Fill out a PDF form
The form’s fields are detected and picked out; the progress bar shows what is left to fill, and required fields are flagged before you download the form, not after you have sent it in.
Free · 100% local — nothing is uploaded- 1Open the PDF form.
- 2Fill the fields — the progress follows.
- 3Download the completed form.
How to fill out a PDF form
Open the form: its fields are detected and picked out, and you move from one to the next by keyboard or by mouse. Checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdown lists work as in an online form, and a progress bar shows what is left to fill. Required fields left empty are flagged before you download the document — not after you have sent it. The values are saved into the file as genuine field values: your recipient sees them in Acrobat as in a browser, and can still correct them if need be. A half-filled form is found as it was when you reopen the page, since work in progress is kept on your device. Nothing is uploaded: a tax return, a tenancy agreement or an enrolment file goes through no server at all.
A form with no fields, and freezing it once filled
Many forms are nothing but scanned pages, with no fields at all. In that case, write straight on the page: the text sits where you click and picks up the document’s font. Once the form is filled, flattening brings the values into the page: nothing unticks or empties any more, which is what administrations and registries often ask for.
Frequently asked questions
What if the PDF has no real fields?
Vélin spots the areas meant to be filled — dotted lines, boxes, frames — and you can put text straight onto them. You can also create real fields with the form creation tool.
Are the values I type saved into the file?
Yes. The downloaded PDF carries your answers, readable in any reader.
Can I flatten the completed form?
Yes, with flattening: the values become part of the page and can no longer be changed.
Can I save a half-filled form and come back to it?
Yes: the document in progress is kept on your device, and your next visit offers to reopen it where you left off. Nothing is uploaded for all that.
Do checkboxes and dropdown lists work?
Yes, like text fields: they are detected, ticked or chosen by mouse as by finger, and their value goes into the exported file.