Skip to content
Staydoc

Flatten a PDF

Turn form fields and comments into fixed page content that can't be changed.

Preparing your workspace

Loading the controls for this tool. Your files stay on this device.

Network activity: Starting…

How it works

  1. 1

    Choose a filled-in form or a PDF with comments. It stays on this device.

  2. 2

    Flatten it. Fields and comments become part of the page, exactly as they look now.

  3. 3

    Save the flattened PDF.

Files and limits

Accepts
PDF
Files
One file
Size
200 MB per file (50 MB per file on phones, tablets and low-memory computers)

Good to know

  • Links keep working; they are not flattened.
  • Flattening a digitally signed PDF makes its signature invalid.

Why it's private

  • Processed in your browser

    The tool runs on your device. There is no upload step and no server that receives your files.

  • Works offline

    Wait for Offline ready before disconnecting. OCR and Office conversion also need their engines saved on this device.

  • No ads or trackers

    Tool pages load no ads, no analytics scripts and no third-party code.

Questions

What does flattening do?

Form fields, the answers typed into them and comments become part of the page. They look the same, but nobody can edit them any more, and every app shows and prints them the same way.

Can I still search and copy the text?

Yes. Text typed into form fields stays text after flattening.

Does it work with password-protected PDFs?

Yes. Enter the file's password when asked; it is used on this device only. The new file is not password-protected.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. Your browser does the work on this device, and the tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded. Nothing is sent to a server.