Fill a PDF form on your phone, step by step
These steps use PDF Sign & Fill, our app for Android.
- Open the PDF. From an email or chat, open the attachment and pick PDF Sign & Fill from the "Open with" or share list. Or, on Home, tap Open a PDF and then Choose a file.
- Tap the first field and type. The Next field arrow takes you to the next one, so you can fill the whole form without hunting for boxes.
- Tap a check box or a round option to select it. In a drop-down list, pick your answer and tap Done.
- Where the form wants a signature, tap the page, choose Signature on Add to page, and draw or type it the first time. The same menu adds a Date or a Check mark.
- Tap Done. Before saving, choose whether to Keep fields editable: off, your answers become part of the page; on, the copy is still a form that can be changed.
- When Your signed copy is ready shows, tap Share to send it, or Save as… to keep it.
Your draft stays in the app until you delete it, so you can stop halfway and come back.
When the PDF has no fields to type in
Many PDFs are just a picture of a paper form: nothing happens when you tap a line. PDF Sign & Fill tells you so, and you can still fill it: tap the page, pick Text, type, and drag the text onto the line. Make it smaller or larger to fit the box. Add a Check mark for each box you need to tick.
One kind of form can't be filled: forms built with XFA, an older format some government sites still use. The app tells you when a form uses it. You can still tap the page to add text and your signature, or ask the sender for a regular PDF.
US tax forms: fill them on the page or step by step
The app's Forms tab has blank IRS forms such as the W-9, W-8BEN and W-7, the official ones from irs.gov. You can fill any of them on the page. For some, Answer step by step asks one plain question at a time and fills the right boxes for you. Your first form step by step is free; after that it is part of Pro, a one-time purchase. Filling on the page, signing, saving and sharing stay free.
Each form has a line-by-line guide on this site. Start with the W-9 guide if a client has asked you for one.
Other ways to fill a PDF on Android
Some phones' built-in PDF viewers can type into simple form fields; open the PDF and see whether the fields respond to a tap. They usually can't add text to a PDF without fields or place a signature you can reuse. Printing the form, filling it by hand and scanning it works everywhere, see how to turn photos into a PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fill out a PDF on my phone for free?
Yes. In PDF Sign & Fill, filling a PDF, signing it and saving or sharing the copy are free, with no watermark. Pro adds extras like more templates and filling forms from your saved details.
Why can't I type in my PDF?
Either the PDF has no form fields, so you add text by tapping the page, or it is an XFA form, which the app can't fill. A PDF locked by its author against changes can't be saved with your answers either; ask the sender for an unlocked copy.
Can I fill in my name and address automatically?
Save them once in Settings, under My details, and the app can fill them into the IRS forms it knows. The first document is free; after that it is part of Pro.
Will the other person be able to change my answers?
Only if you turn on Keep fields editable when you save. With it off, your answers become part of the page.
How do I sign the form after filling it?
Tap the page where the signature goes and choose Signature. See how to sign a PDF on Android for the details.
The form guides
Sources
Written from: Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024).
Language: English · Español