blanks get filled in.

Before

The empty registration form open in the editor, with the form-field banner above the page.

After

The same registration form filled in with “Test Name”, test@example.com, a course selected, an attendance mode picked and the acceptance box ticked.
A sample registration form, before and after filling in its fields in the browser.

How to fill out a PDF form in 3 steps

  1. Upload the form

    When it opens, FontiaPDF scans every page and shows a “This PDF has N form field(s)” banner. “Hide fields” lets you see the original layout without the controls on top, and “Show fields” brings them back.

  2. Fill in the fields

    Type into text fields, tick checkboxes and pick options. If a field repeats across several pages, filling it once updates every copy, and fields with a character limit won’t let you type past it.

  3. Flatten and download

    With “Flatten on export” on, which is the default, the answers become a fixed part of the page. Turn it off if someone else still needs to edit the fields.

Flatten the form or keep it fillable?

Flattening draws each answer onto the page and removes the field: the PDF looks the same in every program, including those that don’t understand forms, and nobody can change an answer by accident. That is what you want for a finished application you are emailing, printing or submitting.

Turn “Flatten on export” off when the form still has to go through other hands: someone else fills in their part, reviews your details or corrects them. The downloaded PDF keeps the fields with your values, and it can be reopened here or in any other viewer to keep filling it in.

When the PDF isn’t fillable

Plenty of forms arrive as flat PDFs: you can see the lines and boxes, but there is nothing to click, and the field banner never shows up. You fill them in the same way you edit any PDF, by adding new text on top of the page.

  • Double-click just above each line, or use “Add text”, and type the answer. The floating toolbar adjusts size, font and color so it matches the rest of the page.
  • To tick a printed checkbox, double-click on it and type an “X”.
  • If the form is a scan, a photo of the paper, you don’t need to recognize its text to fill it in: typing on top is enough.

XFA forms and other special cases

  • Some forms use XFA, an older format that describes the questions separately inside the file. When you open one, the editor usually warns you that support is limited: if it also has regular fields, you can fill them in, but check the downloaded PDF in another viewer before sending it.
  • If it is an XFA form with no regular fields, the editor finds nothing to fill in. Ask whoever sent it for a standard version of the form or, if the questions show on the page, type the answers on top.
  • Form buttons such as “Submit” or “Print” and digital signature fields are skipped. To sign, use “Sign”, which places your signature as an image.
  • The form’s built-in calculations and validation scripts don’t run in the editor, so a total the form adds up on its own won’t update while you type.
  • If you plan to merge the form with other documents, use the PDF you downloaded: “Merge PDF” keeps what you see on the pages, but not the interactive fields.

What’s preserved and what isn’t

Preserved

  • The form’s layout: values are written into the PDF’s own fields, not into a rebuilt copy.
  • Radio groups and repeated fields stay in sync, and read-only fields are respected: you can see them, but not change them.
  • Without flattening, the downloaded PDF is still a fillable form in other viewers, as long as you didn’t rotate or delete pages in the “Pages” panel.
  • Your answers are saved in this browser as you work: close the tab without downloading and you can recover them when you come back.

Limits

  • Ctrl+Z doesn’t undo what you typed into fields: if you make a mistake, just correct the field.
  • While you type, fields use the editor’s own uniform style; the final look of each answer shows in the downloaded PDF.
  • Multi-line fields are written at a fixed 11-point size: if your text is long, check in the downloaded PDF that all of it is readable.
  • A scanned form has no fields: you can type new text on top, but there are no interactive checkboxes.
  • If you rotate or delete pages of a form, its fields lose their values on download: fill it in and download it first, then organize the pages.

Free or Premium

Free

20 exports a day, no sign-up and no watermark.

  • Fill text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdowns
  • Flatten or keep fields editable
  • Type onto forms without fields
  • Sign with a drawn, typed or uploaded signature

Premium

Unlimited exports and extra features.

  • Unlimited exports
  • Reorder, duplicate and extract pages from the panel
  • Password-protect the PDF

See plans and pricing

Frequently asked questions

Can I save the form and finish it later?

Yes. As you work, the editor saves your answers in this browser: if you close the tab without downloading, it offers “Recover” when you come back (saved data is deleted after 7 days without use). If you would rather have a file, download the PDF with “Flatten on export” turned off and the fields will still be editable when you reopen it, here or in any other viewer. There are no accounts, so nothing is kept on a server.

What does flattening a PDF form mean?

Turning the answers into a fixed part of the page. They look the same in every program and nobody can change them by accident. If someone needs to review or correct them, don’t flatten.

Why can’t I see any fields in my form?

Because the PDF doesn’t have any: it is a form saved as a plain PDF, a scan, or an XFA form with no regular fields. You can still complete it: double-click where each answer goes, or use “Add text”, and type.

Is my form uploaded to a server?

Not while you fill it in: that all happens in your browser. When you download, the PDF travels encrypted to our server so the values can be written into the fields, and flattened if you chose that; it is processed in memory and discarded as soon as that is done, with no copies kept.

Is filling out and signing forms free?

Yes. Filling, flattening and signing have no lock; only each download counts, and the free plan includes 20 a day with no sign-up and no watermark. To sign, press “Sign” and draw, type or upload your signature.

Ready to give it a try?

Upload your PDF and edit it in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.

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