Flatten PDF
Make form fields, comments and layers part of the page — or turn pages into images.
Flatten
Makes these part of the page, so they can no longer be changed. Text and drawings stay sharp, and everything else in the file is left as it was.
Every chosen page becomes one picture of itself — fields, comments and all — so nothing on it can be selected or edited any more. The file usually gets bigger, and zooming in shows pixels.
Pages
Preview
Your flattened PDF is ready
About the Flatten PDF
Flattening turns the parts of a PDF that can still be changed into ordinary page content. Choose what to flatten: form fields (the typed values become part of the page and can no longer be edited), comments and stamps (highlights, notes, drawings and stamps stay where they are but can no longer be edited, moved or deleted) and layers (what is visible now stays; hidden layers are deleted). Text and drawings stay sharp and searchable, and everything else in the file is left as it was.
Or turn whole pages into images at 100–300 dpi, so nothing on them can be selected or edited — with an option to keep the page’s text underneath as invisible, searchable text. Each option says what this file will lose before you flatten, and the result can be checked page by page in the preview. Nothing is uploaded.
How to use it
- Drop a PDF onto the box above, or tap Choose a PDF to flatten. The tool counts the form fields, comments and layers in it.
- Tick what to flatten — form fields, comments and stamps, layers — and read what each option removes for this file.
- Or choose Pages to images, pick the resolution, the image format and the pages, and decide whether to keep the text searchable.
- Press Flatten PDF. Compare Original and Flattened in the preview, then press Download.
Examples
A filled form with 24 fields · Form fields ticked
The answers are drawn into the pages as text; the fields are gone, so the recipient can’t change them
Highlights, sticky notes and a “Approved” stamp · Comments and stamps ticked
Highlights, note icons and the stamp are part of the pages; the pop-up note texts are not kept
A plan with 6 layers, 2 of them hidden · Layers ticked
The 4 visible layers stay exactly as shown; the hidden ones are deleted from the file
Pages to images · 150 dpi · JPEG · Keep the text searchable off
Every page is one picture; the file has no selectable text
Common uses
- Locking the answers of a completed form before emailing or uploading it.
- Printing or publishing a document with its review comments visible to everyone.
- Fixing forms whose values show in one reader but not another, by drawing them into the page.
- Removing hidden layers before sharing CAD drawings, maps or multilingual documents.
How flattening works
Form fields and comments are annotations: they sit on top of the page and carry their own appearance stream, a small drawing of how they look (ISO 32000-1 §12.5.5). Flattening paints that drawing into the page content exactly where readers show it, and removes the annotation. The page’s existing content is enclosed first, so it can’t distort what is painted after it.
- Form fields (§12.7): if the form asks readers to redraw its fields (NeedAppearances), or a field has no drawing, it is redrawn from its value first — otherwise its value could vanish. Signature fields keep their look but lose their digital signature, as any change to a signed file does.
- Comments without a drawing of their own (some tools write them like that) are drawn from their colour, shape, quads or ink first. Hidden comments are removed, and pop-up note texts — which are not on the page — are removed with their comments.
- Layers (§8.11): content in hidden layers is removed the way readers hide it — nothing of it is painted, but the position changes it contains still apply, so the visible content doesn’t move. Visible layers are kept as ordinary content.
Redaction marks are not flattened
A redaction mark is a box someone placed to show what should be removed — but until it is applied, the text underneath is still in the file. Painting the box into the page would only cover that text, which anyone can still copy or search. So redaction marks are left untouched and the tool warns you about them; use Redact PDF to remove the text itself.
Pages to images
Each chosen page is drawn in your browser — form values and comments included, hidden layers left out — and saved as one JPEG (90 % quality) or PNG image. The page keeps its size, rotation and links. With Keep the text searchable, the page’s own text is kept under the picture as invisible text (rendering mode 3), so search, copy and screen readers still work; untick it for pages with no text at all. At 150 dpi an A4 page is about 1,240 × 1,754 pixels.
Limitations
- Dynamic XFA forms (which only Adobe Reader draws) have no fields to flatten; Pages to images captures what other readers show.
- Fields whose value is in a script that needs text shaping (Devanagari, Arabic and others) keep their existing drawing if the form must be redrawn.
- Pop-up note texts are lost when comments are flattened, because they are not part of the page.
- Pages to images makes text unselectable unless the searchable option is on, and usually makes the file larger.
- Password-protected or restricted PDFs must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF.
- Flattening changes the file, so existing digital signatures will show as invalid; the tool warns you when a file is signed.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
What does flattening a PDF mean?
Turning the parts that can still be changed — form fields, comments, layers — into ordinary page content. The PDF looks the same, but those parts can no longer be edited, moved or switched off.
Will the flattened text still be searchable?
Yes, when you flatten fields, comments or layers: form values and text boxes become real page text. With Pages to images, keep Keep the text searchable ticked to keep the page’s text as invisible, searchable text.
Can a flattened PDF be unflattened?
No. The fields, comments and layers are gone from the file, so keep the original if you may need to change it again.
Does flattening make a PDF secure?
It stops casual editing of fields and comments, but the page content itself can still be edited by PDF editors. To limit changes, add a password with Protect PDF; to remove information, use Redact PDF.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The PDF is opened, flattened and saved in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.