Add text fields to a PDF
Every underscore, dotted line and empty box becomes a box you can type in.
A form that was designed to be printed has blanks on it, not fields: long underscores after Name, a dotted line after Date, an empty rectangle for the address. Opening it in a reader gets you nowhere, because there is nothing to click. This finds those blanks by measuring the page, turns each one into a real text field, and names it from the label sitting next to it, so the finished PDF behaves like a form everywhere.
How to add text fields to a PDF
- 1
Open the form
Drop in the PDF. Every blank, dotted line and empty box that is found is outlined on the page.
- 2
Check the fields
Untick anything that is not really a field, rename any that were named badly, and switch tall boxes to paragraph fields.
- 3
Download it
The fields are written into the PDF on your device. Open it in any reader and start typing.
Why not just print it and write on it
Because the person filling it in is usually somewhere else, and asking them to print, write, scan and email back is how a two minute job becomes a two day one. A fillable PDF is typed into and sent straight back.
Frequently asked questions
How does it know where the fields go?+
It measures the page: runs of underscores or dots, free-standing rules, empty rectangles and empty cells in a ruled table. Page frames, underlined headings and table borders are recognised as structure and left alone.
What are the fields called?+
They take the name a person would read: the text before the blank or to the left of the box. "Date of birth: ______" becomes Date_of_birth, which is what matters if the data is ever exported.
Can I add a field it missed?+
Yes. Save the result, then open it in Edit PDF, which has a form builder for placing a field by hand exactly where you want it.
Is the form uploaded?+
No. The page is measured and the fields are written inside your browser, so a form with real names on it never leaves your device.