How to make a PDF fillable for free, without Adobe

You do not need an Adobe subscription to make a PDF fillable. The free office suite LibreOffice can create real PDF form fields, either from your original document or on top of an existing PDF. Your clients do not need Adobe either: fillable PDFs open in free readers and web browsers. Here is the free workflow from start to finish.

What you need

• LibreOffice (free, Windows, Mac and Linux). Writer handles documents; Draw handles existing PDFs.
• Your form, ideally the original .docx or .odt. A PDF works too.
• Two apps to test in, for example Chrome or Edge, plus a free PDF reader.

Route A: you have the original document

1. Open the document in LibreOffice Writer.
2. Turn on View → Toolbars → Form Controls and click Design Mode.
3. Draw a Text Box for each written answer and a Check Box for each tick box. Use Option Buttons that share the same Name for one-of-several choices.
4. Right-click each control, choose Control Properties, and give it a unique name.
5. Choose File → Export As → Export as PDF, tick Create PDF form on the General tab, and export.

The detailed version, including Word-specific gotchas, is in Word to fillable PDF.

Route B: you only have the PDF

1. Open the PDF with LibreOffice Draw.
2. Check that nothing moved. Draw converts the page into editable objects, and missing fonts can shift text.
3. Add form controls the same way as in Writer (Form Controls toolbar, Design Mode).
4. Export as PDF with Create PDF form ticked.

If the layout shifts badly, place an image of each page on a blank Draw page and draw your fields on top of it. Our guide to adding fillable fields to a PDF walks through that fallback.

Test it without Adobe too

Since you are not using Acrobat, test in the apps your clients actually use. Each reader shows fields a little differently.

• Chrome or Edge: open the file, type in each field, then use the download or save button and reopen the saved copy.
• Apple Preview on a Mac: check that checkboxes tick and that typed text appears in the right font size.
• A phone: open it from an email attachment or a link on your site. Make sure fields are big enough to tap.

If two fields fill in together, check whether you ticked Allow duplicate field names when exporting while two controls share a name. If text disappears after saving, check the field type. Fix the names and types in Control Properties and export again.

What free tools do less well

Being honest about the limits saves time:

• No automatic field detection. You place every box by hand. That is fine for one page and slow for ten.
• Layout fidelity. Opening a PDF in Draw can change fonts and spacing, so complex designs may need the image fallback.
• Signatures. A text field where people type their name works everywhere. Drawn or cryptographic digital signatures depend on the reader, and free tools offer less control over them.
• Calculations. Totals and sums are possible in some tools but fiddly to set up and test.

Watch out for “free” online converters

Many websites promise to make a PDF fillable for free. Some cap the number of pages or uses, add a watermark, or ask you to sign up before downloading. All of them mean uploading your file to someone else’s server. Read the limits and privacy terms first, and only ever use a blank template, never a form with someone’s details in it.

The no-software option

If you would rather not install anything or learn a new tool, send the blank form to us. You share a link from Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive; we add the fields, set the tab order and test the file in Chrome and Firefox. You get it back as a Google Drive link. $29 for 1–3 pages, $59 for 4–10, with one round of fixes included. You pay once; there is no subscription.

Want to see the Adobe route as well, for comparison? How to make a PDF fillable covers both.

FAQ

Can I really make a PDF fillable for free?

Yes. LibreOffice is free and exports PDFs with working form fields. The trade-off is time: you place each field by hand.

Will Adobe Reader users be able to fill in a PDF I made in LibreOffice?

Normally yes. LibreOffice writes standard PDF form fields, which the free Adobe Reader can fill in. Test your own file in Reader before you publish it.

Can I make a PDF fillable in Apple Preview?

Preview can fill in existing form fields and add text boxes as annotations, but it does not create real form fields. Use LibreOffice for that.

How much does it cost to have it done?

$29 for 1–3 pages and $59 for 4–10 pages. Extra pages over 10 are $15 each, and calculations or 12-hour rush are $19 add-ons.

Related guides

• How to make a PDF fillable
• Convert a PDF to a fillable form
• Word to fillable PDF
• Add fillable fields to a PDF
• Create a fillable PDF
• Excel to fillable PDF
• Scanned PDF to fillable form
• Prices: $29 for 1–3 pages, $59 for 4–10