Tool · Flatten
Bake form fields into the page.
Convert fillable fields into static content so they can't be edited. Annotations and comments can be removed as well — deleted, not drawn in.
Processed in your browser
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What does flattening a PDF do?
It burns form-field values into the page itself, so a reader sees the same values but can no longer edit them as fields. Annotations — comments, highlights, stamps — are removed rather than drawn in, so check the result if your markup needs to stay visible. If a field holds something that looks like personal data, flattening stops and says so, so you can clear it first.
Why does it matter for privacy?
Because unflattened annotations and form values remain as structured data in the file. Anyone can read them out — including notes or field entries you thought were merely visual — long after you have sent the document.
Does flattening upload my PDF to a server?
No. The file is opened, processed and saved back by code running in this browser tab — there is no upload endpoint on our servers to send it to. You can watch the Network panel in your browser's developer tools while you work and confirm nothing carrying the document leaves the page.
Is Flatten free?
Flatten is free with a free account: up to 3 downloads a day, and a small PDFMacro line on each page of a saved PDF. Pro removes both. There are no page or file-size caps on either plan.
Does it work offline?
With Pro, yes. Once the page has loaded, every tool keeps working with the network disconnected, because the processing never depended on a server round-trip; OCR's language packs need one download the first time. A free account needs a connection to save, for its daily count. AI features need your AI: your provider online, or your local model running.
Flatten runs in your browser. Try it now.
Your file is never uploaded. Work on it right away; a free account saves it. Open a file and see for yourself — the network panel is right there if you want to check.