Flatten a PDF before you send it
Bake form answers into the page and remove editable annotations.
Free: 3 jobs per UTC day, 25 MB per file. PDF exports include a visible Made with Bindery watermark. Pro exports clean PDFs.
Prefer the full studio? Open Flatten PDF in the app →
Flattening turns interactive form fields into permanent page content so answers cannot be cleared or changed accidentally. Bindery can also remove remaining annotations such as comments, notes and links, producing a cleaner final-delivery copy.
Flattening is useful for completed applications, signed visual approvals and archival handoffs, but it is not encryption and does not erase arbitrary page text. Bindery runs entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded, so there is nothing to delete from a server afterwards.
How it works
- Drop the PDF and open Flatten
- Choose whether to flatten form fields and remove annotations
- Create the final copy and verify that the fields are no longer editable
What flattening does
Interactive PDFs carry two layers: the page content, and objects on top of it — form fields with their current values, sticky notes, highlights, links. Flattening writes the appearance of those objects into the page content and removes the interactive objects. Filled answers become permanent text on the page; a viewer can no longer clear, edit or accidentally reset them. With annotation removal on, comments, notes and links are stripped too, leaving a clean final-delivery copy.
- Completed applications and declarations before submission.
- Signed forms, so the fields cannot be edited after signing.
- Reviewed drafts, to remove reviewer comments before the client sees the document.
- Before merging or splitting a filled form, since fields do not travel with page copies.
What flattening is not
It is not encryption — anyone can still open, print and copy the file; use Protect for that. It is not redaction — text on the page stays text, and hidden text under a drawn box stays hidden text; use Redact for anything that must disappear. And it is not a substitute for cleaning document properties; Remove metadata handles the author and title. The flatten before sending page walks through the order.
Flattening in the browser versus uploading
| Flatten PDF | Bindery | Upload-based tools |
|---|---|---|
| Where the file is processed | In your browser tab, on your device | Uploaded to the service’s servers |
| Options | Flatten fields; optionally remove annotations | Varies |
| Filled forms | Personal data never leaves the device | Uploaded, retained for a period |
| What exists afterwards | The original and the new file, both on your device | A server copy until the retention window ends |
| Works offline | Yes, once the app has loaded | No |
Questions people ask
What happens to filled form answers?
Their current appearance is written into the page and the interactive fields are removed, so the visible answers remain but cannot be edited as form controls.
Does flattening remove comments and links?
It can. Enable annotation removal to strip remaining annotation objects, including comments, notes and links.
Is flattening the same as redaction?
No. Flattening finalizes interactive elements; redaction removes sensitive page regions and their underlying text layer.
Can a flattened form be un-flattened?
No. The fields are gone; their values are page content. Keep the fillable original if you may need to change answers.
Does flattening remove a placed signature?
No. A signature image drawn into the page by Sign is page content and stays. A signature annotation added by another tool becomes page content too.
Will links still work after flattening with annotation removal?
No — links are annotations and are removed when that option is on. Flatten fields only if the links must remain.