Fill in and sign a PDF form in Chrome
Type into the form, tick the boxes, add the date and sign, without printing, scanning or uploading anything.
Two kinds of PDF form
- Forms with fields
- Made to be filled on screen: click a box and type. Plainware PDF fills these real fields, so your answers sit where the form expects them.
- Flat PDFs
- Scans, and forms that were printed to PDF, have no fields. Plainware PDF lets you put text anywhere, add ticks and crosses, and stamp today’s date.
Fill and sign in Chrome
Click the Plainware PDF button in Chrome’s toolbar and choose Fill and sign.
Drop in the PDF.
Fill the fields, or place text, ticks and the date on a flat page.
Add your signature: draw it, type it, or upload a picture of it, and place it on the page.
Download the filled and signed PDF.
Your work and your signature stay with you
- Drafts. An unfinished form is saved in your browser as you go. Close the tab by mistake and it’s still there next time, until you download or discard it.
- Signatures. Plainware PDF can remember your signature for next time. It’s kept in this browser only. Untick “Remember it in this browser” if you’d rather it didn’t, and delete saved signatures whenever you like.
What it can’t do
- XFA forms. Some government and tax forms use XFA, an older Adobe format. Plainware PDF spots them and tells you it can’t fill them. They usually need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Certificate-based digital signatures. A drawn, typed or uploaded signature is an image on the page, like signing a printout. If a form needs a digital signature certificate (DSC) or an eSign service, use the tool the issuer names.
- Changing the form’s printed words. Fill and sign adds to the page. To replace existing words, Cover and retype (Pro) puts a box over them and lets you type new text, but the old text is still inside the file.
Chrome can do some of this too
Chrome’s own PDF viewer can fill simple form fields, and recent versions can add a signature. For a quick job it may be all you need. Plainware PDF adds the things that help with real paperwork: ticks, crosses and the date in a click, text anywhere on a flat scan, remembered signatures, and drafts that survive closing the tab.