Why PDF Form Fields Are Not Editable & Fillable?

“Hello everyone! I am a non-technical user who does not never use Adobe Acrobat. Tried to fill a very important bank form yet, but unable to do so and it has now frustrated me. I have a PDF reader program but, can’t edit PDF form using this reader. Can anyone tell me the proper reasons why these PDF form fields are not editable? Is there any master who can help me to get rid of this situation? Thank you in advance.”

A portable Document File (PDF) is a great format to store information and share documents. However, the problem occurs when users receive a crucial PDF form that needs to be filled out or edited. However, editing a PDF document is never as easy as making changes in Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, or Google Docs.

And so, the question is why we cannot edit PDF form and how to make PDF form fillable, editable and savable.
Well, if you have landed on this page while searching for the solution for the same queries then, no need to worry now. This tutorial comprises all the answers to your questions along with accurate solutions. So, let’s begin!

Why PDF Form Fields are Not Editable – Know the Issue?

PDF files are hard to edit because they are not meant to be edited or they are secured with restrictions. This file format is intended to preserve the document content and layout among computers while being space-efficient, and it is ideal for sharing. Editing a PDF is primarily limited to filling the forms, commenting, and signing.

But, if you want to edit the objects stored inside a PDF directly then, you need some special software. Today, most of the browsers are not capable enough to make PDF forms editable or fillable. Therefore a special utility is needed that can easily enable PDF form filling.

Quick Method to Make PDF Form Editable

The complete procedure to create a fillable PDF form without Acrobat is categorized into two major steps:

Step 1. Unlock Adobe PDF Form

Basically due to security PDF form fields are not editable thus it is needed to enable the permissions to make PDF forms editable and fillable. PDF File Restriction Remover is one of the best ways for it. It supports removing Owner Level Password Security and it can eliminate the PDF restrictions like Print, Editing, Copying, Extracting Text etc.

 

Apart from all this, is has the capability to remove PDF comment protection and document assembly restrictions from PDF files. Using this, one can remove the signature restrictions and it enables form filling in PDF documents. The best thing about this software is that it does not require Adobe Acrobat installation to unlock PDF restrictions form. One can run this tool on all versions of Windows OS.

Step 2. Fill PDF Form

After knowing why PDF form fields are not editable and an appropriate solution to enable form-filling permissions. Users can open and access it with Adobe Reader easily. But, the point is you need to fill in the information in this form.

What you must keep in mind: Adobe Reader is not a professional PDF editor, it is just a PDF reader tool that offers some annotating features like adding comments, sticky notes or highlighting text in PDF. Thus, you cannot edit PDF form with Adobe Reader.

PDF Form Filler is a professional-level alternative editor that can open, fill and edit text in PDF forms. The software includes an option to clear all filled data that is available in the form. Also, it allows users to save and export data from the fillable PDF forms. One can use its Zoom In/ Out options to view the options more clearly.

Steps to use the utility to Make PDF Form Editable

1: Launch the tool after downloading & installing, then open the document.

2: Once files get loaded, the first page will be shown with the highlighted fields to edit or enter data. After editing, hit the Save As button.

3: Select the Export Data to save in FDF format, till the source file is present the user can re-edit the data and show it.

So, now it will be no more difficult for users to fill the data in PDF form fields that are non-editable.

Also Read: Effective Methods to Extract All Images From PDF

Final Thoughts

Why PDF form fields are not editable and how to edit them are a few common queries asked by several users. In order to give the answer to such questions and make this task simpler for users, we have come up with this technical guide. Here, we have discussed the reasons for the same along with the solution to make PDF form editable.