How do I fill out a PDF form

You need to register for a specific competition and, after going to the relevant Internet page to download the material, you have discovered that the forms to be filled out are in PDF format: a big problem, considering the fact that you don’t have the faintest idea of how to fill them and that, at the moment, you do not have the possibility to access a printer and a scanner, which would allow you to fill in the documents in a “classic” way and then convert them back into digital format.

How do you say? You are on this website just to ask me “ How do I fill out a PDF form? “? Then know that this is just the right place to start. In the course of this tutorial, in fact, I will list some programs and some apps that allow you to fill digital forms, in PDF format, in a very short time.

So, without waiting an extra second, make yourself comfortable and carefully read everything I have to explain to you on the subject: I guarantee you that, once you have read this guide, you will have acquired the necessary skills to brilliantly achieve the goal you have set for yourself. prefixed. Having said that, there is nothing left for me to do but wish you good reading and good work!

Index

• How do I fill out a PDF form on PC
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (Windows / macOS)
  • Foxit Reader (Windows / macOS / Linux)
  • Other programs to fill out a PDF form on PC
• How do you fill out a PDF form on smartphones and tablets
  • Adobe Fill & Sign (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
  • Foxit Mobile PDF (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
  • Other apps to fill out a PDF form on smartphones and tablets

How do I fill out a PDF form on PC

If you need to fill out a PDF form on your computer, you can make use of a series of free programs, which you can use freely for this purpose. Here are some of them.

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (Windows / macOS)

Acrobat Reader DC is Adobe’s official PDF reader, which allows all documents of this type and a series of operations to be performed on them at no cost, including filling in and signing forms.

To obtain Acrobat Reader DC, connect to the program’s website and click on the Download Acrobat Reader button, in order to start the download of the relative installation file. Once you have the package (e.g. readerdc_it_a_install.exe ), launch it and follow the instructions that best suit your operating system.

• Windows– click on the Yes button and wait for the files needed to run the program to be copied to your computer. Finally, click on the Finish button, to finalize the setup and start the program. If the latter does not open automatically, launch it, using the icon that should have been created on the  Desktop.
• macOS– double-click on the .pkg file located in the window that opened after starting the dmg package, click on the Continue button twice in a row and then on  Install. When prompted, enter the  Mac administration password, press the Install software button  and finish everything by clicking on the Close, Move and, if necessary, OK buttons. Finally, call the newly installed program from the  Launchpad (the rocket-shaped icon located on the Dock ) and click on the Accept button, to accept the conditions of use.

The procedures, at this point, are the same: once the program is started, choose whether or not to set it as the default reader for PDF files and then click on the  (X) located at the top right to skip the initial guided tour.

Once you have reached the welcome screen of the program, click on the item  My Computer located on the left sidebar, press the Browse button  and use the panel that is proposed to you to select the file to open. Alternatively, you can quickly open the document of your interest by “dragging” it into the Adobe Reader window.

At this point, if the document contains a form containing fillable fields, all you have to do is click inside the various fields, menus or boxes, and fill them in with the required information.

If, on the other hand, it is a form without specific fields, click on the Fill and sign item located in the right sidebar, press the Fill and sign button located in the You box  and click on the appropriate spaces, in order to fill them with the information you want. When you are done, click on the floppy disk icon located at the top right to save the compiled document. Happy?

Foxit Reader (Windows / macOS / Linux)

A valid alternative to the program I mentioned earlier is  Foxit Reader, an extremely light and functional software used for viewing and manipulating PDF files. Among the many features of the program, there is the possibility of filling documents containing forms.

To use it, connected to this website, click on the  Free Foxit Reader Download button in the center of the page, select your operating system (e.g.  Windows ) and, if available, the installation language (presumably Italian ), using the drop-down menus located in the panel that appears as an overlay. When you are done, click on the Free download button, to download the program installation package.

When the download is complete, start the file obtained (eg FoxitReader971_L10N_Setup_Prom.exe ) and, if you are using  Windows, click on the Yes,  OK  and Next buttons  6 consecutive times, or until you reach the Foxit PhantomPDF installation screen, the professional (paid) software solution. At this point, put the checkmark next to the item Do not install a free 14-day trial version of Foxit PhantomPDF and click on the Next,  Install and  Finish buttons to complete the program setup.

On macOS, instead, do this: go to the Download folder of the Mac, right-click on the file obtained previously (eg  FoxitReader340. Setup.pkg ) and click on  Open twice consecutively, in order to bypass the security limitations imposed by the operating system.

Now, click the Continue button twice in a row, then click  Accept and  Install. When prompted, enter your  Mac password in the appropriate field and click on the Install software, Close, Move and OK buttons to finish everything.

