Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make sure my fillable PDF cannot be edited by other users?

To prevent users from editing your form fields in a fillable PDF, you must "flatten" or lock the form before saving. 

  1. Open a fillable form and add the necessary data.  

  1. Click File and select Print. 

  1. Select a PDF printer and click OK or Print.  

  1. In the pop-up window, select where to save the "flattened" version of the form.  

The document should now be "flattened" and cannot be altered. 

Was this helpful?