Fill in a PDF form
Forms arrive as PDFs because they are meant to be filled in. When the file carries real form fields, you can click each box and type, tick or choose an option right on the page, and every answer lands in the right spot without a printer.
Most forms also want a signature, some initials or a date. That is why filling and signing are one job here, not two. Everything runs on your device, so a form with your name, address or signature on it is never uploaded.
Here is how to fill in a PDF form and sign it, on any computer or phone.
How to Fill in a PDF Form (and Sign It): Free | LocalPDF
- 01
Open the Fill & Sign tool and add your PDF
Go to the Fill & Sign page and drop in the form. It is read on your device, so nothing is uploaded.
- 02
Fill in the fields
Type into the text boxes, tick the checkboxes, and pick from the dropdowns. Any answers already in the file show up, so a partly completed form opens as it was left.
- 03
Add your signature and any extras
Draw, type or upload your signature, then place it. Add initials, today’s date, or a tick where the form asks for one, on any page.
- 04
Choose the output and download
Leave “Flatten the form” off to keep the fields fillable, or turn it on so the answers look the same in every viewer and cannot be changed. Then save the PDF.
Questions
How do I fill in a PDF form without printing it?
Open the Fill & Sign tool, add the PDF, and click into each field to type, tick or choose an answer. Add a signature, initials or a date if the form asks for one, then download the completed file. No printer, scanner or upload is involved.
Why can’t I type into my PDF?
That PDF has no form fields, so there is nothing to type into. It is most likely a scan or a document exported as a flat page. You can still complete it by placing text, a date and a signature anywhere on the page with the same tool.
Will the person I send it to be able to change my answers?
If you leave “Flatten the form” off, yes. The fields stay live and your answers can be edited like any fillable PDF. If you turn it on, the answers are drawn into the page and can no longer be changed. Choose based on whether the document is still in progress or finished.
Can I fill in a PDF form on my phone?
Yes. The tool works in any modern mobile browser, including Safari on iPhone and iPad and Chrome on Android. The fields are touch-friendly, and you can draw a signature with a finger.
When the form has no fields
Some PDFs look like forms but are really pictures, such as a scan or a document exported without its form fields. In those the tool finds nothing to type into, and you place text, dates and a signature wherever they belong, as free marks. It is the same as filling in the paper version with a pen, just on screen.
If the tool reports nothing to fill, check that you opened the fillable version of the file. Some organisations publish a blank scan on a web page and the real form behind a download link, and only the second one has fields.
Fillable or flattened
Keeping the answer fields live is best when the form still has to go to somebody else to complete or check, because they can click each one and change it. Flattening draws the answers into the page itself, so the result looks the same in any viewer and cannot be edited afterwards. That suits a document you are done with and want to look settled.
Either way, your answers and marks are added at the end of the PDF rather than rewriting it, so any digital signature already in the file stays intact. Readers will simply note that the document was changed after it was signed, which is expected.