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Convert a document to a fillable PDF form using Adobe Acrobat

This procedure has been verified on Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional:
(The procedure outlined should work with Acrobat v7, v8 and v9)

  1. Save the document as a PDF.
    (Instructions for creating a PDF are located here: Save a Document or Image as PDF)
  2. Open the document in Adobe Acrobat (Adobe Reader cannot edit PDFs).
  3. Navigate to the Forms menu.
  4. Select Run Form Field Recognition and allow the conversion to complete.
  5. Save the document as a PDF. (Choose a different file name to avoid overwriting your original document)
  6. Be sure to verify that all desired fields are fillable prior to distribution.
    HINT: Use the "Highlight Fields" button or menu option to show which fields were automatically created.
  7. If more fields need to be created, use the "Forms" toolbar. Open the Forms toolbar from: View > Toolbars or Tools > Forms > Show Forms Toolbar.

Once the fillable form has been created, users can fill the form using any standard PDF viewing application.

For Adobe Acrobat Pro DC:

  1. Save the document as a PDF.
    (Instructions for creating a PDF are located here: Save a Document or Image as PDF)
  2. Open the document in Adobe Acrobat (Adobe Reader cannot edit PDFs).
  3. Within Acrobat, click on the Tools tab and select Prepare Form.
  4. Select a file or scan a document. Acrobat analyzes your document and adds form fields automatically.
  5. Add new form fields from the top toolbar, and adjust the layout using tools in the right pane.
  6. Save your fillable PDF form and share it with others, or click Distribute to collect responses automatically.

More information about creating fillable PDFs is available on Adobe's website:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat ... eator.html

Also see our DocuSign FAQ to learn how to convert PDFs into fillable PDFs online.