You filled the form. Tabbed every field. Hit save. Closed. Opened — blank again. The data didn't survive close.
What's actually going wrong
Reader-only form. The PDF is configured to allow filling but not saving filled data. Common with older form templates. Save without flattening. Your viewer saved a copy with editable fields, but viewer state didn't transfer to the file. Cloud sync glitch. Saved locally but cloud overwrote with template.
The quick fix
Fill the form in Flint's editor. Choose 'Save as flat PDF' or use the flatten option when saving. The output has form data baked into the page as permanent content — no more resetting.
For reader-only forms where flatten is the only path, this is the standard fix.
If that didn't work
If your viewer doesn't expose flatten, work around it by printing-to-PDF after filling. The print pipeline rasterises filled content into permanent page content.
Or convert to JPG after filling and back to PDF — same effect, content becomes permanent.
Prevent it next time
Always flatten forms after filling, before sharing or filing. Never trust 'save' alone on PDF forms — verify by closing and reopening.
FAQ
What does flattening a form do?
Converts editable form fields into permanent text on the page. After flattening, the form looks identical but no longer has interactive fields — and the data is part of the file content.
Why won't standard save preserve form data?
Reader-only restrictions block standard save with data. Flattening bakes data into page content, which standard save preserves.
Can I keep a copy I can edit later?
Yes — save a flattened final copy plus an unflattened working copy. Edit the working copy if changes are needed, flatten again for distribution.
Does flattening reduce quality?
No. Flattened text is identical to typed text on a page — same vector sharpness, same searchability. Form fields just become indistinguishable from other page content.
Forms stop resetting when flattened. Edit and flatten in Flint and the data persists.