How to Fill out PDF Forms in Acrobat Alternative

Filling out Forms with Adobe Acrobat Alternative

a. Filling Interactive Forms

Filling forms is also quite straightforward with PDFelement. Once you have downloaded and installed the application, launch it and import your PDF form. You can do this by selecting "Open File" on the start page and browsing through your computer to locate the file. With the file selected, click "Open" to upload it. PDFelement will automatically detect all fillable fields and radio buttons so all you have to do is type your responses.

b. Filling Flat or Non-interactive Forms

If PDFelement cannot detect interactive fields automatically after the document has been imported, you most likely have a flat form. You can still fill the form professionally without any third-party tool after the form has been imported. With the form open, click "Edit" tab on the home menu bar on PDFelement and select "Add Text" to activate the text editing feature. You can then move the mouse pointer to the area you want to type in the text and click to begin typing.

In addition to filling forms, using the "Add Image" function, PDFelement lets you add handwritten or electronic signatures which can be inserted anywhere on your form.

Once you are satisfied with the changes made on your form, remember to save the document by navigating to File > Save before exiting.

Tips: How to Edit Adobe Acrobat Forms

In general, not every form is interactive, that is, fillable. Non-interactive forms, or flat forms, are usually the result of the creator not converting forms to interactive forms – intentionally or otherwise. Such forms can only be filled by hand or using the Fill & Sign tool on Adobe Acrobat.

a. Interactive Forms

For interactive forms, filling them out is easy. With the "Select Tool" or "Hand Tool" activated in Adobe Acrobat, simply hover the mouse button over a field to see which fields you can type into and click to begin to typing. You can also select the button "Highlight Existing Fields" on the message bar to highlight all the areas on the document that can be filled. If there are radio buttons you can simply click on each one to select it.

Once you are done filling the forms, click "Submit" on the message bar to send the filled form. Unfortunately, Adobe Acrobat will only allow you to send the completed form via email or stored in a server, and not on your computer.

b. Flat Forms

If you have a flat form, you can use the Fill & Sign tool on Adobe Acrobat to find fillable elements and insert text. To use this tool, open the PDF form to be filled, navigate to the Fill & Sign option via Tools > Fill & Sign, and then click "Add Text" in the options toolbar to activate form filling. Click on the area you want to type and simply start typing. Use the grab handle to resize characters in case they don't fit in the box.

However, according to the blog of Adobe, Acrobat XI and Acrobat Reader will be end of support on October 15, 2017, which means there will be no more security updates, product updates, and no more customer support. In this case, your file and data might be insecure due to lack of protection. You can check here to find out the best alternatives to Adobe Acrobat.