🔒 Flatten PDF Forms

Every PDF form has two layers: the visible content (what you see) and interactive form fields (clickable, typable widgets). Flattening merges the interactive layer into the page content — the field values become part of the page itself, no longer editable.

The result looks identical to the filled form, but recipients can't change, clear, or replace any value.

Native Flatten uses pdf-lib's `form.flatten()` method — it merges each field's appearance stream directly into the page's content stream. Text remains selectable and searchable, the file stays small, and the visual output is pixel-perfect.

Rasterize renders every page to a high-resolution image. This is the nuclear option — text becomes pixels, form structure is completely gone, nothing is searchable or copyable. Use it when you need maximum flattening and don't care about the text layer.

No — the visual appearance is preserved exactly. Both modes render identically to the original filled form. Only the interactive/editable layer is removed.

Yes, in most cases. The "Remove form structure entirely" option deletes the AcroForm dictionary from the PDF. Without it, some readers still show leftover read-only widgets or expose the form structure. Removing it gives you the cleanest result.

The only reason to keep the structure is if you want the PDF to remain recognizable as a form (some document management systems rely on that signal).

Yes — but the result will be a plain PDF with empty field outlines. This is useful if you want to distribute a static version of a template without interactive elements. For the opposite — making a form actually fillable — use the Fill PDF Forms tool.

No. Everything — field detection, flattening, rasterization — happens entirely in your browser using pdf.js and pdf-lib. Your file never leaves your device.