How to create a fillable PDF form
The best way to create a fillable PDF depends on where you are starting: a blank page, a Word or Google Docs file, a flat PDF, or a scanned paper form. Each has a free route. Find your starting point below, follow the steps, and test the result before you put it on your website.
Choose your route
| You are starting from | Free route | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing yet | Design it in LibreOffice Writer, add form controls, export as a PDF form | This page, below |
| A Word document | Open it in LibreOffice Writer, add controls, export | Word to fillable PDF |
| An Excel sheet | Export a clean PDF, then add fields | Excel to fillable PDF |
| A flat PDF | Add fields over the page in LibreOffice Draw | Add fillable fields to a PDF |
| A paper form or scan | Scan it cleanly, then place fields over the image | Scanned PDF to fillable form |
Creating a fillable PDF from scratch (free)
If you are designing a new form, build it in a word processor that can export PDF form fields. LibreOffice Writer is free and does this.
- Write the questions first. Group them under short headings: contact details, emergency contact, preferences, agreement. Keep each question to one idea.
- Lay it out with a table. A two-column table (question on the left, answer space on the right) keeps fields aligned and stays tidy on phones when zoomed.
- Add the controls. Open View → Toolbars → Form Controls, switch on Design Mode, and draw a Text Box, Check Box, Option Button or List Box in each answer cell.
- Name each control in Control Properties (right-click). Clear names like
emergency_contact_phonemake the answers easier to read later. - Set the tab order with Activation Order on the Form Design toolbar.
- Export: File → Export As → Export as PDF, tick Create PDF form.
- Test in a browser and a PDF reader, then on a phone.
What about Google Docs?
Google Docs downloads PDFs without form fields. If your form lives in Google Docs, download it as a Word file (File → Download → Microsoft Word (.docx)) and follow the Word route in LibreOffice. If you do not need a PDF at all, a web form tool may be simpler. A fillable PDF makes most sense when people expect a document they can save, print or email back.
Free versus paid fillable PDF creators
Searching for a “fillable PDF creator” turns up three kinds of tool:
- Desktop office suites such as LibreOffice. Free, private (files stay on your computer), and capable. They take more manual work to place and size fields.
- Dedicated PDF editors such as Adobe Acrobat. Paid, with automatic field detection that saves time on long forms but still needs checking.
- Online editors. Convenient, but check page limits, watermarks, sign-up requirements and where your file is stored.
Whichever you use, the same things make a form easy to finish: fields sized to the answer, consistent tick boxes, sensible tab order, and clear labels next to each field.
Design choices that help people finish your form
- Ask only what you need. Every extra question is a reason to stop halfway.
- Put the label next to the field, not inside it, so it is still visible after someone types.
- Say the format. “Date of visit (MM/DD/YYYY)” avoids back-and-forth.
- Use one column where you can. Side-by-side fields are easy to skip.
- End with what happens next: where to email the finished form, or that they can bring it with them.
Have it created for you
If you already have the form (on paper, in Word, or as a PDF) and would rather not spend an afternoon drawing boxes, we do that part. We keep your wording and layout, add the fields, set the tab order and test the file in Chrome and Firefox. $29 for 1–3 pages, $59 for 4–10 pages, and one round of fixes is included. We add fields only; we do not write or review your form’s wording.
FAQ
What is the easiest free way to create a fillable PDF?
If you have the form as a Word or Writer document, LibreOffice Writer is the simplest free route: add form controls, then export with Create PDF form ticked.
Can Google Docs make a fillable PDF?
Not directly. Its PDF download has no form fields. Download the document as a Word file and add fields in LibreOffice, or use a PDF editor.
Do people need Adobe to fill in my PDF?
No. Fillable PDFs open in the free Adobe Reader, in browsers such as Chrome and Edge, and in Apple Preview. Test your file in the apps your clients are likely to use.
Will you design a new form from scratch?
No. We make an existing form fillable. You send the blank form in any common format, and we keep its wording and layout.
Rather not do it yourself?
Already have a form on paper, in Word or as a PDF? $29 for 1–3 pages, $59 for 4–10, usually back within 24 hours, fully fillable.