Flatten a PDF
Make filled-in forms, comments, stamps and drawings permanent: they look exactly the same, but nobody can change them any more.
Drop the PDF you want to flatten
or pick a file from your device
- Open the PDF. CLEKARA counts its form fields and annotations.
- Choose whether to keep links working.
- Press Flatten PDF and download it.
Forms and annotations, both flattened
Form fields are drawn into the page with their current values. Annotations — comments, highlights, stamps, free-hand drawings, signatures added as annotations — are flattened too, using the exact appearance each one already has, so the page looks identical before and after.
Flattening is what printers and many official portals expect, and it stops a filled form from being changed after you send it.
Worth knowing
Flattening cannot be undone: keep a copy of the original if you may need to edit it again.
Annotations without a stored appearance (rare) are left as they are.
Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.
Frequently asked questions
What does flattening a PDF mean?
Turning interactive elements — form fields, comments, stamps — into ordinary page content that cannot be edited.
Will the PDF look different?
No. Everything keeps its appearance; it just stops being editable.
Can I keep the links?
Yes. Keep links is on by default.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Everything happens inside this browser tab.