How to Create PDF Forms with PDF Editor

March 13, 2025

With Jotform’s PDF Editor, you can effortlessly transform form responses into professional PDF documents and send them instantly after submission. Whether you need to share data with respondents or colleagues, PDF Editor makes it easy. You can create two types of PDFs:


What Is a Fillable PDF Form?

A fillable PDF form works like a regular form but is in .pdf format. Respondents can complete it using any PDF reader and submit it easily. With Jotform’s Fillable PDF Form Creator, you can create a customized PDF form with blank fields, allowing users to fill it out digitally and submit it instantly. Submitted responses can be sent via Notification Emails and automatically saved on your form’s Submissions page for easy access.

Why Use Fillable PDF Forms?

Fillable PDF forms offer flexibility and convenience in various situations. Here are some key advantages and common use cases:

  • Ideal For Kiosk Terminals and Mobile Devices — Users can quickly fill out and submit the form, allowing the next respondent to do the same seamlessly.
  • Easy to Share Across Multiple Channels — Since it’s a PDF file, you can distribute it via email, chat, social media, cloud storage, CRMs, and more.
  • Compatible With All Devices — As long as a PDF reader is installed, the form will work on any device, ensuring a smooth user experience.
  • Reliable Alternative to Web Forms — If users encounter issues submitting an online form, a fillable PDF version provides a backup solution.

How to Create a PDF Form?

There are multiple ways to create and customize a PDF form. You can Start from Scratch, Import a PDF, and Convert an Existing Form. Let’s explore each method in more detail below.

Start from Scratch

You can easily create a PDF form from scratch. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Go to the Online Fillable PDF Creator page and click on Create a Fillable PDF Form.
The Online Fillable PDF Creator page with a Create a Fillable PDF Form button in Jotform
  1. This’ll take you to PDF Editor, where you can click on Start From Scratch to create a new PDF and start adding fields to it.
Jotforms PDF Editor with a Start From Scratch button to create a new PDF

And you’re all set. During this process, a new web form is automatically created in the background. So, when you return to your My Workspace page, you’ll see a new form named PDF Form — this is expected.

Import a PDF Form

You can also import an existing PDF form into PDF Editor and turn it into a fillable online form. Let’s do it:

  1. Go to the Online Fillable PDF Creator page and click on Convert PDF to Fillable Form.
The Online Fillable PDF Creator page with a Convert PDF to fillable form button in Jotform
  1. Now, click on Upload Document and upload your PDF File.
Jotform's PDF Editor with an Upload Document button to upload your PDF file

That’s it. Smart PDF Forms will generate both the PDF form and its web version automatically. If any issues arise during the process, an error message will pop up. You can check out this guide for more information about How to Import an Existing PDF Form With Smart PDF Forms.

Convert an Existing Jotform Form into a Fillable PDF

If you already have Jotform web forms, you can easily create fillable PDF versions of them. You can do this by opening PDF Editor right from your form. Here’s how:

  1. On your My Workspace page, click on Type at the top and in the Dropdown menu that opens, uncheck the boxes next to all the assets except Forms, so only they’ll be shown on the page.
Jotform's My Workspace page with the Type dropdown menu open, showing only the Forms option checked
  1. Hover your mouse over the form and click on More on the right side of the screen.
  2. In the Dropdown menu that opens up, click on Create PDF Document.
Jotform's My Workspace page with the More dropdown menu open, showing the Create PDF Document option selected
  1. Next, in the blue navigation bar at the top, click on New PDF.
Jotform's PDF Editor with the New PDF button in the blue navigation bar selected
  1. Then, in the Create a New PDF Document window, click on the blue Create PDF Form link at the bottom.
Jotform's Create a New PDF Document window with the Create PDF Form link at the bottom selected
  1.  Now, choose the PDF Version of Your Form.
Jotform's Create PDF Form window with an option to choose the PDF version of your form
  1. PDF Editor may show warnings about changes affecting both the web and PDF forms, or if it detects unsupported elements. Simply review the warnings and then click on Continue.
Jotform's PDF Editor showing warnings about form changes or unsupported elements, with a "Continue" button to proceed

And that’s it. Once you’ve finished building and designing your PDF form, you’re ready to share it, collect responses, and manage submissions with ease. Happy form building!

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