Tool for this guide: Fill PDF Form
PDF applications from schools, employers and government offices often have fields you can click and type into. But in some apps, characters outside Western European alphabets disappear or turn into boxes when you save. This guide shows how to fill the fields and save them properly.
Steps
- Open Fill PDF Form.
- Click “Choose PDF file” or drag the form onto the screen.
- Click the light green fields on the page to type. Click checkboxes to tick them and pick options from lists. Use the ‹ › buttons to change pages.
- If you typed characters the built-in font lacks (such as Korean), download and choose a font from the list above the page.
- Click “Save form”, then “Download”.
Why characters disappear
PDF fields usually use the built-in Helvetica font, which only covers Western European characters. Some apps drop anything else when saving. When you type such characters, this tool asks you to choose a font and embeds only the characters you typed, so they show up in every app. A font is downloaded once and kept in this browser.
Stop others from changing it
Turn on “Flatten fields into text” before saving to remove the fields and turn your entries into regular text on the page.
- Others cannot change the values.
- It looks the same in every PDF app.
- It cannot be undone, so keep the original file.
If the recipient needs to edit the form, save without flattening.
If the PDF has no fields
PDFs made to be printed and filled by hand have no fields. Use Edit PDF to click anywhere and add text. To add a handwritten signature, use Sign PDF.
Why isn’t anything uploaded?
Forms hold sensitive details such as your name, address, phone number and bank account. This tool works inside your browser, so what you type and your file never leave your device.