Then start Foxit Reader and, to choose the PDF document to work on, go to the File tab and click on the Open button  (if you are using  Windows ), or go to the File> Open menu  (if you are using macOS ). Now, if your document contains interactive form fields, just click on each of them and enter the information you want.

If, on the other hand, it is a PDF containing a “flat” form obtained, for example, from an image, click on the Typewriter button (the icon of the T with cursor ) located in the upper bar of the program, on Windows, or within the Comment tab, on macOS, then click on the area you want to fill and type in the text you prefer. When done, save the compiled PDF using the File> Save or  File> Save As tab/menu.

Other programs to fill out a PDF form on PC

In addition to those I have told you about so far, there are also other software, equally valid, that can be useful for filling out a PDF form on a PC. Here are some of them.

• Wondershare PDFElement(Windows / macOS) – another excellent program dedicated to the management and manipulation of PDF documents that includes, among its features, the ability to edit and fill in internal forms. It is available in a free version and in a Pro version (with starting prices of € 79 / year).
• PDFill Free PDF Editor(Windows) – is a program that, despite its meager interface, integrates a large number of features, including the ability to compile and edit PDF documents of various types. It’s free.
• Preview(macOS) – the universal document reader included “standard” with macOS allows you to easily fill out PDF documents containing interactive forms.

How do you fill out a PDF form on smartphones and tablets

Now that you have learned how to proceed with the computer, would you like to know how to fill out a PDF form on smartphones and tablets? Don’t worry, it’s just as simple! In the following lines of this guide I am going to list a series of apps that allow you to achieve this result.

Adobe Fill & Sign (Android / iOS / iPadOS)

Fill & Sign, for example, is Adobe’s solution designed for Android, iOS and iPadOS smartphones and tablets that allows you to fill in (and sign) forms distributed in PDF format.

After downloading the app from the reference store of your device, start it, tap the Continue button  (if necessary) and tap the item  Select a form to fill out, to choose the PDF file containing the form of your interest. At this stage, you can upload an existing PDF file ( from PDF file ), an image from the Gallery ( from photo library ) or take a shot containing the form in real time ( Take photo ).

Once you have opened the document of your interest, touch the point on the form where you want to insert text and type it, using the keyboard that appears on the screen. As needed, you can use the proposed buttons to increase the size of the text, decrease it or delete the contents of the filled in box.

To create and apply a signature, tap the pen-shaped button  (located at the top on Android and at the bottom on iOS / iPadOS), tap the  Create signature or  Create initials button and follow the tutorial that is proposed to you to create a personal signature, which can also be used in the future.

Once you have completed filling out the form, press the share button  (the icon of the three dots joined on Android or the square with the arrow on iOS and iPadOS) and choose whether to save the document in memory, export it or share it through one of the apps installed on the system.

Foxit PDF Reader mobile (Android / iOS / iPadOS)

Another application that certainly deserves mention is Foxit PDF Reader Mobile, the “mobile” counterpart of the aforementioned Foxit PDF Reader for PC available for Android, iOS and iPadOS smartphones and tablets.

Using it is very simple: after starting the app, do a few swipes to the left, to skip the first use tutorial and then tap the Start / Start button. Once this is done, go to the application that contains the PDF file of your interest (eg Google Files on Android or Files on iOS), open it and, if you are using  Android, select  Foxit PDF  from the panel that is proposed to you, in order to use the app to open the file.

If, on the other hand, you are using iOS or iPadOS, tap the share button  (the square icon with the arrow ) and select the  Import into Foxit PDF Reader Mobile item from the menu that is proposed to you; finally, start Foxit PDF Reader, tap on the Extension folder and select the previously imported PDF document.

The game is practically done: if the PDF has fillable text fields, tap on each of them and fill them with the information you want. If, on the other hand, it is a document containing only empty spaces (e.g. a module scanned), tap the Text button  (the  T enclosed in a square ), tap on the space you want to fill and type the text you want wishes.

To access additional fill options (check marks, dashes or hand-typed signatures), tap the pen- shaped icon at the  bottom instead. Once you have completed the form, you can save the changes in memory by touching the (…) button and choosing the Save or Save As option from the menu displayed.

Other apps to fill out a PDF form on smartphones and tablets

There are other apps, in addition to the ones I have told you so far, that provide the functionality of filling out documents and forms made in PDF format. Here are some of them.

• Xodo PDF Editor( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – small but efficient app that allows you to perform various manipulation operations on PDFs, including filling out forms and creating custom signatures. It’s free.
• PDFFiller( Android ) – another great app that allows you to fill and sign PDF forms within seconds. It’s free.
• LiquidText( iOS / iPadOS ) – this is an app specially designed for editing PDF documents and forms. Most of the features are free, while others can be unlocked via in-app purchase.