PDFSanitize
PDFSanitize Pro (planned)

Clear PDF Form Fields

Remove entered values from supported PDF form fields while keeping the form itself intact. Processing happens locally in your browser.

Your PDF stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.

Why your file stays private

PDFSanitize processes this operation inside your browser. The PDF is read, cleaned and rebuilt on your device instead of being uploaded for server-side processing.

  • Your browser reads the file you choose directly from your device.
  • Checking, cleaning and re-checking all run in this browser tab.
  • The cleaned copy is created in memory and saved with your browser's normal download.
  • As an extra safeguard, this page's security policy tells your browser to block it from making network requests.

What are PDF form fields?

A fillable PDF contains interactive form fields: boxes you can type into, checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdowns and lists. They're stored in the document's form (known as an AcroForm), separately from the printed text of the page. When you fill the form in and save it, the values you entered are saved inside those fields, and each field also keeps an appearance that shows the value on the page.

This tool clears the values of these field types:

Text fields
Anything typed into a box, including password-style fields.
Checkboxes and radio buttons
Which boxes are ticked and which option in a group is chosen.
Dropdowns and list boxes
The selected item or items.

Push buttons and signature fields are left exactly as they are.

What information can a PDF form store?

That depends entirely on the form. An application or registration form may hold a name, email address, postal address, phone number or date of birth. An order or claim form may hold account or reference numbers. Checkbox and radio choices record answers, such as consent choices or which option someone picked, and dropdowns record selections like a country or a department. Many forms contain nothing sensitive at all; the point is to know what's there before you pass a filled copy on or reuse it as a blank template.

A field can also store a default value, used when the form is reset. Defaults are sometimes left over from whoever prepared the form, so PDFSanitize clears both the current entered value and the stored default value for supported form fields.

Does clearing a form remove the form itself?

No. The fields stay where they are, with the same names, options and on-page controls, so the PDF is still a fillable form afterwards. Only the stored values are cleared. The tool also updates what each field draws on the page, so an old value doesn't stay visible after it has been removed from the field.

How to clear PDF form fields

  1. Drop the PDF onto the tool above, or choose it from your device.
  2. See how many form fields it has and how many hold stored values, grouped by type. Values stay hidden unless you choose to show them; password-style fields are never shown.
  3. Select Clear Form Data. A new copy is created; your original file isn't changed.
  4. The copy is re-opened and checked: no supported field may still hold a value, and the form, other annotations, metadata and pages must be unchanged. Then download it.

Does this flatten the PDF?

No. Flattening turns form fields into ordinary page content, so they can no longer be edited, and it keeps the values that were typed in. Clearing does the opposite: it keeps the interactive fields and empties them. PDFSanitize doesn't offer flattening at the moment.

Does this remove comments or highlights?

No. Comments, highlights, drawings, stamps and links are kept, and the tool checks that their number hasn't changed. To remove review comments, use Remove Comments From PDF. For highlights and other markup, use Remove Annotations From PDF.

Does this remove metadata?

No. The author, title, dates, custom properties and XMP metadata are carried over unchanged. If you also want to remove them, run the cleared copy through the PDF Metadata Remover.

Signed and archival PDFs

Signature fields are never cleared by this tool. Clearing other values still rebuilds the file, which invalidates an existing digital signature, so you're asked to confirm first when a signature structure is detected. For PDF/A files, the identification is kept, but PDFSanitize doesn't validate PDF/A conformance, so you're asked to confirm that too.

What this tool can't clear

Some forms, mostly made with older Adobe LiveCycle tools, also keep their data in a separate XFA section. The tool clears the regular form fields in those files but can't rewrite the XFA copy, so it reports the result as limited rather than clean. Text that was typed onto the page itself, or a form that was already flattened, isn't a form field and isn't changed. Password-protected PDFs aren't supported.

How can I check the PDF again before sharing?

Run the cleared copy through the PDF Privacy Checker. It reports form fields with stored values alongside metadata, comments and other annotations, so you can see what's left in one place.

FAQ

Clear PDF form fields FAQ

What this tool clears, what it keeps, and how it checks the result.

Does this upload my PDF?

No. Reading the form, clearing the values and re-checking the result all happen locally in your browser. The file is not uploaded to our servers. The page and the code that runs the tool still load over the internet, like any website.

What PDF form fields can it clear?

Interactive (AcroForm) text fields, checkboxes, radio button groups, dropdowns and list boxes. Push buttons and signature fields are left as they are.

Does it remove the form itself?

No. The fields, their positions, options and on-page controls stay in the PDF. Only the entered values are cleared, so the form can be filled in again.

Does it clear checkboxes and radio buttons?

Yes. Checkboxes are unchecked and radio groups end up with no option selected. Every checkbox and radio button stays in the form.

Does it clear dropdown selections?

Yes. Dropdowns and list boxes lose their selection, including multiple selections in a list box. The list of options is kept.

Does it clear stored default values?

Yes. A form field can also store a default value, which may itself contain personal details. PDFSanitize clears both the current entered value and the stored default value for supported form fields.

Does it remove digital signatures?

No. Signature fields are not cleared. But clearing any values rebuilds the file, which invalidates an existing digital signature, so the tool asks you to confirm first when it detects a signature structure. It doesn't check whether a signature was valid.

Does it remove PDF metadata?

No. The document properties, custom properties and XMP metadata are carried over unchanged, and the tool checks that after clearing. To remove metadata, use the PDF Metadata Remover.

Does it remove comments and annotations?

No. Comments, highlights, drawings, stamps and links are kept, and the tool confirms their number is unchanged. Use Remove Comments From PDF or Remove Annotations From PDF for those.

Can I verify the cleaned copy?

The tool does it automatically: it re-opens the new copy, reads every form field again, checks that no supported field still holds a value or still shows old text, and confirms the fields, other annotations, metadata, page count and page content are unchanged. If anything doesn't match, it says so. You can also run the copy through the PDF Privacy Checker.