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VellumPDF

Create a PDF form

Place the fields by hand, or let VellumPDF find the lines and boxes to fill in, without uploading the document.

Your files never leave your device

Drop the PDF to turn into a form

A printable form, a contract, a registration sheet…

How to create a fillable PDF form, step by step

A printable form becomes a form people fill in on screen: the fields are placed on the PDF, in your browser.

  1. Drop the PDF, or start from a blank page

    Drag the printable form into the drop area. To build a form from scratch, click “Start from a blank page”.

  2. Let VellumPDF find the fields

    “Detect fields” looks for runs of underscores or dots, lines, small boxes and empty frames, and names each field after its label. A date or a signature is recognised from its label.

  3. Add or fix fields by hand

    Pick a type (“Text”, “Text area”, “Checkbox”, “Single choice”, “Drop-down list”, “Date”, “Signature”) and drag the field on the page. In “Select” mode, clicking a field opens its properties: name, “Required”, default value, text size, “One character per box”.

  4. Save the form

    Choose the field appearance (“Highlighted”, “Outlined” or “Invisible”), then click “Save the form”. The PDF can be filled in with Acrobat Reader, macOS Preview or a web browser.

Detection relies on what is written or drawn on the page: empty table cells are not recognised as fields and have to be placed by hand.

Frequently asked questions

Is automatic field detection a paid feature?

No. “Detect fields” is free and runs on your device: the PDF is not sent to any server. Still, check the suggested names and positions before saving.

How do I offer choices that exclude each other, such as Yes / No?

Place each option with the “Single choice” tool: options in the same group exclude each other. The group is set in the properties, and one option can be “Ticked by default”.

Are the dates people type checked?

A “Date” field carries its format (31.12.2026, 31/12/2026, 2026-12-31 or 12/31/2026). Acrobat Reader and readers that run form scripts check and format the date as it is typed; other readers accept it as plain text.