Turn interactive PDFs into final documents: form fields, checkboxes and filled values become permanent page content that no one can edit — what government portals, banks and submission systems ask for.
Your PDF is processed locally — it never leaves your device.
An interactive PDF is two layers: the static page and a set of live objects on top — form fields, annotations, layers. Flattening merges those layers into the page itself: the filled values become printed ink, the fields stop being fields.
Use cases: government form submissions, signed contracts after filling, expense forms, insurance claims and any document whose "final version" must be unmistakably final.
Flattening happens locally with pdf-lib in your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded to any server and never stored.
It merges the interactive layer (form fields, annotations) into the static page content. Filled values become permanent ink; fields stop being editable. The document becomes final for every reader.
When a portal or institution asks for it (very common on government and bank submissions), or when you want to guarantee a filled form cannot be altered after you send it.
Yes — always. Fill everything in your PDF reader first; flattening is the last step. After flattening, the fields no longer accept input.
No. Flattening removes editability of fields; it does not encrypt or restrict the file. Combine with PDF Protect when you also need password security.
Not the form fields — they are gone. The page content itself remains ordinary PDF content, so a determined editor could still alter text the way they would with any document. Flattening prevents accidents, not forensics.
It usually shrinks slightly (field definitions are removed). If you also need a big reduction, follow with PDF Compress.