How do I fill out a PDF form using the Fill & Sign tool?

Open your PDF in Acrobat. Go to 'All tools' and select 'Fill & Sign'. Click on a field to type, or click anywhere on a flat form to add text. Type your information and then save the PDF.

What is the difference between an interactive form and a flat form when using Fill & Sign?

Feature Interactive Form Flat Form. Appearance Has specific blue boxes/fields Looks like a paper form, no special fields Typing Click inside a field to type Click anywhere to place a text box

What are the main uses of the Fill & Sign tool in Acrobat?

Completing official applications or forms digitally. Adding text to any PDF document, even those without form fields. Signing documents electronically by typing your name or placing a signature. Filling out surveys or questionnaires received as PDFs.

◆ Acrobat · edit

Send Latest Positions

Send the monthly investment snapshot PDF to [recipient1=Priya Shah] and [recipient2=Marcus Li] in portfolio management…

2ready prompts

1real task

4roles

See the prompt↓More edit workflows

When to use it

real situations

A job applicant needs to complete an application form for a new role.
A student has to fill out a school permission slip for a field trip.
A customer needs to sign and return a contract in PDF format.
A user wants to add their contact details to a digital survey form.

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Send the monthly investment snapshot PDF to [recipient1=Priya Shah] and [recipient2=Marcus Li]…+

Send the monthly investment snapshot PDF to [recipient1=Priya Shah] and [recipient2=Marcus Li] in portfolio management by [deadline=7:15 AM tomorrow] so they have positions before market open; confirm the file is the latest version and save a copy to the Trading SharePoint folder.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

BImprove — “do it better”Before sending to [recipient1=Priya Shah] and [recipient2=Marcus Li], make it easy for traders…+

Before sending to [recipient1=Priya Shah] and [recipient2=Marcus Li], make it easy for traders to act: surface total positions and top five liquid names on page one, add a short change log noting any late fills, and ensure the SharePoint link opens to the exact file version to avoid confusion.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF form you want to fill in Adobe Acrobat.
2
Select the Fill & Sign tool from the right pane or the Tools menu.
3
Click in a form field to activate it, then type your information.
4
For checkboxes or radio buttons, click directly on the box or circle to select your choice.
5
Continue entering information in all required fields.
6
When finished, save the filled form by choosing File > Save or Save As.
Best practiceIf a form field is not interactive, use the Fill & Sign tool to add text by clicking where you want to type on the form.

In the appWith the API

You can use the Fill & Sign tool to complete both interactive and flat PDF forms directly in Acrobat.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

Interactive fieldsAreas in a PDF form where you can click and type directly.ExampleThe form has interactive fields for your name, address, and phone number.

Flat formThis is a PDF that looks like a form but does not have special areas for typing; you add text anywhere on it.ExampleOn a flat form, you can add text anywhere on the page, not just in specific boxes.

Reader-Extended PDFA PDF that lets people save their filled-in data using free Acrobat Reader.ExampleYou can fill out and save a Reader-Extended PDF form even if you only have free Acrobat Reader.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

Send the monthly investment snapshot to portfolio managers so they have the latest positions before trading starts.

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat.
Go to 'All tools' and select 'Fill & Sign'.
Click on a field to type, or click anywhere on a flat form to add text.
Type your information and then save the PDF.

You might not be able to save because the form's creator did not enable saving for users of the free Acrobat Reader. This is a permission setting, not a bug. To save, the form needs to be a 'Reader-Extended PDF'. If it's not, you may need a full version of Acrobat to save your changes, or ask the form owner to provide a Reader-Extended version.

Feature	Interactive Form	Flat Form
Appearance	Has specific blue boxes/fields	Looks like a paper form, no special fields
Typing	Click inside a field to type	Click anywhere to place a text box

If you cannot type into a form field, first check if the document is set to 'Read Only'. Sometimes, this setting prevents typing. You can usually find this option in the document properties or security settings and uncheck it to allow editing.

Completing official applications or forms digitally.
Adding text to any PDF document, even those without form fields.
Signing documents electronically by typing your name or placing a signature.
Filling out surveys or questionnaires received as PDFs.

Send Latest Positions

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails