Safe Flatten PDF
Lock PDF form fields and bake annotations into the document to prevent editing while preserving text selectability
Flatten PDF
What to flatten:
How to Use Safe Flatten
- 1 Upload the PDF you want to flatten
- 2 Choose what to flatten: Forms, Annotations, or Layers
- 3 Click "Flatten" to process
- 4 Download your locked PDF
What You Get
Safe flattening that preserves text selectability. Lock form field values so they cannot be changed. Bake annotations (comments, highlights, stamps) into the document.
Input: Filled tax form with editable fields
Output: Locked PDF where form values are permanent
Input: Contract with comment annotations
Output: Clean PDF with comments baked in
What does flattening a PDF do?
Flattening locks form fields and bakes annotations into the document. Content becomes static - forms cannot be edited, but text remains selectable.
Will text still be selectable after flattening?
Yes. Safe Flatten only locks interactive elements. Text remains fully selectable, copyable, and searchable.
What are PDF form fields?
Fillable text boxes, checkboxes, dropdowns in interactive PDF forms. Flattening makes filled values permanent and uneditable.
What are PDF annotations?
Comments, highlights, stamps, sticky notes, and markup added to PDFs. Flattening merges them into the document permanently.
Can I unflatten a PDF later?
No. Flattening is permanent and irreversible. Always keep your original file if you need the editable version later.
When should I flatten a PDF?
Before sharing filled forms (to prevent changes), before printing annotated documents, or when annotations cause display issues.
Does flattening reduce file size?
Usually minimally. The main purpose is locking content, not compression. Use Compress for size reduction.
Will flattening affect PDF hyperlinks?
Links may become non-clickable after flattening. The link text remains visible but loses interactivity.
Your files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.