How to Create a Fillable PDF Form Online (Without Adobe)
Creating fillable PDF forms used to require Adobe Acrobat Pro — a $240/year subscription. Today you can build fully interactive AcroForms with text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and dropdowns for free in a browser-based editor. Here's how.
Fillable PDF forms — the kind where you click into a field and type, rather than printing and writing by hand — use a standard called AcroForm, defined in the PDF specification. Any compliant PDF editor can create them, not just Adobe Acrobat. The results open and work in Adobe Reader, Chrome, Preview, and any other standards-compliant viewer.
This guide walks through creating a form from scratch using DraftPDF, which supports core AcroForm widget types in the browser.
Types of Form Fields You Can Create
AcroForm supports several interactive field types, each suited to different kinds of input:
- Text field: single or multi-line free text input — for names, addresses, descriptions
- Checkbox: a tick box for binary yes/no choices
- Radio button: a group of options where only one can be selected — for multiple-choice questions
- Combo box (dropdown): a list of options in a dropdown menu — for selecting from a predefined set
- List box: a scrollable list where one or more items can be selected
- Push buttons and scripted actions exist in the PDF spec, but many lightweight editors focus on the field types above
Before You Start: Prepare Your Base Document
Fillable forms work best when they have a clear visual layout for the fields — labels, lines, and boxes that indicate where each field should go. You have two starting points:
- Start from an existing PDF: open a form that was already designed as a static document (a Word export, a scanned template) and add interactive fields over the appropriate areas
- Start from a blank PDF: add a blank page in DraftPDF and build the layout using text boxes and shapes, then place fields on top
Tip
Starting from a Word or InDesign export is often easiest — design the visual layout in a word processor, export to PDF, then add the interactive fields in DraftPDF.
Creating a Text Field
- Open your PDF in DraftPDF and switch to the Forms panel in the left toolbar.
- Select the Text Field tool.
- Click and drag on the page to draw the field where you want it. The field appears with a default 'Text1' name.
- In the properties panel on the right, set the field name — use something descriptive like 'first_name' or 'email_address.' Field names are used by screen readers and form processing software.
- Set the field properties you need, such as read-only, required, max length, and a default value.
- To make a multi-line text field (for longer input like a description), enable the 'Multiline' option in properties.
Creating Checkboxes
- Select the Checkbox tool from the Forms panel.
- Click where you want the checkbox to appear. Checkboxes are fixed-size — you can resize after placing.
- In properties, set the field name. If you want multiple independent checkboxes (not a group), give each a unique name.
- Set the export value — this is the value sent or embedded when the checkbox is ticked (commonly 'Yes' or 'On').
- Optionally set a default checked state.
Creating Radio Button Groups
Radio buttons work differently from checkboxes — they're grouped so that selecting one automatically deselects the others. The grouping is defined by giving all buttons in the group the same field name.
- Select the Radio Button tool.
- Place the first button and give it a field name — for example, 'payment_method.'
- Place each additional option and give it the same field name ('payment_method').
- Each button needs a unique export value — for example 'credit_card,' 'bank_transfer,' 'invoice.'
- In fill mode, selecting one button automatically deselects the others in the same group.
Creating a Dropdown (Combo Box)
- Select the Combo Box tool and draw the field on the page.
- In the properties panel, click 'Edit Options' to add the list items.
- Enter each option label and its export value. The label is what the user sees; the export value is what gets stored.
- Optionally allow custom entry (users can type a value not in the list) by enabling the 'Editable' property.
- Set a default selected option if appropriate.
Testing Your Form in Fill Mode
DraftPDF includes a fill mode that lets you test the form without leaving the editor. Switch to fill mode from the Forms toolbar to interact with the fields exactly as a recipient would — type in text fields, tick checkboxes, select radio buttons, open dropdowns.
Tip
Always test in fill mode before distributing the form. Check that radio button groups behave correctly, that default values look right, and that the form is comfortable to complete with keyboard and mouse.
Adjusting Tab Order
Keyboard navigation order in PDFs can affect usability. After placing and rearranging fields, test the form with the Tab key and adjust your layout if the navigation feels awkward.
Saving and Distributing the Form
Export the completed form from DraftPDF to save it as a standard PDF file. The interactive fields are embedded in the PDF specification and will work in:
- Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat
- Chrome's built-in PDF viewer
- macOS Preview (most field types)
- Firefox's PDF viewer
- Most mobile PDF apps
Filling and Saving
Recipients who fill your form in Adobe Reader can save the filled form if you haven't restricted saving. Chrome's PDF viewer also allows saving filled forms. Some older versions of Reader required Acrobat rights-enabling — this is no longer necessary for modern viewers.
Common Form Use Cases
- Job application forms: text fields for personal details, checkboxes for position preferences
- Client intake forms: contact details, service selections, agreement checkboxes
- Inspection checklists: checkboxes for each item, text fields for notes
- Order forms: product selection via dropdowns, quantity text fields, delivery address
- Event registration: attendee details, session selection via radio buttons
- Internal request forms: approval workflows where fields capture the request and approver details
Fillable PDFs are often preferable to web forms for documents that need to be printed, archived, or sent as email attachments — they maintain formatting and don't require the recipient to have internet access to fill them.
Try DraftPDF for Free
All the features in this guide are available right now — no sign-up required. Your files never leave your device.
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