Create and distribute PDF forms

From the All tools menu, select Prepare a form.

Select one of the following options:

• Select a file: Converts an existing electronic document (for example, Word, Excel, or PDF) to an interactive PDF form. Choose a file and select Open.
  
• Scan a document: Scans a paper form and converts it to an interactive PDF form.
• Start from blank page: Create a form from scratch with a blank page. For more information, see How to create a form from scratch.

If you want others to sign the form, select This Document Requires Signatures.

Select Create form.

Acrobat creates the form and opens it in the editing mode. The left pane displays form field tools to add fields and edit the form. The right pane displays a list of existing form fields.

Review the form fields Acrobat created. Add fields using the form field tools in the toolbar. Delete, resize, or arrange the fields as needed. You can add any of the following types of form fields:

• Text: Add text to the PDF document.
• Text field: Let the user type text, such as name, address, or phone number.
• Image field: Adds an image field. Allows users to browse and select the image to add to the PDF document.
• Checkbox: Provides binary choices for each item. If a form includes multiple checkboxes, users can select all of a subset of the checkboxes..
• Radio button: Provides a set of choices from which the user can select an item. All radio buttons with the same name work together as a group.
• Drop-down list: Lets the user choose an item from a pop-up menu or type a value. You can set a form field property to include a custom value.
• List box: Displays a list of options a user can select. You can set a form field property to let users select multiple items from the list.
• Button: Triggers an action on the user’s computer, such as opening a file, playing a sound, or submitting data to a web server. You can customize buttons using images, text, and visual changes.
• Date field: Lets you enter a date in the PDF document.
• E-signature field: Lets you electronically sign a PDF document with a digital signature.
• Barcode: Encodes the content of selected fields and displays it as a visual pattern that can be interpreted by decoding software or hardware.

For more information, see How to add form fields and set their values.

To change existing text or images, select the back button ( < ) to go to the Edit tool. All the text and image fields are enabled for editing.

To test your form, select the Preview button. Previewing a form provides a recipients' view of the form and lets you verify the form. Select the Exit preview button to return to the editing mode.

Save your form after making changes. Select Send or Share to share the form with the intended recipients.

Open a single PDF, or preview a component PDF in a PDF Portfolio.

Choose the hamburger menu   (Windows), ior the File menu (macOS), then select Save As Other > Reader Extended PDF, and choose one of the following options:

(Acrobat Pro) Allows users to add comments or access the Object Data, Measuring, and Geospatial tools.

Lets users save data they’ve entered in interactive or fillable forms.

Select Send in the lower-right corner of the left pane.

A series of messages might appear, depending on the conditions Acrobat detects in your form. Respond to the onscreen instructions as needed, and save the form.

Collect responses in your email inbox.

Distribute and collect responses on an internal server such as SharePoint or Network Folder. For more information, see Specify a server.

For more information, see Choosing a distribution option for reviews and forms.

Select Continue and follow the onscreen instructions for distributing the form.

• Enter the email addresses separated with a semi-colon, or click the To button to select email addresses from your address book.
• Edit the default message.
• Select the option Collect Name & Email from Recipients To Provide Optimal Tracking. The system prompts recipients to provide their name and email address when they submit the form. This guarantees that in Tracker, you see exactly who has and hasn't replied, and when.
• Deselect the option if you want to receive anonymous submissions, or you don't care about that level of tracking.

From the global bar, select Sign > Request e-signatures.

In the Sign dialog box, type in the email addresses of people you want to sign your document. Add a message if desired. Then select Specify where to sign.

Select Send.

You receive an email from Acrobat Sign which states that the documents are sent to the first user for signature. The first user also receives an email to sign the document. When the user adds his or her signature in the Signature field, and then select the Click to sign button, the document is sent to the next user for signature and so on.

Everyone gets a copy of the signed document, and the file is stored securely in Adobe cloud.