Over the past [period=quarter], three pickups led to disputes about condition or delivery timing. Show me the pattern …
Open the PDF form you want to fill in Adobe Acrobat.
Select the Fill & Sign tool from the right pane or the Tools menu.
Click in a form field to activate it, then type your information.
For checkboxes or radio buttons, click directly on the box or circle to select your choice.
Continue entering information in all required fields.
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.
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.
You often cannot save data in a PDF form if the form's owner did not save it as a 'Reader-Extended PDF'. This means the owner set permissions that stop free Acrobat Reader from saving changes. It is not a problem with Reader itself. To save, you might need a full Acrobat license, or the form creator must change the file's save permissions.
| Form Type | How to Fill |
|---|---|
| Interactive Form | Has blue boxes; click and type directly into them. |
| Flat Form | No blue boxes; 'Fill & Sign' lets you click anywhere to add text. |
If you cannot type into a form field, first check if the document is set to 'Read Only'. You can usually find this setting in the document properties. Uncheck 'Read Only' if it is selected, then try typing again.
A 'Reader-Extended PDF' is a special type of PDF form. The person who created it saved it with extra features. This matters because it allows users of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill out the form and save their typed information. Without it, Reader users can fill the form but often cannot save their changes, losing their work.