Cannot Fill in PDF Form Issue Resolved with 3 Exclusive Ways

Mark Regan
Published: October 10th, 2024 • 8 Min Read

Are you searching for the solution to your query when you cannot fill in PDF form? If yes, then don’t worry you are reading the right blog content. Today within this technical guide we are going to explain the best tried and tested techniques to solve the problem when you are unable to fill PDF form.

What is a Fillable or Non-Fillable PDF Form?

There are many instances when users are unaware of the PDF form type. i.e. fillable or non-fillable. If the PDF is non-fillable then you are unable to fill PDF form. So, before moving to methodology to check PDF form type initially we will discuss what is PDF form fillable or non-fillable means.

PDF Form Fillable: A fillable PDF form is an interactive document enabling users to enter the form fields directly. Such types of PDF form files are created with expert tools like Adobe Acrobat. Secondly, they are commonly used for applications, surveys, registrations, etc.

PDF Form Non-Fillable: A non-fillable PDF form refers to a non-interactive PDF form. Generally, these PDF are created by scanning a document or from software that does not support fillable form functionality.

How to Check PDF Form is Fillable or Non-Fillable with Edge Browser?

If you cannot fill in PDF form, you need to check whether the form is fillable or non-fillable. To do so follow the below-mentioned steps

Initially, locate the PDF file in which you are facing the problem.
Next, right-click on the PDF and choose Open with > Microsoft Edge.
Then, try to enter in the form field by clicking on the PDF form fields.
If the PDF form is clickable and can be filled then it is a fillable PDF form.
Otherwise, if you can’t fill out PDF form then it is a non-fillable PDF form.

Till now we have discovered whether our PDF is fillable or non-fillable. Now, we will discuss some of the situations when users are required to enable PDF form filling.

Common Reasons When Users Cannot Fill in PDF Form

PDF Form Restrictions: If your PDF file form type is fillable but you are facing the same issue. Then check whether the PDF file has any security or not. Check that the PDF has the security of the user password or owner password. In such cases, you need to convert secured PDF to unsecured.

Outdated Software: You may also face the same issue if you use an outdated browser to fill PDF forms. So update your PDF browser to the latest version. Also, check if the software allows you to fill out the PDF form.

Corrupted PDF Files: After checking all the above-discussed reasons, if know of these resolve your issue. Then there may be the possibility that your PDF document is corrupted. In such cases, you need to repair your corrupted PDF file.

Document is Flattened PDF:It refers to the situation when someone flattens fillable PDF file. This means that PDF documents with interactive fields and columns changed into non-interactive static documents.

Cannot Fill in PDF Form Solved Using Google Chrome

First, locate the PDF file on your PC for which you can’t fill out PDF form.
Next, open the Google Chrome browser on your local desktop.
After that, drag and drop the located PDF file into Chrome Browser.
Now, click on the Print icon from the rightmost corner.
After that, choose the destination as Save as PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF.
Then, choose the destination location of the output PDF on your device.
Next, click on the Save button to store the resultant file.
Finally, in an output document, you may not face the issue of being unable to fill out PDF form.

Unable to Fill in PDF Form Resolved with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Open the PDF for which you can’t fill out the PDF form in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
After that, go to the tool panel and select the protect button option.
Next, choose Restriction Editing and fill in the permission password if required.
Now, in the security settings change the settings to allow the filling of forms field.
Finally, save the document with the new updated setting to fix the issue.

Limitations of Manual Methods

The Google Chrome method fails if the PDF restricts print permissions. To use this approach, you need to first unlock PDF print option
The manual methods are very lengthy to use and require repetitive steps when working with multiple PDF files.
Using the manual technique to fix the problem is a very time-consuming task and may hinder productivity.
With the Adobe Acrobat Pro DC method to fix the problem is not cost-efficient. You need to have access to the complete variant of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.

How to Enable Form Filling in PDF Using Expert Tool

You can use an expert utility like BitRecover PDF Unlocker Tool to fix the problem when you cannot fill in PDF form. Moreover, this utility is a desktop-based tool that can run efficiently in offline mode without connecting to the internet. Since this is a downloadable utility, it is 100% safe to use with confidential PDF documents.

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Fix Cannot Fill in PDF Form with Expert Approach

At the start, download and launch the recommended utility on your local PC.
After that, click on the Import button to add PDFs to the tool console.
Next, click on the Save As button to choose the destination location of the output file.
Thereafter, please enter the user password if any of the document is imposed with the user password.
Now, wait for the process to remove restrictions from PDF to complete.
Finally, open the resultant PDF file to resolve your issue.

Manual Technique Vs Expert Method: Key Differences

Criteria	Manual Way	Automated Approach
Ease of Use	Can be complicated to use for users without technical knowledge and experience	Ease-to-use application to fix the problem of being unable to fill in PDF form with self-explanatory UI/UX.
Technical Support	Limited to forms and technical guides available on the web	Dedicated one-year support is provided by the technical expert’s panel.
Complexity of Steps	Involves multiple steps and may require repetitive actions	Simple straightforward steps
Handling Restrictions	Fail to handle when advanced restrictions are imposed such as printing, copying, etc.	Easily handles all levels of restrictions.
Reliability	Not much reliable	Highly reliable
Bulk Processing	Not supported	Supported

To Wrap Up

In conclusion in the above digital column, we have described the best 3 techniques to fix the the problem when users cannot fill in PDF form. Moreover, we have disclosed the major differences between fillable and non-fillable documents. Along with the working steps to check the PDF forms are fillable or not. After that, we have described the common reasons why users are unable to fill in PDF form.

Secondly, we have uncovered the manual methods to fix the issue using Google Chrome and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. However, manual techniques have some of its limitations so we have described the expert tool to resolve the query. Finally, we have seen the working steps of the Expert tool along with the Key differences between the manual and expert approach.

Commonly Raised Questions

Q1) Why I can’t fill out PDF form?

You may check the above-mentioned reasons when users can’t fill in PDF form. However, you may go with any of the techniques described above as per your requirements to make the PDF form fillable.

Q2) Why is my Acrobat not detecting form fields?

If you have gone with all of the above-mentioned reasons but still facing the issue then make sure that form filed auto-detection is on in your Acrobat.

Q3) How do I enable fill in PDF?

If you are unable to fill in PDF form and need to enable then you can Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to allow PDF form filling. However, this technique is not very cost-effective, in place of this you may go with the expert approach.