How to edit fillable fields on a converted form

This guide walks you through adjusting the fillable fields on a form that Instafill.ai converted from a flat PDF. The conversion places the fields for you. You then delete the ones that are not needed, move the ones that sit off their line, change the type of any field that should be something else, and add any field that was left out.

Watch: editing the fillable fields of a converted form, start to finish.

What you need before you start

You need	What that means
A converted form	A flat or scanned PDF that Instafill.ai has made fillable and whose fields have had their first review. It is in your forms library.
The desktop version of the app	Open Instafill.ai on a computer. Editing fields means dragging them, resizing them by their edges and using keyboard shortcuts, and all of that is far more convenient with a mouse, a keyboard and a large screen than on a phone.
A paid plan	Updating a form's layout needs one.

1. Open the form in the field editor

Open Forms in the top bar and find the form. Open the menu at the end of its row and choose Update PDF form layout.

The form is drawn page by page, with every fillable field outlined on top of it. Use the Page box to jump to a page, and the zoom menu beside the form's name to make the fields easier to grab.

The field editor showing a patient registration form with a dashed outline around every fillable field — The field editor. Jump to a page (1) or change the zoom (2).

2. Delete a field that is not needed

Click the field to select it, then press Del. Backspace and D do the same.

Changed your mind: Press the undo arrow in the toolbar, or Ctrl+Z. The redo arrow, or Ctrl+Y, puts the change back.
Two fields in one place: Fields that sit on top of each other are outlined in red with stripes. Delete one of them, or move it away.

A selected field lying over the printed address line of the form, outlined in red and ready to delete — A field placed over printed text. Select it (1) and press Del.

3. Move or resize a field

Drag a field to move it. Drag any of its edges to resize it. A field stays on its own page.

Small steps: Select the field and press an arrow key to nudge it a little at a time.
Text that should line up: Resize the field so that it sits on its printed line or inside its printed box. Text is written inside the field's outline.

A selected phone field sitting lower than the printed line it belongs to on the form — A field below its line. Select it (1), then drag it or nudge it with the arrow keys.

4. Change a field's type

A converted field is one of three types: a single line of text, several lines of text, or a checkbox.

A text field. Select it and press the pencil button above its corner. Under Type, pick one of the options and press Save.

Type	What it is for
Text	One line, such as a name or a date.
Multi-line text	Several lines, such as a description or an address block.
Checkbox	A box that is ticked or left empty.

The same dialog sets the Font size and Alignment of a text field, and White-out background, which covers what is printed under the field.

The field settings dialog with Checkbox picked among three type options, above font size, alignment and a white-out switch — Pick a type (1) and press Save (2).

A checkbox that should be text. Select the checkbox and delete it. Then add a text field in its place, as the next step shows.

5. Add a field the conversion left out

Scroll to the page that is missing the field. A new field goes on the page you are looking at.
Open Add input in the toolbar and choose Add text field or Add checkbox.
Move the pointer over the form. The new field follows it.
Click where the field belongs to place it.
Drag the field or its edges until it sits on its printed line or inside its printed box.

For a text field that needs several lines, press its pencil button and pick Multi-line text, as in step 4.

Many fields of one size: Double-click a field. Each click on the page then places another field of the same size. Press Esc, or click any field, to stop.
Ready for filling: A field you add is prepared for filling when you save in the next step.

The Add input menu open in the toolbar of the field editor, offering a text field and a checkbox — Open Add input and choose the kind of field (1), then click the form to place it.

6. Save your changes

Press Update PDF at the right of the toolbar. It rebuilds the form with your changes, confirms with a message, and reloads the editor.

The arrow beside the button offers Download PDF, which gives you the fillable form as a file.

The field editor toolbar with the green Update PDF button at its right end — Press Update PDF (1) when every field is in place.

Work faster with the keyboard

Key	What it does
Del, Backspace or D	Deletes the selected field.
Arrow keys	Nudge the selected field.
A	Adds a text field.
B	Adds a checkbox.
Ctrl+C	Adds another field the size of the selected one.
Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y	Undo and redo.
Esc	Stops adding fields.