How to fill out a PDF on iPhone

Fill out a PDF form on iPhone with Quick PDF

1. Save the form to Files If the form came by email or from a website, open it and use the share icon to Save to Files. Downloads from Safari are already in Files.
2. Open it in Quick PDF In Safari go to quickpdfapp.com/fill-pdf-form, sign in and tap Choose PDF. Pick the form from Downloads, iCloud Drive or On My iPhone.
3. Fill in the boxes Tap a box and type with the keyboard. Tap checkboxes and radio buttons to select them, and tap dropdowns to choose an answer.
4. Type on parts without boxes If a line or the whole form has no boxes, tap Add text, tap the spot and type. Adjust the size so your answer fits on the line.
5. Sign and date Tap Sign to draw, type or upload your signature and place it on the signature line. Add the date with Add text.
6. Download, flattened or fillable Tap Download and choose whether to Flatten form, which locks your answers into the page, or keep it fillable. Then share it or save it to Files.

Open Fill PDF form

Fillable form or flat form? How to tell

There are two kinds of PDF forms, and they're filled differently:

• Fillable forms have real boxes built in. When you open one in Quick PDF and tap a field, a cursor appears and you can type. Government forms, insurance forms and many HR forms are like this.
• Flat forms are just lines and boxes printed on the page, often scans of a paper form. Tapping does nothing. Use Add text to type wherever you need to.

Many forms are a mix, with fillable boxes for most answers but a printed area somewhere. You can use both methods on the same document. For a deeper walkthrough of flat forms, see how to fill out a non-fillable PDF.

Making sure your answers save

The most common complaint about filling PDFs on a phone is "I filled it in and the answers disappeared." Usually that's because the viewer showed the answers but never saved them into the file, or the person receiving it opened it in an app that doesn't display form fields well.

Two habits prevent this:

1. Always download the filled copy. In Quick PDF the answers are written into the PDF you download, not into the original file.
2. Flatten before you send. Choosing Flatten form turns your answers into regular page content. They show up the same in every viewer and can't be changed by accident. Keep it fillable only if someone else still needs to add their part.

More on this in how to fill out a PDF form and save it and how to flatten a PDF.

iPhone's built-in options

The Files app and Mail can open PDFs with Markup, which lets you add text boxes, draw and add a signature. On recent iOS versions, Markup can also type into some form fields. It's a reasonable choice for a simple form.

Quick PDF is the better fit when:

• The form has dropdowns, radio buttons and lots of fields you want to work through and review.
• You want to flatten the answers before sending.
• You need to fix a printed mistake, remove a page or combine the form with photos of your ID or documents. See how to combine PDF files on iPhone.
• You want the form to stay on your phone rather than be uploaded to an online service.

Tips for long forms on a small screen

• Zoom in on one section at a time so you tap the right box.
• Have your details ready in Notes (address, dates, ID numbers) so you can copy and paste.
• Turn the phone sideways for wide forms; on iPad, a keyboard makes long forms much faster.
• For checkboxes on a flat form, use Add text and type an X, or use Draw to make a check mark.
• Before downloading, scroll through every page once to catch empty required fields.

Troubleshooting form problems on iPhone

• Tapping a box doesn't bring up the keyboard. The form isn't fillable there. Use Add text.
• My text is too big for the box. Choose a smaller size in the text options, or abbreviate.
• The recipient says the form is blank. Send the flattened version, so the answers are part of the page.
• The form is password-protected. If you were given the password, remove it with Unlock first.
• The form is a photo, not a PDF. Turn it into a PDF first with how to make a PDF on iPhone, then fill it with Add text.

Questions people ask