How to Add Fillable Text Box in PDF [With/Without Adobe] (2024)

Inserting fillable text boxes into PDF documents allows you to create a PDF form/document with fillable text areas.

When other users receive your PDF document with fillable text boxes, they will be able to fill in the text boxes using any popular PDF reader tools or even Chrome and Edge web browsers.

Generally, it takes a piece-of pro-level PDF editing software like Adobe Acrobat to insert fillable text boxes. That said, there are still free choices. Now please read on to learn more.

The Takeaways

How to Add a Fillable Text Box in PDF Using Acrobat Pro DC

As the flagship in the industry, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC provides (arguably) the most professional option for making fillable PDFs and inserting fillable text boxes into PDF documents.

What makes Acrobat Pro DC the best in industry is the feature called Form field auto detection that automatically inserts fillable text fields where apropos.

However, you should note that you can’t edit PDFs in Adobe Reader, you need Adobe Acrobat Pro DC which is a subscription-based PDF editor tool that costs at least $14.99/mo.

Step 1. Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, go to the Tools section, and click Prepare Form from the Forms & Signatures section.

Step 2. To add a fillable text box in an existing PDF, hit Select a file from Single File to import your PDF. By default, the Form field auto detection feature is on, keep it that way.

Step 3. Then Adobe Acrobat Pro DC will automatically analyze the imported PDF document and add form fields.

Step 4. If you need to insert an additional text box, simply hit the Text box option from the upper panel, and drop it on your PDF.

Step 5. Additionally, you can also select and delete unwanted text fields from there.

Step 6. Lastly, go to the File tab and select Save As to save the PDF document with fillable text boxes.

How to Add a Fillable Text Box in PDF Using LibreOffice

To put it bluntly, the abovementioned Adobe method is quite costly, and it’s certainly not necessary to pay for Adobe if you’re not a heavy user. Luckily, there’s a terrific free alternative to Adobe to add a fillable text box to PDF.

LibreOffice, one of the best open-source PDF editors, is a versatile and highly-recommended freeware for you to edit and read PDFs on Mac, Windows, Linux, and even Ubuntu. LibreOffice is popular, safe, and trusted by millions of users.

The most impressive feature of LibreOffice is that it allows you to make adjustments to existing form options such as text boxes.

Step 1. Download and install LibreOffice from the LibreOffice official website, and make sure to choose the correct System type.

Step 2. Open LibreOffice on your computer, go to File and hit Open from the dropdown to open the PDF document in LibreOffice Draw.

Step 3. Go to the upper-left corner, click on the View tab, select Toolbars from the dropdown, and hit Form Controls. This will enable the Form Controls panel.

Step 4. Click the Text Box option in the Form Control panel, and click and hold your mouse on your PDF to insert a fillable text box with the defined size. Note that it’s not a text box for inserting text, so you can’t type in text for now.

Step 5. Go to the File tab, select Export As from the dropdown, hit Export as PDF, choose a destination folder in the Export window, and hit Save.

Step 6. In the subsequent PDF Options window, make sure to check the Create PDF form option.

Step 7. Now if I open the exported PDF in Microsoft Edge, I’ll be able to easily type in text in the fillable text box.

Add Fillable Text Boxes to PDF Online

After reading about two software methods, some of you guys may ask: “Can I add fillable text boxes to PDF without software download?”

The answer is, yes. With the PDFgear online PDF editor, you can create fillable PDF documents online for free.

What I personally love most about PDFgear is its web-based nature, allowing users to flexibly edit PDFs and create PDF forms online in a web browser.

Additionally, PDFgear online tools also provide tons of other PDF features such as signing PDFs, compressing PDFs, rearranging PDF pages, annotating PDFs, etc.

Step 1. Upload PDF to PDFgear

Go to PDFgear Online PDF Editor tool, and hit the Choose files button to upload the PDF document you need to work with.

Step 2. Insert Fillable Text Fields Online

Go to the upper-right corner and select the option that says Add and Edit Form Fields. Then go to the Form Fields options to the left, select Text box, and place it anywhere on the PDF.

Step 3. Download PDF with Fillable Text Boxes

Whenever you’re satisfied, hit the Download file button from the upper-right corner to save the fillable PDF on your computer. Make sure not to go with the Print option, which flattens your PDF.

You’re also recommended to explore the advanced form-filling features with the PDFgear Desktop PDF Form Filler, which allows you to work with PDF forms without an internet connection, andadd electronic signatures to PDF forms.

Make Your Form More Professional

To create your own PDF form with a professional touch, here are some other elements recommended to add to your PDFs. They serve various functions so make sure to use them when fitting.

You can find them in most PDF form creator tools on the market.

• Checkboxes: Used to enable a squared tick box for users to choose between many options
• Drop-down list menus: Where you can select one or more items from a dropdown list of options
• List box: A scrollable window in a box of list items where users choose one or more options
• Radio Button: Created in group to enable selecting one single item in a list of options
• Password: Inserting fields for typing password-related information, which can be defined as visible or hidden

FAQs

Can I Add a Fillable Text Box in PDF Using Microsoft Edge?

Unfortunately, no. While the Microsoft Edge browser now brings in many practical PDF reading and editing features, it’s not really cut out for advanced PDF editing features including PDF form options.

Indeed, you are allowed to insert text boxes to PDF in Edge, yet it’s not a fillable text box, meaning only the first person adding it can type in the information in the text field.

How to Add a Fillable Text Box in Word?

Microsoft Word app provides an inbuilt yet hidden option to add a fillable text box. First, you need to enable the Developer ribbon option from File > Options > Customize Ribbon> Developer, then go to the Developer Tab to insert a Plain Text Content Control, which functions similarly to a fillable text box.

How can I ensure the text fields can be filled out by others?

To ensure the text fields you inserted into PDF can be filled out by any other people who open it, you need to make sure you’ve inserted editable form fields instead of common text boxes. Additionally, make sure to save the PDF with a multi-layer of editable elements, instead of printing the PDF.

Conclusion

All in all, you can easily add fillable text boxes in PDF with or without the Adobe subscription.

You only need to understand there’s a major difference between text boxes and fillable text fields in PDF editing, to make sure that other people can fill out the PDF as needed, always go with the latter.