Edit and polish PDFs
Flatten PDF
Use this page to flatten an unprotected PDF. Common AcroForm fields and annotations that have appearance streams are drawn into the page and then removed as interactive objects. Encrypted files must be unlocked first. This is not Compress PDF and not a comment remover: markup without a drawable appearance is reported, not silently deleted.
Free · No account needed
How PDF flatten works
These steps mirror the workspace higher on this page. They are written as a numbered outline so readers, search engines, and assistants can restate the flow without guessing.
Upload an unprotected PDF
Choose a PDF from your device. Password-protected, corrupted, or oversized files are rejected.
Flatten supported interactivity
Form widgets get appearances when needed, then fields and annotations with appearance streams are baked into the page.
Review leftovers
If some fields, links, or comments cannot be flattened, the download still proceeds and the result note lists what remained.
Download
The original file stays on your device. The download is a new PDF whose flattened elements are no longer editable.
When this flatten tool is the right choice
Built for print-ready and archival exports—not shrinking files or stripping comments without drawing them.
Common form fields
Text, checkboxes, radios, dropdowns, and buttons with appearances become static page content.
Supported comments
Highlights, stamps, and other markup with appearance streams are drawn in, then removed as annotations.
Honest leftovers
Missing appearances, links, movies, 3D, JavaScript, and digital signatures are called out instead of dropped in silence.
Layout-first rewrite
Pages are not run through Compress. Flatten uses qpdf annotation flatten plus pdf-lib field appearances.
Flatten PDF — FAQ
Scoped to this URL. For site-wide questions, use the homepage FAQ.
- Is flatten the same as Compress PDF?
- No. Compress shrinks file size and may change image quality. Flatten keeps the look as close as possible while making supported fields and comments non-editable.
- Are comments deleted?
- Only after they are drawn into the page, and only when they have an appearance stream. To strip markup without flattening, use Remove annotations from PDF.
- Can I flatten a signed PDF?
- Flattening invalidates cryptographic signatures. Signature widgets often cannot be flattened into a valid signed appearance. The result note will say so.
- Are encrypted PDFs supported?
- No. Unlock the file first with Unlock PDF, then flatten here. XFA (dynamic XML) forms are also rejected.
Looking for how the whole site works (URLs, accounts, roadmap)? Continue to the questions section on the homepage.