Fill out a PDF online, free.
Type into a PDF's form fields, or add text anywhere on the page, then download. Add a date or your signature in the same place. It is free with any eSignSimple account (sign up with Google), and the PDF is filled in your browser, never uploaded.
Fill out your PDF form
- 1 Open any PDF form (it stays in your browser)
- 2 Type into its fields or anywhere on the page
- 3 Sign and download the filled PDF
How do I fill out a PDF online?
- Sign up free with Google and open Fill PDF in the app.
- Click Choose a PDF or drop the file onto the box.
- If the PDF has form fields, fill them in the list above the pages.
- Choose Add text and click anywhere else you need to write. Drag to move, + and − to resize.
- Click Download filled PDF. Need to sign too? Signing works the same way.
Two kinds of PDF, two ways to fill them
Some PDFs are real forms: whoever made them added fillable fields, so a rental application or a tax form knows where your name, date and checkbox answers go. Others are just pictures of paper, like a scanned intake sheet or a contract exported from Word, with blank lines but nothing a computer recognizes as a field. Most online tools handle only one of the two. This one handles both.
When you open a PDF, we look for built-in form fields. If there are any, they appear in a list above the pages: type into them, tick the boxes, pick from the dropdowns, and the answers go into the real fields, which stay editable in the file you download. If there aren't any, or you need to write somewhere the form's author didn't plan for, choose Add text and click anywhere on the page to type.
Why nothing is uploaded
The forms people fill online are rarely boring: bank details on a direct-debit mandate, a passport number on a visa application, medical history on a clinic intake form. Uploading those to a stranger's server so you can type into a box is a bad trade. Everything here runs in your browser. The PDF is read, filled and saved on your device, and you can check it: disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tool still works.
Our take: any free PDF filler that insists on uploading your file should explain why. Most can't, because the work doesn't need a server; the upload is there to collect files. We do ask you to sign in with Google before using the tool, which keeps it free and stops abuse, but we never receive the PDF itself.
Getting a clean, professional result
Zoom into the page before placing text so it lines up with the printed line rather than floating above it. Keep each answer in its own text box instead of one long box across the page; they're easier to move and resize. Use the + and − controls to match the size of the surrounding print, which is usually smaller than you'd expect. For dates, the Add date button writes today's date in one consistent format, which looks better than a mix of typed styles.
If the form asks for a signature as well, use the signature button in the same toolbar: draw it with a mouse or finger, or type your name in a handwriting font, then place it on the line. When you're done, download the file and open it once in your usual PDF reader to check every field printed where you expected.
When filling a form yourself isn't enough
A filled-in PDF you send back by email is fine for most everyday paperwork: a school permission slip, a supplier onboarding form, an expense claim. It gets thin when the other side needs to prove who filled it in and when. A landlord collecting an application from a stranger, or a business onboarding a new client, is better served by sending the form for signature: the signer fills and signs through a link, and the finished PDF carries a certificate with timestamps, IP addresses and a fingerprint that shows it hasn't been changed.
That's what eSignSimple's eSignature does. The free filler is for your own documents; sending is for documents other people need to complete.
Why does my PDF form say "Please wait" or show a blank page?
Some forms, especially older government and tax forms, are built with a technology called XFA. Instead of fixed pages, they contain instructions that only Adobe's own readers fully understand. In most other viewers, including browsers and this tool, they open as a single page saying the document is loading or that you need a newer reader. Nothing is wrong with your file or your browser.
You have two options. Open the form in Adobe Acrobat Reader, which handles XFA, fill it there and print it to PDF, then use this tool if you still need to add a signature. Or check the agency's website for a standard PDF version; many publish both. Once a form has been printed to a normal PDF it loses its fields, so you would type onto it with Add text.
What can and can't be filled automatically?
We read three kinds of built-in field: text boxes, checkboxes and dropdown lists. They show up in the list above the pages with the names the form's author gave them, which is sometimes helpful ("Applicant surname") and sometimes cryptic ("Text17"). If a name is unclear, type a test value, look at the page preview and you will see where it lands.
Radio buttons, where you pick one answer from a group such as Yes or No, and signature fields built into the form are not filled through the list. For radio buttons, use Add text and type an X over the right circle. For signature fields, use the signature button and place your signature on top of the box. Password-protected PDFs may not save correctly; if yours asks for a password when you open it, open it in your usual reader, save an unprotected copy if you are allowed to, and fill that one.
A worked example: a rental application in five minutes
Say a letting agent emails you a 3-page rental application. It has real fields for your name, current address, employer and monthly income, checkboxes for "I have pets" and "I smoke", and a signature line at the bottom of page 3 that is just a printed line. Open the PDF here, and the fields appear in the list. Type your details, tick the right boxes, and use the dropdown for the length of tenancy if the form has one.
Then scroll to page 3, choose the signature button, draw or type your signature and drag it onto the line, and add the date with Add date. Download the file, open it once in your PDF reader to check every answer printed, and reply to the agent with it attached. Your answers stay editable as fields, so if the agent asks you to correct your income figure, you can change it and send it back without starting over. If you are the one collecting applications, our rental application template can be sent for signature instead, so each applicant fills it in through their own link.
Filling a PDF versus signing a document someone sent you
If a document arrives through an eSignSimple signing link, or any other e-signature service, do not download it and fill it here. Sign it through the link: that is how the sender's audit trail records your signature, and a file you fill separately and email back will not be attached to their document. Use this tool for PDFs that arrive as plain attachments with a request to fill and return them.
If you need a signature in the file but no form filling, our Sign PDF tool is the shorter route. And if you are unsure whether your filled and signed form is legally acceptable, our guide to filling out a PDF covers when a typed or drawn signature is enough and when a form needs something more.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fill out a PDF form without Adobe Acrobat?
Yes. Open the PDF here, type into its form fields or add text anywhere on the page, and download it. It works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android.
Will the fields still be editable after I download?
Yes, if the PDF had real form fields. We fill them without flattening, so you or the recipient can still change the answers. Text you add with Add text is written onto the page and isn't editable as a field.
Why can't I type into my PDF anywhere?
The file probably has no built-in form fields, which is common for scanned or exported documents. Use Add text and click where you want to write.
Does it support accented and non-Latin characters?
Yes. Typed text and form answers use an embedded Unicode font, so names like Müller, Şahin or Łukasz come out correctly in the downloaded PDF.
Is there a page or file size limit?
Files up to 30 MB. Very long PDFs work too, but take a little longer to open because every page is drawn in your browser.
Can I fill in an XFA form with this tool?
Not directly. XFA forms only work properly in Adobe's readers. Fill it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, or look for a standard PDF version of the form on the issuer's website.
Does filling a PDF here count toward my plan?
No. Fill PDF is a free tool and does not use any of your monthly documents.
Can I fill radio buttons?
Radio buttons are not listed with the other fields. Use Add text and type an X over the right option.