Flatten forms and remove annotations

How it works

Flattening a form means drawing what is in each field (the typed text, the checked boxes) as part of the page and removing the field: the PDF looks the same, but can no longer be edited. It is useful to send a form that is already filled in, to archive it or to print it the same everywhere.

Three other options remove annotations without drawing them: all of them (fields, links, comments and marks), only the links or only the comments (notes, highlights, underlines, drawings, stamps, text boxes). Before you start, the site counts what your PDF has and tells you if there is nothing to do.

You can also choose to draw the comments and marks onto the page (flatten them) instead of removing them. The original file is not modified: a copy is created.

What is not preserved, and limits

• A field with no stored appearance in the PDF cannot be drawn: it is removed and counted in the result. Hidden fields are removed without being drawn. No new appearance is generated: if the form was filled in without saving its appearance, the field may come out empty.
• A digital signature stops validating, because the PDF is written again. With “Keep digital signatures” the original stays intact at the start of the file and the signature can still be checked, but readers will warn that the document was modified after signing, and signature fields are not flattened.
• Password-protected PDFs can be processed: the site asks for the password and it is only used in your browser. The result is saved WITHOUT a password; if you need it protected, use “Protect PDF” afterwards.
• Removing annotations is permanent in the copy: the removed comments, links and fields cannot be recovered from it (the original stays where you have it). Removing links does not remove addresses that are written as text.
• XFA forms (Adobe LiveCycle) are not flattened: this tool works with the standard fields (AcroForm). If a PDF has both, the standard fields are used.
• Very large files (over roughly 100-150 MB in total, or with thousands of pages) may fail, especially on phones, because everything happens in your device's memory.