Flatten PDF
Flatten a PDF two ways: bake AcroForm fields into the page, or rebuild every page as an image so fields, annotations and layers are gone for good.
What is the Flatten PDF?
Flattening turns a PDF that can still be poked at into one that behaves like a finished document. This tool offers both approaches.
- Form flattening keeps text selectable and searchable
- Full raster mode removes fields, annotations and layers entirely
- Resolution and JPEG quality controls for the raster method
- Shows page count, form-field count and the size change
- Explains in plain language what each method removed
- 100% local — the document is never uploaded
How to use the Flatten PDF
- 1
Drop your PDF onto the upload area to see its page and form-field count.
- 2
Pick Flatten form fields to keep text selectable, or Full raster to remove everything.
- 3
For the raster method, choose a render resolution and JPEG quality.
- 4
Click Flatten PDF and check the before and after sizes.
- 5
Download the flattened file, keeping the original as your editable master.
About the Flatten PDF
Flattening turns a PDF that can still be poked at into one that behaves like a finished document. This tool offers both approaches. The form method bakes each AcroForm field's appearance into the page content and removes the interactive field, which keeps the text selectable and the file small.
The full raster method goes further: every page is rendered at the resolution you choose and rebuilt from JPEG images. Form fields, comments, hidden layers and any interactive behaviour disappear because the finished file contains nothing but pictures. It is the right choice before sending a document you do not want altered.
Both methods run in your browser with pdf-lib and pdfjs, so contracts, invoices and signed paperwork stay on your own machine. The tool shows the before and after file size so you can see the trade-off.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to flatten a PDF?
Flattening merges everything that sits on top of the page — form fields, comments, stamps, layers — into the page itself. The document looks the same but the separate editable objects no longer exist, so a reader cannot click in and change them.
Which flattening method should I choose?
Use the form method when you just want to lock in filled-in answers and keep the text searchable. Use the full raster method when the document must be visually final and you would rather lose selectable text than risk anything being edited.
Does flattening a PDF make it secure?
It stops casual editing, but it is not encryption. Anyone can still open the file, and rasterised text can be recovered with OCR. If you need to remove sensitive content rather than lock it, redact it before flattening.
Why did my file get bigger after flattening?
The raster method replaces compact vector text with photographs of the page, and at 300 DPI those images can easily be larger than the original. Drop to 150 DPI, lower the JPEG quality, or use the form method instead.
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