Fill in forms

    Is the form fillable?

    Not all forms are fillable. Sometimes form creators don’t convert their PDFs to interactive fillable forms. Or, they intentionally design a form that you must print and fill in by hand. These non-interactive forms are called flat forms.
    Flat forms visually differ from interactive ones:
    A.
    Typewriter tool lets you type in flat forms. Here, tool is available in purple message bar.

    B.
    Typewriter tool in floating toolbar

    C.
    Typewriter tool in browser

    D.
    Without Typewriter tool, you must print flat forms.

    E.
    Purple message bar indicates interactive form

    F.
    Click to show interactive fields

    Flat fillable (with Typewriter tool)
    A flat form does not have interactive fields. However, you can use the Typewriter tool to type information over blank form fields, and then print a copy of the completed form.
    Note: The Typewriter tool is available only if the creator of the form enabled it.

    Flat form (no Typewriter tool)
    If the purple message bar or Typewriter toolbar isn’t displayed, you cannot fill in the form online. Print the form to fill it out.

    Interactive fillable
    An interactive fillable form contains fields that you can select or fill in. In an interactive form, the pointer changes to a different icon, depending the field. For example, the Hand  tool changes to an I-beam  when you can type text into the form field.

    Fill in flat forms with Typewriter tool

    If the form creator enabled the Typewriter tool, use that tool to fill out flat forms. The text you add with the Typewriter tool appears in the Comments List (Comment > Comments List).

    1. In either the purple message bar or floating toolbar, click Typewriter.

      Note: If the Typewriter option is unavailable, you must print the form to fill it out.

    2. Click a blank form field and type.

    3. (Optional) Adjust options in the purple message bar or floating toolbar to change the text size, position, or font.

    4. When finished, print a copy of the completed form.

      Note: You cannot electronically submit a form filled out using the Typewriter tool. You must print the completed form.

    Fill in interactive forms

    1. If necessary, right-click the document, and select either the Hand tool  or the Select tool  from the pop-up menu.
    2. (Optional) To make form fields easier to identify, click the Highlight Fields button  on the document message bar. Form fields appear with a colored background (light blue by default), and all required form fields are outlined in another color (red by default).
    3. Click to select options such as radio buttons. Click inside a text field to type.
    4. Press Tab to move forward or Shift + Tab to move backward.
    5. When finished, click the submit button to send the form data. The submit button can appear in the purple message bar at the top of the form or in the form itself.

    For troubleshooting tips on completing forms, see Troubleshooting forms.

    Options for moving among form fields

    Key

    Result

    Tab or Shift + Tab

    Accepts typing and moves to next field

    Up/Left Arrow

    Selects previous radio button in a group

    Down/Right Arrow

    Selects next radio button

    Esc

    Reject and deselect form field.

    Esc (press twice)

    Exits Full Screen mode

    Enter or Return (single-line text field)

    Accepts typing and deselects field

    Enter or Return (multiline text field)

    Creates paragraph return in same form field

    Enter or Return (check box)

    Turns check box on or off

    Enter (keypad)

    Accepts typing and deselects current form field

    Sample forms: flat and interactive

    Patti Sokol, of Sokol Consulting, created two sample forms to show the differences between a flat form and an interactive form. Click here to see a flat form. Notice that you cannot type in the fields of a flat form. Click here to see an interactive form. You can highlight the fields and type in them.

    Be sure to read the information in the top text box of each sample form. Then move your cursor over the fields to see what actions are available. You can also print and save the forms to your computer.

    Auto-Complete forms (interactive forms only)

    The Auto-Complete feature stores entries that you type in interactive form fields. Auto-Complete then suggests or even automatically enters responses that match your typing in other form fields. The suggestions appear in a pop-up menu, from which you can select a match.

    The Auto-Complete feature is off by default, so you must enable it in the Forms preferences if you want to use it.

    Enable the Auto-Complete option

    1. Right-click the document, and choose Page Display Preferences.
    2. In the Preferences dialog box, click Forms from the list at left.
    3. Under Auto-Complete, choose Basic or Advanced from the menu. (A description of each mode appears at the bottom of the dialog box.)
    4. Select Remember Numerical Data if you want to store numbers that you type into forms.

    Remove entries from the Auto-Complete memory

    If Auto-Complete includes unwanted entries, such as inadvertent misspellings, you can remove them.

    1. Right-click the document, and choose Page Display Preferences.
    2. In the Preferences dialog box, click Forms from the list at left.
    3. Under Auto-Complete, select Edit Entry List, and then remove or change the unwanted words.

    Save forms

    If the PDF author has enabled local saving, click the disk icon  in the toolbar at the upper left of the window. Then rename the file and save the form with your information.

    Why can’t I save a filled in form?

    Completed forms cannot be saved unless the author of the form allows it. When you open a form in Adobe Reader, you can view the usage rights in the notification area above the form itself. Contact the author of the form to change your usage rights.

    Print forms

    1. In the upper left of the window, click the Print button .

    2. Choose a printer from the menu at the top of the Print dialog box.

    3. In the Comments And Forms menu in the upper-right area of the Print dialog box, choose one of the following:

      • (Interactive or flat form) To print the form and the typed entries, choose Document.

      • (Interactive or flat form) To print the form, the typed entries, and any comments on the form, choose Document And Markups.

      • (Interactive form only) To print only the typed entries and not the form itself, choose Form Fields Only.

    Clear forms

      Clear a form in a browser

       Do either of the following:

      • Select the reset form button, if one exists. You cannot undo this action.

      • Quit the browser, and start again.

      Note: Clicking the web browser’s Reload or Refresh button, the Back or Go Back button, or following a link to another page may not completely clear the form.

      Clear a form in the Reader application

       Choose File > Revert.

      Import or export form data (Reader application only, not browser)

      In some workflows, individuals submit filled-in forms as data-only files in a format such as FDF or XML. In Reader, you can import the data to view it in the context of the complete PDF:

       In the upper right of the window, click Extended, and then click Import Data.

      Likewise, you can save the information in a completed PDF form as a data file in another format:

       In the upper right of the window, click Extended, and then click Export Data.

      For more information, see Manage form data files in Acrobat Help.