How do I fill in a PDF form using Fill & Sign?

Open your PDF in Acrobat Reader or Acrobat. Go to 'All tools' and select 'Fill & Sign'. Click on any field to type your information directly. For forms without fields, click anywhere on the page to add text boxes and type.

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

Form Type How to Fill. Interactive Form Click directly into specific fields and type your information. Flat Form Use Fill & Sign to place text boxes anywhere on the document and then type.

Fill Monthly Metrics in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Apply the monthly metrics form field template to the program report PDF, fill in…+

Apply the monthly metrics form field template to the program report PDF, fill in [month=April]'s numbers, and save the completed form to Reports/Monthly so program staff can submit consistent updates from the same template.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Validate the form template fields match the funder metric definitions, prefill baseline numbers…+

Validate the form template fields match the funder metric definitions, prefill baseline numbers and notes where available, lock calculation fields to prevent accidental edits, then save [month=April]'s completed report to Reports/Monthly and notify staff where to submit corrections to keep reports uniform.

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.

Who does this

4 roles

Office AdministratorHR SpecialistStudentCustomer Service Representative

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat Reader or Acrobat.
Go to 'All tools' and select 'Fill & Sign'.
Click on any field to type your information directly.
For forms without fields, click anywhere on the page to add text boxes and type.

You might not be able to save data in a PDF form in free Acrobat Reader because of how the form was created. The form's owner must save it as a 'Reader-Extended PDF' to allow saving in Reader. If it's not extended, you can fill it, but you often cannot save the filled data. This is a permission setting by the form creator, not a problem with Reader itself. You can usually print the filled form, even if you can't save it.

Form Type	How to Fill
Interactive Form	Click directly into specific fields and type your information.
Flat Form	Use Fill & Sign to place text boxes anywhere on the document and then type.

If you cannot type into a form field, check if the PDF is set to 'Read Only'. Sometimes, this setting prevents typing. You might need to uncheck 'Read Only' in the document's properties to enable typing. If the problem continues, the form might be damaged or secured in a way that prevents editing.

A 'Reader-Extended PDF' is a special type of PDF form created in a full version of Adobe Acrobat. It allows users who only have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill out the form and save their typed information. Without this extension, Reader users can fill the form but usually cannot save their changes, only print them. It matters because it determines if you can keep a digital copy of your filled form using the free Reader.

Fill Monthly Metrics

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails