PrivatePDF

Flatten a PDF

"Flatten" means different things depending on who asks: lock a filled form so the answers cannot be changed, or burn comments and highlights into the page so they cannot be hidden or deleted. This page says exactly which of those your document contains before you export, and does both, in your browser.

or drop a file anywhere on this panel

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How it works

  1. 01Open the PDF. The panel lists its form fields, comments and markup.
  2. 02Leave "Flatten comments and markup" on, or turn it off to flatten only the form.
  3. 03Export, and keep the original if you may need to edit it again.

Form fields

Every export from this site flattens form fields, keeping the answers they hold: the values are drawn into the page, and the result can no longer be typed into. That is what someone returning a completed form wants, and it is stated here rather than presented as a separate feature.

Comments, highlights and stamps

These normally sit on a separate layer that the recipient can hide, move, edit or delete. Flattening draws each one into the page exactly as it looks, then removes it as an annotation, so it prints and displays the same everywhere and cannot be taken off.

What is kept, and what is lost

Links are left as links. A sticky note keeps its icon on the page, but the text inside the note only ever existed in its pop-up, so that text is not kept — copy anything you need first. An annotation with nothing drawn for it stays as it was rather than disappearing. Layers are not changed.

Questions

Can I undo flattening?
Not in the exported file — that is the point of it. Nothing happens to the original on your device, so keep it if you may need to edit the form or the comments again.
Will the pages look different?
They should look the same. Each mark is drawn from the appearance the document already stores for it, which is what a viewer shows you now.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The document is flattened by your own browser and never leaves your device.